Serious Business is an apt title for this EP by Roll Deep MC Flowdan, given that it's his debut solo record, and one that pulls absolutely no punches. The line "You might not see another summer" on the title track, produced by Footsie, gives you an idea of its overriding atmosphere. Yet it leaves you wanting slightly. That sense of irresolution lifts on the more fully realised "People Power," produced by The Bug. In classic Kevin Martin style, the beat grinds and lurches as if sickened to the core, a perfect foil for Flowdan's steely bars, with quieter dynamics in the menacing intro that make the heavier sections hit that much harder. It's among the best work from either artist, on a par with London Zoo tracks "Warning" or "Jah War."
Coki's rhythm for "F About," with its spattering of bleeps and martial snares, is similarly uncompromising. Flowdan's lyrical form here is the best on the EP, switching effortlessly between angry boom and rolling, gapless flow. "No Gyal Tune" is the record's low point, thanks to a slightly generic-sounding rhythm by Masro. Still, it slaps hard, and Flowdan's aggro snarl has all the force of a boot to the chest. "My music doesn't fuck around," he spits on "F About." It's tough to disagree.
Coki's rhythm for "F About," with its spattering of bleeps and martial snares, is similarly uncompromising. Flowdan's lyrical form here is the best on the EP, switching effortlessly between angry boom and rolling, gapless flow. "No Gyal Tune" is the record's low point, thanks to a slightly generic-sounding rhythm by Masro. Still, it slaps hard, and Flowdan's aggro snarl has all the force of a boot to the chest. "My music doesn't fuck around," he spits on "F About." It's tough to disagree.
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Published /
Thu / 24 Jul 2014 -
Words /
Maya Kalev -
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Tracklist /
A1 Ambush
A2 People Power
B1 F About
B2 No Gyal Tune
London
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