Truth Be Told
By
Haynesy &
JD
Truth Be Told is the follow up to 2020’s Freedom Of
Speech which was our introduction to the team of Haynesy and JD who brought us an album
that took it’s title seriously while still retaining enough light-heartedness
to poke fun at a quite messed up year. The sound was stunning putting which put it at
the pinnacle of the years releases.
For the Truth Be Told Haynesy is once again back on
the beats with JD on the mic, and they are backed up by JabbaThaKut on the
cuts. With such a heavy debut album to follow, is it possible for these guys to
get any better?
Well Let’s see shall we…
Your senses are immediately assaulted by a plethora of cuts
and vocal samples that tell you what’s coming, a proper head nod beat hits with
some electronic notes and a huge anthem style chorus. JD drops more that your
average amount of knowledge right here. It’s time to open your mind to the fact
that the government are turning the country into a dictatorship, trying to take
away your common law rights and with it your freedom. It’s time to educate
yourself and stand up for your rights because this ship is sinking and it’s
time to Abandon Ship, forget the old narrative and create our own. If
you’re now pumping your fist, then keep it up in the air and pump it along to
this drum beat mixed with a slick guitar vibe and Jabba’s energetic cutup
samples. This one takes us on a journey through Certified Life, where we
look at pain, injustice, inequality, and persecution that goes on around us
every day, the truth has a dark side indeed if you choose to see it…
Big horns and a vocal sample that seems to claw at your soul
are the intro to Freedom Fighters which has a military vibe to the beat
which fits exactly with the overall message here and that message is that every
revolution needs people to stand up and fight for what it right and here we get
a true sense for what makes up these people and the fact they stand for freedom
for all against a government who seek only to control the people for their own
ends and not to represent them or support them. JabbaTheKut expertly cuts up
that Big Yellow Taxi sample to bring in a more laid-back beat that incorporates
guitar and flute notes. The personal struggles we go through everyday are
enhanced by a system that is set up to keep down. But there is a message here
which is a massive realisation for many. You go through life working to pay the
bills and taxes to support your family and keep a roof over your heads and
through that constant work life struggle you forget that you are an individual
and you have worth But, so often you don’t recognise that worth, almost Till
It’s Gone. It’s vital to never forget that worth and the fact you can stand
for yourself and those people and values that are important to you.
Tribal and military drums beat a new rhythm one that sets up
a powerful vibe that is raised by the united voices of the chorus. The message
here is that if we want change on a global scale, a change for freedom then we
must truly Do Something. Revolution means we have to take a long hard
look at the corruption and oppression that is rife throughout the worlds
governments and they only succeed in what they do through keeping the people
asleep to what is truly going on. If the people truly wake to truth, then the
true revolution will begin, and freedom will be the ultimate outcome. Now
awakening people to the truth can be enjoyable as well as being a serious business.
So, it’s time for DJ Cue Tips and MC JD to step up with a block rocking old
skool beat, some flute notes and a whole host of classic Hip-Hop samples,
breaks and cuts. So, get out your seat as the beat takes us back to the golden
age. While you’re rocking out to this one, put a fist in the air as MC JD lines
up hid sights on those royal Blue Bloods (Cue Tips back to 86 mix), letting
the shots fly such that no one is left unscathed as its time to alert the
masses and awaken the sheeple. Oh Yeah! You might wanna turn the volume up a
bit for this one too…
Time to shift the aim from the sole focus of the royals to
the 1% those rich elitists who seek to control the worlds wealth and the world
along with it. A funky beat keeps you moving and is backed up with some flute
and tambourine alongside a horn and cut drive chorus. Every shot that hits home
is another we can pick up, cook up and Eat The Rich as there is no room
for those who think they are above the rest of us. A huge electronic and piano
driven vibe creates a very grimy, almost industrial vibe as the beat hits. The
focus shifts to looking at the one thing we all have, a freedom of speech. If
you chose to be a voice for the guerrilla republic, a voice for freedom, then
you must speak the truth and keep people hanging on you every word as they
watch When My Lips Move…
The Terminator intro sets up a bleak outlook as Scorzayzee
joins the revolution. The beat is pounding with some industrial electronic
vibes with Jabba’s deadly accurate cuts delivered with precision. This is a
bleak dystopian view of our lives through a lens of a matrix style vision.
