Leaf Dog – “Year of the Leaf” review

This is the 9th full-length solo LP from Brighton, England, United Kingdom producer/emcee Leaf Dog. Notable for being amongst the best UK hip hop groups in recent memory The 4 Owls as well as the 3 Amigos & Brothers of the Stone, he branched out on his own in 2011 with From a Scarecrow’s Perspective, the sophomore effort 6 years later Dyslexic Disciple quickly became his most well-regarded body of work yet & I enjoyed Live from the Balrog Chamber at the beginning of 2020 under his own label Real Life Drama Records just as much. However in 2024 alone he’s released a total of 5 albums: Photosynthesis, Don’t Scare the Crows Now, Outstanding in My FieldAnything is Possible & When Sleeping Giants Wake. It’s been 3 months since the latter 2 & Leaf’s coming off producing BVA’s most acclaimed solo effort to date The Dam Builder to declare this as the Year of the Leaf.

To begin, “Life’s All I Have” hooks up a soulful boom bap instrumental to talk about being the thing you see come the final destination whereas “Pay to Play” works in another soul sample with kicks & snares reminding us that the game ain’t free at all. “Weed Mantra” is another soulful, boom bap crossover dedicated to everyone listening who loves good kush like myself while the crooning “I Don’t Miss” flexes his consistency.

“Athentic” hooks up some strings keeping the kicks & snares in tact to talk about being the truth although real ones already knew, but then “Dr. Ooze” strips the drums completely explaining that he’ll make futures look uncertain all of the sudden. “Dem Times” returns to the boom bap showing off his wild style prior to “Even If It” sampling soul music again talking about needing the paper like the country gearing up for war.

The final leg begins with “I Need Little” blending elements of orchestral with kicks & snares needing y’all to surrender to the rhythm while the song “No Sound” goes for a dreary boom bap approach instrumentally talking about those he speaks for. “Greed” soulfully tries to fill a hole deep within & finally, the closing track “No Games” completes Leaf Dog’s 6th album of the year by working nights straight shootin’ for a better life.

Leaf himself has said that he plans on putting out 2 more solo LPs before 2024 is finished & regardless of when he’s ready to give them to the fans, the fact remains that this really has been the Year of the Leaf joining When Sleeping Giants Wake in being my favorites of the 6 he’s had to offer so far. There’s more drumless undertones than there was on the predecessor but nevertheless, you still get the boom bap production he’s known for topped with personal & hardcore lyrics.

Score: 4/5

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BVA – “The Dam Builder” review

This is the 3rd full-length LP from Glastonbury, Somerset, United Kingdom emcee BVA. Coming up as a member of The 4 Owls as well as Brothers of the Stone & the 3 Amigos, he’s also given us a couple albums & EPs of his own over the course of this past decade with the 2021 sophomore effort Lex Neville under his own label Real Life Drama Records & his first EP BVA MC standing out the most of the few solo efforts under his belt. However after learning that Leaf Dog was fully producing The Dam Builder after dropping When Sleeping Giants Wake a month ago, I went into it expecting to surpass everything BVA had done previously.

After the intro, the first song “Charge It to the Game” officially begins the album with a soulful boom bap instrumental talking about being heartless in the face yet the calmest in his lane whereas “New Days” featuring Verb T takes the jazzier route explaining that it ain’t ever same as older days. “Out Here” featuring Benny the Butcher & Leaf Dog returns to the boom bap so they can talk about being raised outside leading into Leaf sticking around on the mic for “8 Bit Tales” dustily telling freaky tales like Too $hort.

“Desire” brings a whimsical boom bap vibe to the beat talking about there still a fire even when it’s cold ahead of Leaf Dog returning inside the booth once again for the orchestral “Take It Easy” likening the instrumental hitting like a wake & bake. “Nice n Crispy” works in more kicks, snares & orchestra elements to say shit like this is what makes them say these type of days be some of the best just before “1 in the Ashtray” talking about getting stoned during the day pretty much as soon as he wakes up.

Meanwhile on “Flying Daggers”, we have BVA over more classical flavored boom bap production refusing to allow anyone to burst his bubble while the solemnly “Dreamer” talking about how it don’t cost shit to be nice & people having their heads up in the clouds rather than in their vices. “Lost” has a soulful boom bap flare instrumentally explaining that every one of us is lost looking for a way out while “Over the Edge” takes a second checking what he knows in his head over more kicks & snares.

