Infinite Sounds UK: Album Review: Listen To The Masters by DK and Ghettosocks

Listen to the Masters

DK and Ghettosocks

Listen to the Masters is the new album from the duo of DK (Producer) and Ghettosocks (emcee) both hailing from Canada. The last time Ghettosocks appeared on the blog was way back in 2019 when I reviewed the album HOLOS when he teamed up with fellow Canadian Aquakulture as Aquasocks. Check that review for a little more about Ghettosocks. Producer DK is new to me and so I was excited when he contacted me and asked me to review the album, based solely on my reviews he had read. Let me add a few quick facts about DK taken from his official bio.

Born and raised in Newfoundland, DK grew up being audibly transported by his father’s
eclectic vinyl and CD collections. His grandmother taught him the basics of the organ, but those
notes couldn’t compete with DMX’s bark and Dr. Dre’s cinematic g-funk. In love with hip-hop at
first listen, a teenaged DK then discovered A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock, Kanye West,
and more hip-hop artists whose music appealed to his affinity for jazz and soul. He didn’t know it
then, but these foundational influences would shape his sound as DK.
DK became obsessed with making beats in college. He spent every waking hour outside
of class on Fruity Loops, learning his craft one sample and drum break at a time. Chasing a
grittier and more vintage aesthetic, he purchased an MPC and began developing his meticulous
amalgam of vinyl sampled drums, analog synthesizers, dusty loops, and other live
instrumentation.
Local producers and MCs applauded DK’s early work, but he made his proper debut with
2019’s Soul Expressions, a bumping yet mellow 10-track EP that showcased the DK signature
with a tight roster of Canadian rappers such as Ghettosocks, Aquakultre, and Timbuktu, as well
as features from New York spitter Justo The MC and Atlanta-based Cam James.

Ghettosocks and DK began working together over two years ago and so Listen to the Masters has been a long time coming and one that has spanned so much of what has affected us in the last couple of years or so.

The album also features a host of guest artists lining up to bring us what promises to be a banger of an album. Check this line up Skyzoo, Rome Streetz, CL Smooth, El Da Sensei, Phoenix Pagliacci, Lxvndr, O.C., Moka Only, Tachichi, UFO Fev, Ambition, Justo the MC, Kxng Wooz and Timbuktu.

The album is 10 tracks deep and made up of nine full tracks and one skit splitting the album down the middle. So, with all that said let me give you the lowdown on what I got from the album as I break it down track by track.

Right out the gates you get a feeling for what is about to come as Reflections drops with this piano and drum heavy vibe and with a dash of flute and looped samples this one has you kind of floating into the album, which also creates this thoughtful air to proceedings from DK and this fits perfectly as Ghettosocks proceeds to reflect back on what it takes to get by and make something successful in life. It’s all about your ethics and your motivation to reach out there and grab those dreams and to create that reality for yourself. If you were thinking this one was gonna have a deep laid-back vibe, the kind that grabs and retains your focus, then What it Seems, has you thinking you’ve nailed it. DK comes with a chilled vibe of strings, drums, and keys while the cuts on the chorus slice into your awareness enough to keep from drifting away far. GhettoSocks, Skyzoo and Rome Streetz hit you with the kind of intellectual verses that make you realise that everything in the world today just ain’t what it seems. It’s not a game out there anymore but, more of a battle between us and the powers that be, where money and profit rules and we do not play the game, we are just the pawns. Next up is what you could say is the album’s title track The Masters. Here DK gives us an audible canvas with a background of slick keys, bass and sax, making you feel you could really float away to but, then a proper boom bap beat drops and you head gets to nodding. CL Smooth, Ghettosocks and El Da Sensei speak, masterfully, on really on what it is to be a master of your chosen craft. When you are pushing to make something of yourself, you see many masters out there doing what they do and the best way to become a master yourself, is to simply listen to the masters and continue to hone your own craft. Nearly halfway into the album and that boombap vibe continues on Be A Mango. The huge intro gives way to heavy sound of bass, horns, and drums from DK. It’s one of those sounds you just gotta nod your head to. But there is a deeper message here as Phoenix Pagliacci, Ghettosocks and LXVNDR lay it down about toxic masculinity and old views of gender stereotypes and how men and women are supposed to be is quickly breaking down and becoming an outdated notion. Now is a time when people can choose to be who they want to be. They can be their own expression of themselves and become truly authentic. Next up we have Ghettosocks, O.C. and Moka Only going All In over a solid heavy drum sound over an almost soulful mix of horns and keys, from DK and Moka Only, that keeps you bobbing your head. There is a definite air of uplifting the listener here as each verse reinforces the last, speaking to your soul and reminding you that life is not about half measures but, about giving it your all, going all in to reach for the stars.

