Farma G – “To Kill a Butterfly” review

Farma G is a 40 year old MC/producer from London, England, United Kingdom known for being a member of the Mud Family collective & 1/2 of the Task Force alongside his brother Chester P. He would go on to produce for several big names within the underground from Rome Streetz to Vinnie Paz & the latter’s Heavy Metal Kings cohort Ill Bill. However after signing to High Focus Records as a solo artist, he’s ready to show the world what he’s capable of doing on the mic & dropping a full-length solo debut a month after Michael Oku became a 2-time RPW British Heavyweight Champion.

“Cats & Dogs” begins with a cumbersome beat referring to the titular idiom used when it’s raining really hard just before “Bearskin Coats” shifts towards a boom bap direction so he can liken himself to a walking killer carrying a harpoon. The self-produced “Junkyard” sticks out to me as a favorite of mine from the overall mafioso vibe to the lyrics detailing the kind of business you can’t get out of once you’re in while “Say How You See It” speaks of calling things the way they are.

Moving on from there, “Classic Tech” instrumentally somewhat reminds me of Griselda’s late 2010s output talking about a bad moon rising & a new sun’s quest to take it’s 1st breath leading into “Here Come the Gods” works in a gritty piano flip to explain that he was born to rock clubs. “Peet” samples an organ so he can a couple minutes to remember his late father while “In Between the Lines” talks about how he feels trapped whenever he’s writing songs over a Cuth & DJ Jazz T beat.

“Found That Funny” laughs at rappers who only have money on their minds while “Angels” talks about hearing messengers of God speaking to him. “Me Oh My” dustily offers an easy listening experience for the drug dealers & their victims while “Goat Shit” featuring Jehst finds the 2 over a woodwind instrumental talking about ranking amongst the greats. “The Start & End” finishes up the LP by jumping over a drumless loop suggesting death runs the numbers until our time comes.

Hanging up the mic in 2013 following the completion of the Task Force’s 6th & final album Music from the Corner 5 so he could focus more on his production skills, To Kill a Butterfly thematically connects itself to Farma G’s origins as part of the Mud Family duo he & his younger sibling formed 3 decades ago officially closing that chapter of his life & beginning anew. I understand him only producing a few cuts so he can let his pen shine, but I’d love to hopefully hear the guy fully produce a future sophomore effort all by himself now that his solo career’s begun.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ramson Badbonez – “Fusion” review

This is the 13th studio LP from London, England, United Kingdom emcee Ramson Badbonez. An underwing of the Task Force, he would eventually sign to High Focus Records in 2013 making his debut for the label with A Year in the Life of Oscar the Slouch that same winter. Hypnodic, Jason Bonez, Mic Day the 13th & Death Mask would all come out under the Hove, East Sussex imprint to warm reception. However with Fusion now becoming the 6th, he’s looking to go in a different direction stylistically.

“Alpha” produced by Jehst begins with a hypnotic ode to one of my all-time favorite Nas tracks “The World is Yours” whereas “Lift Off” goes for more of a hip house vibe courtesy of Ghosttown making the place “Jump” like Kris Kross did. We get a horn sample mixed with drums & bass to give the fans “What Ya Need” prior to the synth-heavy “Rap Bio”solemnly swearing that nothing can compare to his output through a biography on his career.

As for “Blame”, we have Ramson over a hypnotic beat talking about his country’s education system failing the youth hence why he can’t blame them leading into “Hoodflix” featuring Datkid & Truemendous on the remix finds the trio looking back at their upbringings over a Telemachus instrumental. The experimental trap-tinged title track gets in his storytelling bag describing the dark streets of London while “Beat the Odds” takes a few minutes to talk about achieving what many deemed impossible.

“Just Say…” kicks off the 4th quarter of Fusiontalking about the real calling the frauds on their bluff, wanting nothing more than them to back off & cut their bullshit while “Roll On” dabbles with grime suggesting not everyone was made to be a rapper when that couldn’t be any more factual. “Could’ve Been You” featuring Confucius MC advises to never hold a grudge because time flies rather quickly until “Omega” wraps things up with a bombastic 5 & a half minute outro letting those who fucked up around him know what they’ve done.

Some of the mixed reception I was seeing towards Fusion going into it had a me a little worried that it could be Ramson Badbonez’ worst album but now that I’ve finally gotten a chanced to sit down & break it down, I wouldn’t say it that’s bad personally. The production’s more experimentally genre blurring than what we’re normally used to hearing from him dissecting the many highs & lows that took him from a life running the roads to documenting his own experiences.

Score: 4/5

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Ramson Badbonez – “Jason Bonez” review

Here is the 3rd extended play from London, England, United Kingdom emcee Ramson Badbonez from the Task Force. He would eventually sign to the Hove, East Sussex imprint High Focus Records in 2013 & made his debut for the label with the highly received A Year in the Life of Oscar the Slouch that same winter. Coming off the DJ Fingerfood-produced Hypnodic however, he’s introducing us to a character who takes the name of Jason Bonez almost a whole entire year since the latter.

“Mr. Voorhees” opens with this sinister boom bap instrumental produced by DJ Jazz T & Dr. Zygote comparing himself to the main antagonist of the Friday the 13th franchise whereas “Lock Your Doors” hooks up some foreboding horns mixed with kicks & snares advising everyone to bolt the entrances of their homes. “Black Heart” stylistically keeps it rugged recalling his mother telling him what made him lonely leading into “The Witch is Pregnant” spitting a freestyle over an organ-inflicted beat.

To get the 2nd half of Jason Bonez going, “Killing Fields” heinously talks about leaving doubters bleeding for all of eternity while “Machete Madness” continues to take us inside the shoes of a serial killer donning a hockey mask & cutting up bodies. “Rain, Drains” maintains a spooky boom bap vibe to the beat talking about doing all the dirty work by himself but after the synth-driven “Get My Head Fixed” suggests to do either that or find the nearest exit, “Bloodsplat” finishes with a jazzy boom bap outro getting bloodthirsty.

Maintaining the skillful standards that A Year in the Life of Oscar the Slouch for example has set, Ramson Badbonez follows Hypnodic up with the most horrorcore-themed project of his entire career without making it sound gimmicky like some artists in that particular subgenre of hardcore hip hop. The production’s more boom bap-oriented than Hypnodic’s was & I love that he holds down the verses all by himself instead of getting a bunch of guests, conceptually likening himself to one of the most iconic franchises in all of horror cinema.

Score: 3.5/5