“Couple Clues” luxuriously observes the humor in these kids being told they were special & reality cutting them like sharp metal as they grew up while the organ-laced “Curse of the Liquor” insightfully breaking down the cons of alcoholism. “Still Rowing” soulfully talks about your respect owing while “Mightier Than the Sword” mixed a crooning sample with kicks & snares likening himself to a beast in his lair calling the feeling home sweet home.

Ramson Badbonez joins BVA on “Hiding in Plain Sight” continuing the sampling of soul music cautioning not to trust the government, the lawmakers or pharmaceuticals while the track “The Medecine” featuring Leaf Dog brings back the strings throwing kicks & snares on top of them explaining that it was never about anything else. And prior to the outro, the final song “Always Something” featuring Leaf Dog ends the LP brushing bad things off like nothing over organs.

His last couple albums have been a tad bit overloaded with the guests, but BVA really tones it down for The Dam Builder resulting in living up to my expectations outdoing B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) under High Focus Records & Lex Neville in becoming my new favorite solo effort in his discography a couple months after the Grizzled Young Veterans became the new RPW British Tag Team Champions. Leaf Dog’s production fuses the raw drum patterns of the traditional boom bap sound with samples along with strings & organs so BVA provides some of his most focused performances.

Score: 4/5

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Leaf Dog – “When Sleeping Giants Wake” review

Brighton, England, United Kingdom producer/emcee Leaf Dog of amongst the best UK hip hop groups in recent memory The 4 Owls as well as the 3 Amigos & Brothers of the Stone continuing his crazy 2024 run by releasing his 8th full-length solo LP. Branching out on his own in 2011 with From a Scarecrow’s Perspective, the sophomore effort 6 years later Dyslexic Disciple quickly became his most well-regarded body of work yet & I enjoyed Live from the Balrog Chamber at the beginning of 2020 under his own label Real Life Drama Records just as much. However in 2024 alone he’s released a total of 4 albums so far: PhotosynthesisDon’t Scare the Crows NowOutstanding in My Field & more recently Anything is Possible from a couple weeks ago. Much like January though, Leaf’s giving us 2 albums in 1 month by quickly following it up with When Sleeping Giants Wake.

After the intro, the first song “Victory” begins in the form of a crooning sample mixed with kicks & snares explaining that this is everything that his crew dreamed about whereas “The Storm” featuring Busta Rhymes & BVA finds the trio coming together over some Phantom of the Opera/boom bap shit bringing it hardcore. “It’s Never Easy” talks about trying to find a quick fix on top of a soulful instrumental with kicks & snares leading into “Daily News” continuing the sampling of soul music coming from a more personal place lyrically.

“Long Road Traveling” has a bit of an orchestral boom bap flare to the beat flexing that it ain’t no comparison when it comes to shit like this, but then “Check Mate” continues to clash strings with kicks & snares talking about calculating his next move similarly to chess. “Days of the Future Past” has a bluesier boom bap instrumental likening it to another scary movie tryna make you laugh that is until BVA returns alongside the late Sean Price for “Fade to Black” mixing that traditional hardcore shit with elements of classical.

Starting the 2nd half of the album, “War Report” soulfully paints the image of a horror story while “Conquer Your Fear” is a piano/boom bap crossover profoundly talking about his instincts. “The Ruler’s Back” has a bit of a triumphant atmosphere to it boasting that he can still make a classic even when he’s damn trending while “But For Now” takes the jazzier route a bit touching on some real life shit.

“Over Time” has a more colorful beat talking about having to pay his dues to get where he is at this point in his career while “Card to My Chest” incorporates a boom bap instrumental with a plucky guitar sample reflecting on when they was always waiting for him to slip. The final song “Soil Getting Sold” prior to the outro concludes When Sleeping Giants Wake with 1 last jazz rap cut telling y’all exactly where one can find him.

I can only imagine that Leaf will be dropping more albums throughout 2024 much like Flee Lord’s prolific 2020 run & although that’s certainly looking to be the case, When Sleeping Giants Wake could possibly be my favorite of the 5 LPs that we’ve gotten from him this year so far. His production is heavily boom bap centered although he fuses additional elements of soul & jazz music respectively, you get to see both sides of him as an artist & as a person joined by brief guest list.