So, we have reached that little interlude an Industry SHKIT, here we have Maya Killtron and Chudi Harris taking on the roles of Janice and Mr Woodsworth, for a comedy skit all about some out of touch record executive being given a new vinyl record, from DK The Producer, by his slightly more in touch assistant. Have a chuckle to this one as it cleanses the audible palate ready for part II of the album…

The second part, or side of the album if you have the vinyl, kicks off with DK dropping a straight up boom bap beat with some piano notes. This makes you wanna turn the volume up as Tachichi, Ghettosocks and UFO Fev drop verses demonstrating their verbal and lyrical skills, dropping bars and flipping the words for the hell of it on CHKN CHOP. To top it all of we get DK chopping up some classic Busta Rhymes samples. The vibe now moves to a far jazzier vibe as DK has us kicking back a chilled beat that is heavy on the sax alongside some xylophone notes and drums. Ghettosocks, Ambition and Justo The MC speak on those times when you are down on your luck and times are hard. This is kind of a reflection of how things are in the current climate with soaring prices and people being forced to choose where to spend what little money they might have. There is still this message here that whatever you go through its about what you do and how you conduct yourself that counts and you can still be Smoove Regardless. The penultimate track of the album is John McEnroe, which see’s DK dropping a sax heavy boom bap beat and some razor sharp, scratched up samples completing the classic Hip Hop sound. McEnroe was an outspoken person who often questioned the authorities and that is the metaphor here as Ghettosocks, Kxng Wooz and Timbuktu speak openly on the struggles that still face black people, particularly in North America. There has got to come a time when people of all races are treated with equal respect. Your skin colour should not be looked on as a negative aspect and a reason to treat you any differently. Until such a time when all peoples of the world are looked on as one family by everyone, the struggles of people in black communities and those who commit the crimes against them has to be kept in focus. The final track of the album sees DK and Ghettosocks going solo once more. Baggage has DK dropping a jazz fuelled vibe of piano, sax, double bass, and drums that will have you moving. Ghettosocks gives us a little story based around a couple, their relationship, experiences, and a few elicit substances. Just an entertaining little ditty, like someone reading from a novel, or is there more to this, can you maintain or get out of such a situation through a haze of a drug induced vision of reality…

So overall, what did I think?

Listen To The Masters is a solid slice of Hip Hop that has a very polished feel to it. There is an air of time taken to produce something where any flaws have been removed with a constant process of grinding and polishing until they achieved their goal. The sound is Hip Hop that flows between vibes in a way that is perfect for the listener. Boom bap, soulful and jazzy sounds all combine with lyrical dexterity that covers a lot of ground in its often-deep messages, such as police brutality, to those times it seems to give that just for fun display of wordplay. It might have been years in the making but, everything here is still very relevant now.

Ghettosocks displays an intelligent wordplay with a delivery that can be hard but, still have a silky-smooth flow that leaves you knowing that this guy has to be at the top of his game right now. Like any great emcee, his mastery of telling stories rooted in the now to simply having fun on the mic, has an often-cerebral edge to way it is delivered, with deft use of flows, wordplay, and lyrical prowess.

My first experience of listening DK on production leaves me thinking or should I say knowing that this guy is gonna be carving a huge name for himself within Hip Hop music. His use of silky-smooth samples and jazzy soulful sounds all backed up by solid Hip Hop beats is a true pleasure to behold and cuts are true gold, bringing that authentic Hip Hop sound to the fore front. DK is definitely one to watch and together with Gettosocks here they are proving that Canadian Hip Hop is showing how universal the Hip Hop sound is and bringing us closer around the world.

I also must give mention to the guest artists here who all fit perfectly into this project. Bringing and using their own unique sound to good use. Vocally we have the legendary figures such as CL Smooth, El Da Sensei and Moka Only, to those who might not be so familiar such as Phoenix Pagliacci (Canadian emcee and activist), LXVNDR, UFO Fev and Kxng Wooz, everyone does a solid display showing why they deserve to be on a release such as this. Some additional information I found out from DK was the use of live musicians on the album. I always rate using live musicians as it always adds an extra depth to the sound and I can why that has, perhaps, given me additional inspiration. Featured notable contributions are Keyboards on “Smoove Regardless” performed by Cas Weinbren and Saxophone on "Baggages" performed by jazz big band leader James Shaw.

A couple of additional shouts go to Uncle Fester who mixed the project and provided the cuts and scratches. The project was mastered by the awesome Jake Palumbo and artwork comes from Ghettosocks (He is a great Graff artist too, by the way) himself.

So, what more can say? Well, that is easy, just grab this on whatever is your preferred format and simply enjoy it.

Listen To The Masters by DK and Ghettosocks is out today in association with Black Buffalo Records.

On that note,

I’m out…

Steve

LINKS

Check the links for the release as soon as it drops. All links open in a new window.

Remember to check the guys on all social media, YouTube and all streaming platforms.

DK on Bandcamp:

https://dkproducer.bandcamp.com/

Ghettosocks on Bandcamp:

https://music.ghettosocks.com/