Thursday, 28 April 2022

Album Review: True Rhyming Over Youthfulness by TROY

 

True Rhyming Over Youthfulness

By

TROY

 


True Rhyming Over Youthfulness is the brand-new project from Troy Arnold and follows the release of the single TalkWalk ft Briti$h. The rapper/producer from Ipswich UK has written, produced, recorded, and mixed the whole project himself as a launchpad for his future music and shows exactly what he is all about.

The best thing for me to do here is to take you through the seven tracks and give my thoughts and feelings so, let’s go…

 

The whole thing kick’s off with Broken Silence which has an almost brooding vibe with slightly modern musical undertones. The whole thing is piano heavy with electronic notes and electronic drums patterns. Troy’s vocals here give you the impression that he has quietly been watching what has been going on around him and that his thoughts and feelings have built up across this time, just waiting on the right moment to burst forth and that time is now. That internal voice that has kept its silence, now finds a voice and the light to bring forth it’s pent-up energy and truthfulness. The feeling of breaking through from the darkness to the light continues with Legit. This track has a lighter feel to the beat that is fuelled by guitar notes. You get the feel here that Troy is stepping out from the shadows into the light and giving us the truth about who he is as a rapper and producer and how he will stand tall and always speak the truth. This desire to speak the truth lends itself to a deeper message if you chose to read between the lines, as speaking the truth is desire not to mislead people and too much, in the world around us, are we exposed to misleading information by those in a position of power. So, we understand that Troy is and always will be Legit in what he does.

The keyboards, electronic notes, xylophone notes and sparse drums of Borderline create a more thoughtful feel. This is the perfect backdrop for a track which appears to be focusing on mental health. There is a definite sense that Troy is speaking on the experience of someone struggling with life and walking the thin line of their own mental health. His words here could mirror those of so many who find their minds overflowing with dark thoughts, slowly slipping into a place where even the things that mean so much to them do not appear to be able to save them from the all-encompassing darkness. Troy now snatches us back from the brink with an upbeat vibe of keys, electronic notes, claps, and drums. The beat serves to raise you up and go with the flow of Let’s Go, which see’s Troy demonstrating his verbal skills and unloading the bars simply for the enjoyment of the listener. There is not much else to say here except sit back and enjoy.

Next up is a heavy beat full of keys and cymbal notes, creating the kind of vibe that invites us to listen as we nod along to the beat. Troy speaks on how life is like a Kaleidoscope, constantly changing minute to minute, hour to hour and day to day. All these good times and positive morph with the darker and more negative moments where we wish we could simply float away but, reality means that we pick ourselves up from the floor, dust ourselves down and continue the journey into our ever-changing life story. This more thoughtful vibe gives way to a far more uplifting but, laid-back feel of piano, electronic notes, drums, and claps. Goin’ In finds Troy going full on telling us that he is not here to play as a rapper but, not in the way you would expect. This is not the kind of track where he is her to brag about how good he is and to make you jump up and bounce along to the beat. Here Troy approaches things in a more laid-back style where he tells you exactly how it is for him doing his thing and it really makes you listen to the message in the words. The final track is Never Change, a fresh sound of strings, electronic notes and heavy but sparse drums, that also has a hint at some more modern influences on the sound. Troy’s message here is about how it is important to be you and to surround yourself with real friends. Don’t be affected or influenced by what’s going on around you. It is only by being your true authentic self that will allow you to speak your truth and help you earn respect.

 

Overall, there is a deep feel to this project. Troy has this desire to assert himself by laying all his cards on the table and being transparent and saying, this is who I am, this is what I do, and this is how I am going to do it. There is no BS here just straight up truthfulness from someone who has taken their time to hone their craft, polish their skills and develop their own style by being completely open.

Troy’s production and vocals deliver a variety of sounds, flows and moods that are rooted in his own life experiences and feelings. From situations in day-to-day life to experiences in the music scene you get this distinct impression that there is true desire here from someone coming up and making a name for themselves. Troy has presence of mind and a solid rhyme style all backed up by impressive production skills.