Score: 4/5

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Smellington Piff – “Roma Supreme” review

This is the 3rd studio LP from Southwest England, United Kingdom emcee Smellington Piff, Introducing himself in 2013 off an eponymous debut EP under Real Life Drama Records, the NLP member would go on to follow this up a year later with the debut album Notice of Eviction produced by Leaf Dog & have both of the Leigh Brothers jumping behind the boards to produce his sophomore effort N.F.A. (No Fixed Abode) other than the intro. Commemorating almost a whole entire decade of becoming a solo artist, Illinformed has decided to fully produce Roma Supreme in its entirety.

After the ”Hippies” intro, the first song “Chase the Devil” begins with a piano-driven boom bap instrumental talking about those thinking he was done musically being sorely mistaken whereas “Who Got the Skunk?” swaps out the keys in favor of some strings so he can speak of his love for smoking weed. “Hard Times” takes a soulfully jazzier vibe talking about the world going against every turn he makes leading into “Around Here” featuring Runt Dawg depicting what happens when the sun goes down.

“Few Things” hands out middle fingers to a myriad of things whether it be the radio or the previous President of the United States over this quirky boom bap beat just before “Tooth for a Tooth” talks about how he can’t be kicked out of the scene because his foot’s in the middle of the door & puffing blunts so he can calm his nerves. “Class A” featuring Datkid finds the pair joining forces to boast the type of music they make while “The Alcohol’s Talking” featuring Bizarre links up for an ode to those who like to get their drink on.

Reaching the halfway point, the jazzily dusty “To the Left” talks about rolling up cheddar until it’s time for him to move on to better things & responding the crowd who wants the old Piff back while “Bailiffs” talks about his flow being more fluid than the blood pumping in our veins. “Information Overload” dismisses the need of him watching the news since everything around him’s been going to shite & confessing that he’s going mad while “Wolves” shouts out his real ones protecting his pack at all costs, leaving any opposition dead on the tracks.

“UFO” featuring the Creatures of Habit & Jack Jetson flips some strings to talk about feeling like aliens to everyone else around them while “Breathe” featuring The 4 Owls soulfully speaks of their love always outweighing hate in any situation. “Play My Part” featuring MysDiggi calls back to the OutKast single “Git Up, Git Out” featuring Goodie Mob. The outro “Poor Man’s Swag” finishes up by looking at the upsides of getting women even if one doesn’t have much money.

It’s completely understandable to have Illinformed handle all of Roma Supreme’s production considering that he did half of N.F.A. (No Fixed Abode) with his brother Leaf Dog after the latter fully produced Smellington Piff’s self-titled EP & Notice of Eviction, arguably surpassing all 3 of those projects to become his finest statement as a solo artist. Fans already know what they can expect from the quality boom bap instrumentation & Piff’s witty penmanship, but I furthermore note the respectable attempt at minimizing guest appearances.

Score: 4/5

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Creatures of Habit – “Parasite’s Paradise” review

The Creatures of Habit are a boom bap trio consisting of Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcees Eric the Red & Sean Peng alongside London producer Illinformed. Introducing themselves collectively in the fall of 2016 off their debut album Test Subjects under Real Life Drama Records, these guys would go on to spend the next 5 years focusing towards their own individual endeavors & have decided to make a comeback in the form of a sophomore effort through the Glastonbury, Somerset underground imprint for old time’s sake.

“Faking No Moves” cooks up a horror-inspired boom bap instrumental to start us off talking about having 0 time to be doing that bullshit whereas “Still Buggin’” works in some pianos mixed with kicks & snares to describe courts wanting to search on top of the police duckin’ ‘em. “I Keep It Me” featuring Datkid goes for a jazzier vibe talking about staying true to themselves just before “No Smoke” ruggedly dismantles anyone wanting beef with them.

Leaf Dog & Pertrelli join the Creatures on “Won’t Lie” combining more keys, kicks & snares to talk about always blowing out speakers in addition to rocking out guest appearances leading into “2 Tokes” featuring BVA links up for a playfully jazzy weed smoker’s anthem. “Bug’s Life” sounds more like a brief Eric the Red solo cut clocking at only 66 seconds in length while the soulful “Alone” featuring Leaf Dog regroups to talk about loneliness.

