The Catch Up Pt. 2

Part 1 is here.

Jehst - England | 8.5/10
In 'England', the British MC paints a hauntingly vivid picture of his hometown as he points out societies ills over some grim and mournful production. The whole track has a '1984' vibe without really venturing into conspiracy theory territory.
'An i still got love for the place where i'm livin,
but right now there aint nothin great about Britain'
[Had to remove download link]


Nas- Nasty | 9.5/10
Anyone trying to recreate that early 90's sound, take note, this is how you do without sounding outdated. Nas REALLY goes in here and delivers a fast paced near-flawless performance. Nas is hungry.
'Ayo, late night, candlelight, fiend wit’ diesel in his needle
Queensbridge leader, no equal, I come from the Wheel of Ezekiel
To pop thousand-dollar bottles of scotch, smoke purp, and heal the people'
Download | Lyrics 

Royce Da 5'9 - Second Place (Prod. DJ Premier) | 9/10
This here is the Royce I enjoy. 'Second Place' sounds like something Royce and Preem would have cooked up in the Bar Exam 1 days. No lame punches or corny dick/shit/ass puns just a killer flow, some hard hitting lines and some witty ones. There's even a funny little retort to the often voiced (and valid imo) complaint regarding Royces' Eminem namedropping. I think one of Premo's most overlooked attributes his ability to craft a great hook out of a cut or 2 and a couple scratches and this track here is no exception. I look forward to the final version with Meth and Rae.
[Had to remove Download link, shouldn't have much trouble googling one though]| Lyrics

Kanye West - Mama's Boyfriend | 9/10
Apparently this isn't the final version but seeing as it doesn't sound unfinished and may not be released in the future I've decided to post it anyway. You can tell why this was left off MBDTF, it has a more 'See Me Now' feel to it. The production is fantastic with the backing vocals really bringing the track to life. The heartfelt first verse does a great job of capturing both childish resentment and love, and the irony-laced contrast of the second verse juxtaposes well against that backdrop.

'I drew a picture of her that'll make her proud
but the door is locked and the TV up so loud
I scream out 'I aint goin to sleep no time soon
and when I do, i'm sleeping in my mama room' '

While in another artists hands those line might come across as corny Kanye has knack for infusing such sincerity in his delivery that such words are, excuse the gushing, transformed into touching personal insights.
[Had to remove download link]


Co$$ - Only When I Dream ft. Sene & Aloe Blacc | 9/10
Wow, what a killer track. Love the beat, Aloe contributes a great hook, Co$$ has one of the years best verses and though Sene is completely outshined it can't be said his effort is anything approaching weak.
Download

Next Part coming soon. For Part 1 of The Catch Up head here.

Lowkey ft. Logic - Relatives

This joint is one of the most emotional evocative Hip-Hop tracks I’ve listened too. It’s a tragic story of misunderstanding and misinformation set against the backdrop of the war in Iraq. It follows an Iraqi kid (played by Logic) who grows to be a young man and enlist in the Mujahedeen and a young man from Britain (played by Lowkey) who becomes a member of the army. As the track progresses the lives of the two men are gradually drawn together with a harrowing ending.

One of the tracks triumphs is showing how the motivations - influenced by propaganda, tradition and the media – behind what could be considered quite despicable actions, can appear reasonable to the person who commits them. The track also looks at just how hard reconciliation can be when two parties are so invested in a conflict and have so much bad blood in the past.

The beat consists of a slow loop of mournful strings with a subtle, middle-eastern flavour, that immediately set the tracks tone. And the way the tracks set-up – with Logic and Lowkey going line for line – works well to convey how, at the same time, the characters are both so different and similar. The conditions they were raised in are completely different yet their motivations are incredibly similar.

‘[Lowkey:] I was born in Birmancy, one of the south parts

[Logic:] And I was born in Bazara, southside of Iraq

[Lowkey:] We used to play football outside in the park

[Logic:] We used to dodge bullets outside in the dark

[Lowkey:] I never prayed, I was told there isn't a god

[Logic:] I prayed 5 times a day it's like I lived in a mosque’

The highlight of the track is probably the closing line, which really helps to drive home the point that, no matter our race or how different our background, we’re all human beings who can see some of our self in others.

The only negative thing I have to say about the track is the chorus; I felt something melodic would have suited the track better than a rapped chorus.

10/10

Lyrics

Sounds Like: A British Immortal Technique

For more Lowkey check out his fantastic debut solo album, Dear Listener