Cult of the Damned – “Cultgangrapsh!t” review

Here we have the 3rd studio LP from England, United Kingdom collective the Cult of the Damned comprised of Blah Records founder Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon & Reklews. Introducing themselves as a unit in 2015 off an eponymous debut EP, a sequel would come in the form of their full-length debut Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate & the sophomore effort The Church Of mostly produced by Nobodies Home was more rawer sonically. However, they’re returning to have Drae da Skimask solely produce Cultgangrapsh!t.

“SCOTTY2COMFY” by Bisk, Lee Scott & Sniff was a psychedelic boom bap intro talking about fathering MCs & breaking boundaries whereas “PUSSY2” by Bisk, Black Josh & Sniff featuring Jack Danz hooks up a piano sample mixed with kicks & snares so they can explain that you can’t be the greatest & a bitch. “FU” by the Antiheroes & Sly Moon eeriely brings the trio together over more key-driven boom bap instrumental for a hardcore hip hop track dismissing the need of a hook leading into “Belly” by Bisk & Black Josh featuring Jehst talking about life being a mess & controlling it all the way.

Stinkin’ Slumrok gets a solo joint of his own on the psychedelically raw “SLUMMY” looking to keep it going until the daylight comes prior to “JIM BEAM” by BeTheGun & Sly Moon going for a lo-fi boom bap vibe speaking of walking down the street & talking in their sleep at night. “DINOSAURFOOD” by Bisk & Black Josh jazzily finds the pair discussing less being more unless you’re short on the drawer while “Highlighted” lets Black Josh hold the fort for 113 seconds talking about having women on his mind over prominent vibraphone flip.

“Coffee, Pt. 2” by Bisk, King Grubb & Lee Scott nears the conclusion of Cultgangrapsh!t with a sequel to a standout off Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Posse Gang Crew Syndicate making it known that there ain’t nobody like them while “Free Tony” by Bill Shakes, Lee Scott & Tony Broke references UFC middleweight Nick Diaz. “Kosher” by Bisk & the Super Sag Bros finishes the album with all 3 of them talking about stealing women & only seeing greatness whenever shutting their eyes at night.

Since its title implies that we could a sequel or 2, this inaugural entry of the Cultgangrapsh!t series could by the weakest of the 3 full-lengths that the Cult of the Damned have given us in almost a decade. That said: I still enjoy it, just not as much as their previous material collectively. Drae da Skimask’s production suits their whole style & Reklews’ engineering, but it kinda feels like a compilation considering the lack of moments where there are 5 members or more appearing simultaneously. I’d also like to hear Reklews & Sam Zircon returning to produce a Cultgangrapsh!t 2whenever the time’s right.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bang On! – “Defo Not Normal” review

Liverpool, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom emcee Bang On! dropping his 3rd EP fully produced by London beatsmith & audio engineer Reklews. Making his full-length studio debut in the spring of 2012 with the moderately received sic, he would go on to sign to Blah Records at the beginning of 2018 & make his debut for the label with The Power of Not Being Arsed. He only dropped Str8 2.mp3 a few weeks earlier & is continuing the summer by making it clear that he’s Defo Not Normal.

We get a cloudy hardcore opener in the form of “Fuck That Shit” suggesting people get with the program since there’s no plan B for him whereas “Girls” takes the boom bap route instrumentally basically doing his own take on the JAY-Z single “Girls, Girls, Girls” down it being sampled during the hook taking a more melodic approach to delivery after the 1st verse. “Smoking Weed” reaches the halfway point of the EP making up for the previous track by cooking up a stoner’s ode.

“No Graft, No Gain” gets the other leg of Defo Not Normal started by going for a grime vibe sonically talking about people not having any glory if the don’t have the guts leading into some rap rock influences seeping through so he can tell those anyone sleeping on him that they’re gonna “Find Out” rather quickly. “The Right Coat” spends the last few minutes talking about him feeling as if no one likes him, which resulted in him becoming emotionlessly cold as fuck.

Of the 2 extended plays that’ve come out in less than month, I had higher expectations for Defo Not Normal & would consider it to be an improvement above it’s predecessor. Reklews’ production is more versatile than the traditional boom bap sound that the Children of the Damned or it’s successor the Cult of the Damned & Hock Tu Down have all become known for & Bang On! gets more serious topically rather than continuing Str8 2.mp3‘s satirical commentary.