“Deadly Techniques” continues the 2nd half of Parasite’s Paradise trading hardcore verses with one another over a rigged boom bap beat regarding their lyricism still being gruesome as it was when they initially formed & after “The Devil’s Hands” talking about crime paying although those committing them eventually taking responsibility for their actions in due time, “Strange Trip” featuring Jack Jetson crosses paths with one another to drop 3 verses of speaking of their status amongst an endangered species of MCs.

The song “Brain Surgery” by Sean Peng counters Eric’s solo joint “Bug’s Life” earlier on turning the jazz influences to instrumentally leaving the people who fall in traps right where they are while “Wormhole” brings both spitters back together on the mic so they can take a few minutes to talk about the world becoming more dystopian than science fiction. “Hands of Time” finishes the Creatures’ return wraps things up with 1 last jazz rap/boom bap fusion confessing that there are moments in their lives where they wish they’d go back & fix which I do to, but we can’t.

It’s not very often when the Creatures of Habit appear on a song or make a musical statement of their own considering the gap between this & Test Subjects, but what I can say regarding their 2nd album is that I like it a lot more than it’s predecessor 6 years prior. Illinformed’s boom bap production is a lot more jazzier than Test Subjects’ was for fans of jazz rap like myself, there’s a respectably shorter guest list & the chemistry between Eric the Red and Sean Peng continues to elevate one another in terms of performances.

Score: 4.5/5

BVA – “Lex Neville” review

Here is the sophomore effort from Glastonbury, Somerset, United Kingdom emcee & Real Life Drama Records co-founder BVA. A member of The 4 Owls as well as the Brothers of the Stone & the 3 Amigos, his solo debut B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) arrived in 2014 under High Focus Records roughly 3 years succeeding an eponymous debut extended play. Coming off Peep the EP produced by the Leigh Brothers a few years earlier, he & the latter duo are introducing the world to Lex Neville.

After the titular intro, the first song “Walk the Atlas” produced by Leaf Dog begins with a soulful boom bap opener talking over rappers to compensate for their wackness whereas “In the Grip” woke in an organ to caution that we’ve entered an age of ignorance. “End of Days” featuring Jack Jetson & King Kashmere talks about entering the apocalypse over an Illinformed instrumental prior to “Groundhog Day” featuring Datkid & Leaf Dog living life deliriously.

“No Model” continues by talking about the very person who used to always have his back becoming the reason he had to watch it himself & that he isn’t someone that others should be looking up to while “Bring Me Back” desires to be brought back from the place of no return. “The Oh Oh” featuring Leaf Dog reunites the pair so they can talk about smashing their competitors lyrically while the organ-heavy “Music Wot’s Real?” speaks of always keeping things legitimate.

Meanwhile on “Fear & Loathing”, we have BVA over a woodwind mixed with kicks & snares cautioning that he might piss in other’s potions while “Reach & Bong” featuring Leaf Dog finds the 2 talking about their love for smoking weed. “Rollin’” featuring Verb T comes together to stay holding it down goldenly while “Snake Eyes” featuring Leaf Dog & Smellington Piff links up so they can turn haters into weepers.

“Carving Tablets” begins to wrap up Lex Neville’s last leg going for a soulful boom bap direction instrumentally explaining that the only thing he’s ever given fuck about was making raw music while “Nothin’ Else” hooks up a harmonic gospel flip talking about there being no better feeling to him than this very moment. “Family” chops up a crooning sample sprinkling some kicks & snares in the mix to send off the LP suggesting haters to either suck a dick or to simply go home.

B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) remains a tight collection of tracks presenting BVA’s buoyant capability of holding down an entire project all by himself & the follow-up 7 years since makes big improvements over it’s predecessor. The Leigh Brothers’ boom bap production fully realizes the cohesive ideas in terms of sound Peep the EP had initially teased, hitting fans with more entertaining quotable accompanied by a consistent list of associated collaborators.

