Sicker than sick and doper than dope, Upfront delivers as always. Hard beats, smooth riffs, sleek vocals, all combined in a mesh of hip-hop goodness for the soul. Always touching more on the lyrical side than the phonetics, the album has a lot of words, sometimes bordering a touch too many. How and ever, Upfront is Upfront, and the album is a step above the grade. For a young lad, he's doin' fair well. Featuring colabs from the other Prophets, Leaf Dog, Chikaya, and a host of others larger than the armies at the end of Lord Of The Rings, each song is individual in itself, but blends seamlessly into the album. Unique, check. Extravagant, check. Money, cheque.
With a little intro to kick out the jams, easing into Still Rolling, first impressions were of an odd kind. An off-key trumpet style riff, coupled with Chikaya's following vocals, it's a loud one, with banging kicks and hard snares. I'm not sure what that intro is about, but hey. That trumpet is an ear worm. Following the first chorus, Upfront keeps the flow going, as mentioned in previous posts. An exciting intro to the album, it sets the momentum forward, never slowing. I wouldn't hire those brass players for a function though.
Mistafire takes his cue for Where's The Love Gone. A much more laid back tune, Upfront begins the track with his unique style coming through. After getting used to his accent and tone of voice, it's entertaining hearing another person rhyming on the track. Mistafire is great in his own right. No hate. Whether due to production or out straight talent, Upfront comes through as clearer on this track, heavier.
Another easy peazy slow one, My Surroundings, has much more emphasis on each element. The drums come through incredibly clear, as do the vocals. The riff is a simple tight guitar, and the vocals are the main point. Not a bad element. Elements of life.
Hurry Sundown begins like we're Clint Eastwood in the West. Not in a homo-erotic way though. Upfront flows on top of a (much more talented) brass ensemble, with vocals floating in the background. Emphasis on phonetics again ("Hurry Sun-daan"), it has numerous vocal hooks that you can't help but randomly projecting to the nearest audience at every given opportunity. With verses from Life MC and Hozay, it adds a dose of variance, always good. Tearing through Not All Bad (link below), we storm through to a personal favourite.
Keeping it real, Come Back To Me is a steady, all round fuckin' banger. Featuring the Dog of the Leaf himself in his human form, it's a standout of the album. For me. Carried with that wonky vocal harmony, a suppressed kick, Leaf's vocals being filtered or something, and lyrics being deeper than the depths of your girlfriend's ass, it can't but stand out. Gotta love Leaf. In fact, gotta love it all. The kick really carries the beat onward, and it's a shame it ends at all. Thumbs up.
Strolling casually past the police into U.P.F.R.O.N.T., it's half an interlude, half a song. Or maybe a quarter if it's half of a half. Anywho, it sets the scene in a much happier light than previously. Treading past Coming Through Your Speakers, another old-schooler, and Who Wants It with Jman (with the perfect off-kilter Family Guy sample, and reggae guitar), the album focuses towards another release featuring Chikaya.
What People Say would have been a defining song in my happening upon the Prophets. Res is on form here, and it's the release off the album that would have been most familiar to the author. Shown to the internets a whopping seven months ago, according to the TubeYou, I didn't expect it to be on the album. Not sure if anyone did. I digress. In regards to the song, the album revolves around it, being the centrepiece in a sense. A sweet, sweet guitar intro, with Chikaya sounding vocoded through strings, it's Upfront at his best. Lyrical content is unreal, and flow is something else. The beat is a simple one, with lots of crashes, keeping the flow like a river, always onward. The video is a sentimental hailing to the past, or present, or (possibly) future, and I'll post at the bottom. The chorus is straightforward, but effective. Res kicks his shit off, representing himself as a lot more serious than he usually is. Talent. A stab at other people, and the force-fed shit through the TV, the words roll off the verses. It's a song that makes you sit back and think. A personal favourite, as is so clear to see by the size of this paragraph. To entertain short readers, or not, I'll leave it at that.
Through So Be It, another phonetic chilled journey, the album launches into Scam Artists with a feature from Paro, funny voice, and Blank. A clappy snare, and an uncomplicated kick, coupled with a simple old-school Rhodes-style piano, it screams Prophets all over. Paro's accent comes through as does Upfront's, and there is no dispute as to where they're from. Flowing smoother than Jonny Bravo, it's a peaceful one. Blank has a much more unique voice to the others, but he still retains the accent. No idea what they're on about, but I like that shit.
A bit more upbeat, Space Cadets contains Res again. With a weird sample reminiscent of a car door sound, the drums are a lot harder than the predecessors. Following, Prophets Get Personal features guest appearances from a lot, if not all, of the Prophets, including all, but not limited to, Bil Next, Res One, Two Tungs, Flying-Monk, Blank, Datkid, and of course, Upfront himself. A hailing to how great the Prophets are, it shows a pumping riff with a funky guitar in the back, and a strangely hard snare. More of a fucking around in the booth than a serious track, it showcases the finest in hip-hop, and fades out into the outro. Another talking about something or other, into Jealousy, the album ends on a heavy note. It's the perfect outro.
All in all, Upfront exceeds expectations by a long shot, and with features from pretty much everyone in the game, it can't but be a success. With personal high points, the album has its moments, but God knows they'll be appreciated in time. Until then, peace. Script.
PS: maybe an interview permitting.
Averagity rating: Above average, for definite.
Links:
Bandcamp: http://splitprophets.bandcamp.com/album/upfront-and-personal
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