Truth be known, are our lives truly that much different from this dark view of
life? The only way out is to awaken our minds and create a Glitch in the
matrix where we can create a brighter future. Moving into the final track of
the album there is no let up, in fact this one just switches up another level
or two as you are launched on the back of a heavy rock guitar and drum sound
that will give you the energy to bust free of the matrix and Fly alongside
Haynesy and JD. The vibe may seem a little dark but, JD is here to draw on his
uncompromising rap style and to harness the energy of the element as he battles
demonic forces which threaten everyone on earth. Step aside Hellboy we've got Haynesy and JD…
Let’s make no mistake, here and now in noting that this is
an incredibly solid album. Truth Be Told is a politically and socially
conscious album that is unrelenting and pulls no punches in its desire to open
the eyes of the people to the truth. Although it’s roots are squarely in the
golden age of Hip-Hop music, it still has enough diversity to appeal to a wide
range of audiences. If ever there was an album from the UK shores that could
pack the kind of power of the likes of It Takes a Nation of Millions by Public
Enemy or The Devil Made Me Do It by Paris, then this album could well be it.
The Production for Haynesy is unapologetically Hip-Hop. He
expertly creates the kind of pounding energy laden sound that fuels every
muscle in your body with huge amounts of adrenaline, and as such you cannot
fail to be moved I some way. Once more utilizing the talent of JabbaThaKut to add
cut’s, scratches, and turntable trickery to every track is pure magic. JabbaThaKut is one of the UK's premier Hip Hop turntablists who has this psychic ability for knowing exactly what to bring to a track to elevate it to that next level. Plus, lets face it, it is truly
Hip-Hop without the DJ? Honestly, you could take Haynesy’s sound and drop it
into any era of Hip-Hop and you would see emcees queued around the block to
jump on these beats. The energy and emotion that comes through the music here
is the perfect backdrop for JD to immerse himself in the current world climate
and to expose the truth. He draws on personal experience of leading protests to
fuel the call for freedom and to expose the racists and to open up about the
blatant oppression, double dealings and covert agendas that pervade every level
of our society and political parties. No stone goes unturned and there is no
place left for those powers that be to hide. You hear and feel the passion in
his voice as he speaks with knowledge and desire that mirrors such figures as
Chuck D and there is the feeling he will not rest until he see’s true change in
the world with equality and freedom.
To round off this package and capture the full ambiance of the project, John Dyer immerses himself into the message behind the project and provides, artwork and design that provides an intense visual impact that is the perfect pictorial representation of the album and indeed what we see day to day.
Truth Be Told is not just Hip-Hop it is a revolutionary
sound for a new era. It is a call to all of us, we must stand tall, because
together will not fall. Haynesy and JD show that it’s not just what you say
but, how you say it, and when you say it by taking the heart felt and
politically charged words of a modern freedom fighter and put them to the
emotive and high energy music of one of Hip-Hop’s most talented producers, you
can say exactly what you want to say and people will listen and not just with
their ears. It will energize every fiber in their bodies, triggering the release of all manner of emotions and this will allow them to hear it to their essence, the very core of their being.
For me Truth Be Told is more than an instant classic, it’s
going to be one of those defining moments not just within Hip-Hop music but,
also for the movement towards standing up for our common law rights and our freedom.
Truth Be Told gets it's digital release via Bandcamp on July 1st with streaming going live on 1st August. With a bit of luck there will also be a physical release too so, keep watch.
Truth Be Told, it's time to open your mind, stand up and raise a fist to the sky...
Will you heed the call…?
Peace.
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