Score: 4/5

Bronze Nazareth – “Bundle Raps” review

Bronze Nazareth is a 41 year old MC/producer from Grand Rapids, Michigan who started out as a member of the group Wisemen alongside his late brother Kevlaar 7 & later became a member of the Wu-Elements, the in-house production team for the almighty Wu-Tang Clan. He also has 2 solo albums under belt with The Great Migration & School for the Blindman but after a little over 7 years, Bronze is ready to hop back on the mic in a full-length capacity & has enlisted London, England, United Kingdom producer Leaf Dog of The 4 Owls as well as the Brothers of Stone & the 3 Amigos produce it from front to back.

After the “Think Carefully” intro, the first song “Theatre Speak” talks about striving for perfection over some foreboding string sections whereas the next track “It’s On” featuring Leaf Dog finds the 2 getting cocky over a bare sample of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell’s “If This World Were Mine”. The song “Madman” featuring Recognize Ali sees the 2 talking about trying to make it out the ghetto over a high-pitched vocal sample & ominous horns then after the “Wise Wakening” interlude, “The War on Us” gets conscious over a twangy beat.

“Lisbon Dinners” gets on the mafioso side of things over a funky instrumental with some wind-blowing samples & after the “Burnt Leaf” interlude, the track “Get It Myself” talks about hustling on his own over a boom bap beat with some triumphant horns. The song “Lyrical Wars” featuring BVA & Leaf Dog finds the trio challenging their opposition over an instrumental kin to Wu-Tang Forever while “The Deranged” is a full-blown Wisemen reunion talking about how it only takes 1 shot to leave your clothes stained in blood over a weepy beat.

The track “Grime Lords” featuring June Megalodon sees the 2 declaring themselves as such over a fuzzy instrumental with some vinyl cracking while the song “J My Man!” talks about being ruthless over some thunderous drums. Then before finishing off with the “No Turning Back” outro, the final song “The Immaculate” boasts his prowess about over a boom bap beat with some trumpets.

I was wondering when or if Bronze would drop another solo album, but I’m glad he did because this is a dope body of work under his own label Black Day in July Productions in tandem with the Glastonbury, Sommerset underground imprint Real Life Drama Records. His lyricism is still as good as his production-skills & then Leaf Dog on the other hand continues to remind listeners that he’s one of the best producers the UK has to offer.

Score: 3.5/5

BVA – “Peep the EP” review

Glastonbury, Somerset, United Kingdom emcee & Real Life Drama Records co-founder BVA preluding his sophomore effort with his 2nd EP. A member of The 4 Owls as well as the Brothers of the Stone & the 3 Amigos, his solo debut B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) arrived in 2014 under High Focus Records roughly 3 years succeeding an eponymous debut extended play. However, the Leigh Brothers being enlisted to produce Peep the EP in it’s entirety caught my attention coming fresh off a Return to Stoney Island.

“Friends” produced by Leaf Dog kicks off the EP with a boom bap instrumental talking about it seeming like we’re going for broke sometimes & checking the notes as a result of that whereas “Brothers” blends some kicks, snares & grand sampling techniques to discuss making ducats with all of his homies. Illinformed jumps behind the boards on “Mary” beginning the 2nd half telling the story of an attractive woman whose appearance has become 50/50 over time while the soulfully jazzy “Chris” talks about not needing someone like the very character down for whatever.

We’ll we’ll just have to wait & see if BVA can surpass B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) in terms of a future LP from him down the pipe whenever that comes, but Peep the EP for only 4 tracks to me was more enjoyable than the 2011 self titled EP. Both of Leaf Dog & Illinformed’s portions of the boom bap production feel a lot stronger, with Leaf refraining from accompanying his Real Life Drama co-founder like he did for 3 songs right when the 2010s began & BVA getting more conceptual than he did with the last couple times he’s dropped material all by himself.

Score: 4/5

Brothers of the Stone – “Return to Stoney Island” review

The Brothers of the Stone are a boom bap trio from London, England, United Kingdom consisting of Real Life Drama Records founders BVA & Leaf Dog alongside the latter’s brother Illinformed. They would make their eponymous full-length studio debut in the summer of 2013 under High Focus Records, getting back together almost 5 & a half years later now that half of The 4 Owls have been expanding their RLD imprint making a highly-anticipated Return to Stoney Island for an official sophomore effort.