I really felt the heart that Troy put into this release. He has put together a really solid platform to stand firm on as he looks to future releases. I really feel he will develop and evolve with each project which will give him a good underground following and who’s to say how far he can go.

True Rhyming Over Youthfulness is available now as a free download and I highly recommend you give this one a listen as there are definitely good things coming for Troy Arnold.

On that Note,

I’m out,

Steve 


LINKS

Download the album on Bandcamp Here:

https://troyarnoldmusic.bandcamp.com/album/true-rhymin-over-youthfulness 


Download the single TalkWalk ft Briti$h Here:

https://troyarnoldmusic.bandcamp.com/track/talkwalk-feat-briti-h


Sunday, 24 April 2022

Single Review: AE046 - Rhymes Be Bomb! by J & MO'

 

A: Rhymes Be Bomb! (feat. Emcee G Roc Gayle)

B: Pelottaa (feat. HP Lovescratch)

By

J & MO’


 

Rhymes Be Bomb! Is the first release in 2022 from AE Productions and sees the debut 7” release from the Finnish production duo of J & Mo’ aka DJ J-Man (Cut Beetlez) and DJ Mo’ Money as they work towards dropping a full-length album, J & MO’, later in the year.

So, prepare yourselves and take cover because we got incoming…

Side A is the title track Rhymes Be Bomb! Which is taken from the forthcoming album and features vocals from Canadian Emcee G Roc Gayle (The Vibe Drops). Here J & Mo’ bring an upbeat jazzy fusion of horns, keys, guitar, drums, and cuts. The vibe is so infectious and uplifting that it raises you up regardless of your mood. Emcee G Roc Gayle skilfully drops the kinda bars that do exactly what the title suggests, dropping rhyme bombs for your ears, not only that. He does it in such a way as to still be radio friendly at the same time so, there is no place to hide from the onslaught.

Just as you are cautiously raising your head up to see if all is clear, you flip to side B where J & Mo’ unleash Pelottaa, a non-album track that only get with this release. An instrumental jazz funk mix, which includes a few classic samples, has the duo creating a mood that constantly switches around to keep you constantly guessing at what is coming, add to that a feature from HP Lovescratch (Cut Beetlez) with some classic human beatbox and this one might just tug at your awareness enough to bring something deeper to that second-guessing. The fact that Pelottaa is the Finnish word for ‘frightened’ makes you suddenly realise that these guys may just have produced a piece of music that fits perfectly with that emotion, albeit in a Hip Hop sense…

 


Rhymes Be Bomb! Is cracking debut from J & Mo’ and one which undoubtedly puts them on everyone’s radar and sets the perfect amount of anticipation for the upcoming album.

There are two different sounds here, both rooted in that Hip Hop Jazz fusion style but, both creating two different moods and vibes. What is also great to hear on this release is that the embodiment of true Hip Hop music shines through with energetic Hip Hop beats, plenty of cuts and scratches and rare appearance of the Human Beatbox, something that we are sadly hear a lot less of. As modern technology takes over and people can create beats on there phones, the human beatbox is becoming something that people are just not taking up but, here HP Lovescratch shows that it is still alive, and I can only hope this is a catalyst for others to have a go and bring it back…

The appearance of Emcee G Roc Gayle also brings another depth to the title track as he shows that you can still drop heavy lyrical content and still keep it radio playable. His vocals also bring a freshness that fits perfectly to the vibe of the release.

The Sleeve design comes from longtime AE Collaborator Mr Krum who replicates the metaphor used in the title track by replacing bombs with mics in artwork that mirrors a vintage board game to great effect.

This one has been out a few weeks now and if you have not heard it yet, then you need to check this one as soon as, it’s the shape of things to come from the Finnish duo and shows just how global the Hip Hop culture is and full of positive vibes for all.

As always, my thanks to Mr Fantastic over at AE Productions for sending this one.

On that explosive note,

I’m out,

Steve


LINKS

Buy the 7" from the AE Productions online shop:

https://www.ae-productions.co.uk/shop

Get your copy from AE Productions on Bandcamp:

https://aeproductions.bandcamp.com/album/rhymes-be-bomb