Score: 4/5

Hock Tu Down – “Hock Tu 3” review

Hock Tu Down are a duo from Liverpool, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom consisting of producer Reklews alongside Runcorn, Cheshire, emcee/producer & Blah Records founder Lee Scott. Forming in the late 2000s, both members of the Children of the Damned & it’s successor the Cult of the Damned would drop their full-length Prozium Peddlin’ at the end of 2009 & followed it up 9 months later with their debut EP Something Strange. It’s been over 8 years since the latter & these guys are reuniting for a sophomore effort.

“Breakfast” talks about having so much fun in the sun to the point where he might cry over a raw boom bap instrumental whereas “Fanks” takes a more personal approach to Lee’s songwriting speaking of both his parents. “Glenn’s Eye” has a slower vibe to the beat talking about being the ones to explain how shit’s gonna go down leading into “Kit Bag” featuring Milkavelli reunites the Mcabre Brothers referencing former UFC Featherweight Champion & UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor.

As for “Deus Ex Machina”, we have Hock Tu Down giving a fuck less if they impress or disrespect anyone surrounding them working in more kicks & snares with some jazzier undertones just before “1 Tu” talks about reality being what you make of it whether someone’s there cooperating or not. “Game On” featuring Jehst finds the Group talking about life being unfair on top of this slow boom bap instrumental & “Black Hoodie Season” after the “Bengal Tiger” skit moves forward with an autumn ode.

“Yarbles Mahoney” continues the 2nd half of Hock Tu 3 ruggedly talking about being a rare 1-of-1 edition sitting on a lonely shelf while “Honest Daze” featuring Nickelus F & Quelle Chris sees the trio confessing every mistake they made caused them to run & gun more. “Sun D” dustily talks about having nothing to do like it’s a Sunday while “Zip” takes a couple minutes so he can discuss today being a great day to rebel in Hell.

The track “Breathe 101” winds down the album’s final minutes jumping over a gully beat reminding us to take deep breathes regularly & the final song “I Made Some Shit” preceding the compositional 60 second outro sends it all off treading intergalactic boom bap waters instrumentally talking about making more music with the money that Lee’s made off his previous material & tripping on the 12th stair when he was on his way to the pearly gates of heaven.

Prozium Peddlin’ was an outstanding debut for Hock Tu Down & I felt like Something Strange in comparison was ok, but Hock Tu 3 wedges itself in middle behind their inaugural LP almost a decade ago & above the extended play they gave us prior to their hiatus. Waiting for the right time to make a return, Lee Scott takes a batch of boom bap production he’s had from Reklews for some time in middle of him hanging around family & using them as inspiration to write the final product.

Score: 4/5

Cult of the Damned – “Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate” review

This is the full-length studio debut from England, United Kingdom collective the Cult of the Damned consisting of Blah Records founder Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon & Reklews. Introducing themselves as the Children of the Damned’s spiritual successor in 2015 with an eponymous debut EP, they’re picking up right where they left off on Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate.

“Part 2” begins with a boom bap sequel to the intro of the Cult’s self-titled extended play produced by Dr. Zygote where most of the members are asking if one knows which way to take at an intersection whereas “Salt Water” by the B-Movie Millionaires, Salar & Swamp Harbour references WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE United States Champion, 14-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hardcore Champion, RoW Tag Team Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Booker T over a Sam Zircon instrumental.

BeTheGun, Lee Scott, Sly Moon & the Super Sag Bros all appear on “No Explanation” demanding everyone respects them just before Bill Shakes & Tony Broke trade verses over a Reklews beat during “The Usual” referencing UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer. “From the Depths” has an eerier boom bap vibe instrumentally dismantling anyone who wants to step up to them in a battle leading into “Never No” brings Bill Shakes, Hock Tu Down, King Grubb, Milkavelli & Salar together talk about those who don’t know the deal with the Cult by now never knowing.

“Nicole” gets the other half of the LP going making their own version of “Triumph” dropping 7 verses without the need of a hook while “Civilized” dustily talks about waiting at the top. “Connect 4” finds the Antiheroes joining Bill Shakes & King Grubb for a chorus-less hardcore hip hop track but after “Coffee” has Bisk tagging in for Grubb & the Mcabre Brothers replacing the Antiheroes cautioning people will learn who they are once they start smoking again, “Bad Card” spends the last 4 minutes giving straight bars over a rugged boom bap beat.

Making a broader extension of their self-titled debut EP after I had graduated from high school, the Cult of the Damned dives deeper into their universe making sure all of the wide range of side projects that’ve formed before & after the Children of the Damned’s merger with Cult Mountain are included. The boom bap production contains more elements of grime than their 2015 introduction did albeit to a much lesser extent & lyrically, they’re cementing themselves as one of the most unstoppable forces in all of UK hip hop.

Score: 4.5/5