“Smokey Smokey” begins with a boom bap instrumental talking about not knowing who to trust whereas “Can’t Touch the Flow” works in a crooning sample flexing that they always keep it raw to the core musically. “Duckits” featuring M.O.P. finds the quintet coming together to drop off 4 hardcore verses over a jazzy beat leading into “Everything” soulfully talking about feeling fucked up lost within their minds & the inability of remembering what normal was.

Smellington Piff appears on “Fanning the Flames” hooking up an orchestral flip to talk about everyone knowing their names while “Reverse Forecast” samples these strings for a moment remembering their homie Keith who had unfortunately passed away. “Overseers” featuring Inspectah Deck talks about holding the art form down like museum pieces until “Capital I” soulfully advising the world listening to do it themselves since you won’t know without trying.

The title track featuring Young Z gives off an eerie boom bap atmosphere starting the 2nd half saying fuck the world until they’re gone while the soulful boom bap crossover “Feed for the Greed” talking about those getting punked by the greedy. “The Desert” gives off a bluesier tone to the beat showing off their storytelling abilities of being trapped in a sandy area while “On a Roam” flips an accordion so they can talk about getting in their zone.

Rome Streetz appears for “The Ending” nearing Return to Stoney Island’s final moments sampling a violin with some kicks & snares sprinkled in the fold acknowledging all these MCs being aware of their demise while the bluesy “Can’t See Me” talks about trying to make it home as well as shooting signals at the dome. “Stone of the Brothers” featuring Eric the Red jazzily wraps things up pissing on major labels in the middle of their witchcraft rituals.

Elevating the same formula the Brothers of the Stone used for their self-titled debut for High Focus during my adolescence, Return to Stoney Island maintains the same enjoyability of it’s predecessor & some might even say that this new full-length could be an instance where the sequel’s better than the original. To their credit: The guest list is tighter, Illinformed’s sample-heavy boom bap production feels nostalgically reminiscent of 90’s east coast hip hop & the chemistry between BVA & Leaf Dog remains strong.

Score: 4.5/5

Babylon Dead – “2000 B.D.” review

Babylon Dead is a boom bap, political hip hop & ragga duo consisting of Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Jman alongside London producer Illinformed. One of whom has a couple solo albums under his belt already with AuranographyFree Dank whilst the other has become known for producing “Chalice” featuring Chip Fu off Jedi Mind Tricks’ only album without Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind’s involvement Violence Begets Violence. These guys initially got together for The Mould Tape’s outro “Gettin’ Mouldly” & have signed to the Glastonbury, Somerset imprint Real Life Drama Records for a debut album.

After the “Enter” intro, the title track sets the tone of what’s to come with an orchestral boom bap beat talking about meeting your demise if Jman shanks ya whereas “Raggo” embraces a significantly dustier approach instrumentally speaking of taking over the whole scene. “Judgement” hooks up more kicks & snares talking about maintaining the equally militant mind state the late Peter Tosh had leading into “Empire” shows a pyromaniac side to them both.

“Duppy” samples some strings making political commentary on serious long-term issues such as decades of police brutality while “Veteran” sticks with a boom bap vibe talking about the rest of the world not being ready for the movement Babylon Dead are about to start. “Acab” stands out for being amongst the earliest origins of the “all cops are bastards” phrase condemning officers for abusing their power & after the “Enemy” skit, “Voodoo” gruesomely talks about death having no fear for anyone or anything.

Starting off the last leg, “Fuckery” comes out the gate incorporating these funereal organ melodies observing the very thing he sees when turning on the television these days while “Hostage” continues to warn the game of it’s eventual takeover Jman & Illinformed are plotting. “Greed” eerily talks about being at war for that very reason & the current year of 2000 B.D. itself but after the “Message” skit, “Funeral” cooks up a ragga outro publicly rejecting a desire to have a service of remembrance if the pairing winds up dissolving for whatever reason there could hypothetically be.

My favorite album in the ragga subgenre of dancehall will always be Buju Banton’s 4th album ‘Til Shiloh & although I wouldn’t put Mad Lion’s sophomore effort Real Ting above it, it does have moments that’ve become somewhat overlooked. Babylon Dead nonetheless has introduced themselves by giving Real Life Drama Records a top 5 entry in their whole catalog portraying a happy marriage between Illinformed’s boom bap & ragga production and Jman’s politically charged lyrics.

Score: 4/5