EP Review: Made In Heights - Winter Pigeons (Produced by Sabzi from Blue Scholars)

 
Download: Made In Heights - All The Places

This is a must listen for any Blue Scholars fan. Sabzi, one of Hip-Hops best producers, teamed up with relatively unknown singer Kelsey. Dubbed as a 'side project' this EP is short, only 3 tracks long with a bonus track. While not a Hip-Hop release, it is, however, some of the best production i've ever heard from Sabzi. Kelsey is a talent herself; her lyrics are filled with evocative imagery and her delivery is rap-inspired at times, as in the EP's best track, All The Places.

My mind is in the heaven and my shoes are in the mud
leaving traces size 7 running in my royal blood

In a piece of news welcome to all Blue Scholars fans Sabzi has remarked that the album is finished, so we can expect a release in the not too distant future. I can honestly say that i would anticipate just as much a full length Made In Heights release after this EP and I hope one eventuates.

To purchase and stream the whole EP head on over here

Rating: 83/100

Further Listening: Check out either of the Blue Scholars albums, Blue Scholars and Bayani.

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EP Review: Blu - Amnesia

 
In the lead up to the long awaited release of Blu's No York album, we the fans were given something to hold us over in the form of the Amnesia EP. EP might be a bit of a stretch though with the release containing three tracks on which Blu raps over (one of which is only around a minute and a half long) and an instrumental. Brevity aside, this release should please the average Blu fan.

Blu handles the production himself and proves he's more than up to the task. Vocal samples feature prominently on every beat and the mood ranges from the laid-back 'Amnesia' to the more hard hitting 'Since', reminiscent of Exile's 'The World Is...'. On the mic Blu comes with a more scattered, 'poetic' style of self-analysis mixed with reflections on relationships and women.

'Patience grown thin, home sick and haven't been home since
Fuck a rapper, I'm an actor in a film called:
"Leave me the fuck alone until I find a real job"
Busting chrome grills off at these soft hearted breakbeats bouncing with 808's and gray ink
Blue heart, red skies, true art died in the heart of my mind
Kept trying to fulfill this, blank scribbled realness, even if it kills this
Poet inside'

Blu utilises a more softly spoken delivery on the EP, preferring to blend in with the beat rather than stand out from it. Because of this it can take a second before you realise that his technical skills are as sharp as ever with the lack of emphasis in Blu's voice disguising the alliterations and rhyme patterns intertwined throughout his verses.

Rating: 82/100

Download: Blu - Amnesia (Remind)

Further Listening: Blu's Debut album with Exile, Below The Heavens, is a classic and a must listen.

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