The Triple 3
Effect
By
Specifik
Specifik’s new album has been in production for a while and
its been more than three years since we all went to the Ill Circus back early
in 2019. Now since that time a lot has happened, we’ve had pandemics, lock
downs, war and so much more. But, what happens when, in the midst of all that
chaos, you experience moments of seeing the same group of numbers over and over
again? Simple you take those numbers, in Specifik’s case 333, and you make that
the focus of your new album, and with Specifik being, first and foremost, a
producer you get a whole host of top draw features to properly bring some
clarity to The Triple 3 Effect.
So, when you are consistently waking at 3:33am, getting 333
in your change at the supermarket, having 333 as you gas bill, or your bank
account balance or miles travelled? What does it all mean? Could it be trying
to tell you something, be a lucky number, your angel number? Perhaps it
symbolises mind, body and spirit or was it ascended masters letting him know he
was in great hands and being assisted in what he was working on, or is it a
combination of all those things? Who knows for sure but, seeing these numbers
will mean different things to different people and what is for sure is that
these numbers became the catalyst and the driving force behind Specifik’s
creative expression, leading him and those he worked with to bring you The
Triple 3 Effect…
So, the only thing left now is for me to take you deep into
the album and tell you exactly where it takes me…
The album begins with What is the Triple 3 Effect (Intro),
where we get a little insight into what the Triple 3 Effect could be all about.
Specifik provides a background ambience of piano, bass, cymbals, and a few
sounds which creates a calm vibe to allow all our attention to be focused on
the words. It also gives us this deep sense of anticipation of what is to come.
We are not waiting long, just seconds before horns, drums and sonic sounds
guide us into Ting, which features Uncle Kelz and Sir Beans OBE, the
keys and bass come to the forefront bringing a ragga edge to the sound. Uncle
Kelz delivers an intelligent performance as he speaks on keeping yourself and
what you do moving forward, regardless of what life is throwing at you, the
obstacles put in your way, whatever you see going on around you, the most
important thing is focus on you and your hopes and dreams. If that were not
enough, we get treated to a solid display of Sir Beans OBE on the cuts, proving
why he is one of Bristol’s finest. Drums, bass, keys, and guitar are brought
together by Specifik and merge together into this stunning upbeat, feel good
vibe. Step up the legendary figure of Craig G who perfectly encapsulates what
the Summertime is all about, he spins his words into pictures in our
minds, lifting us up from wherever we are and carrying us from the USA to the
UK, perfectly capturing the moods, people, and experiences along the way. When
you add in some mellow cuts from Specifik, this one is the vibe to live you
summer by and when the clouds and rain roll in, this one will allow the sun to
shine once more. Just as you are getting lost in your thoughts of summertime
and the Juice Crew, Specifik throws the perfect curve ball and lands Eight
Bars To Flex on you. A homage to the scratch DJ, its’ introduced by
legendary UK emcee Mercury and features DJ Krash Slaughta, Specifik, Sy Matic, DJ
Jabbathakut and DJ Woody, before a mid-session break from Del SoulCondor
(R.I.P). After which we are treated to appearances from SIR Beans OBE, DJ
Tones, DJ Jazz T and DJ Destruction. There is not much you can say about this
verbally or with words, all the speaking is done with the hands and in less
that four minutes they rip the cut, leaving the speakers, your ears, and the
needles smoking. This is the perfect demonstration of what the scratch DJ does,
all served up from, what is arguably, the cream of the crop when it comes to
the UK Scratch DJ…
Next up is a short Public Service Announcement, a
little pallet cleanser, if you will, with a funky little break to keep you
moving. This is just to remind you about the quality of the production you are
hearing and originality of the words you will hear.
With the words of that short skit still playing on our mind
Specifik introduces a multi-layered sound on us that, at first seems
simplistic, But, as it progresses becomes almost sonic in nature and gets our
minds buzzing. King Kashmere joins Specifik and proceeds to speak on The
Pits, all those things that stress us out. This one will resonate with all
of us on some level, we’ve all had those moments in our jobs etc, I know I
have, when we have simply had enough and just want to express our frustration
and just leave. The best thing you can do is to get the emotions out in the
open as bottling things up just leads to negative outcomes. As we move on, the
next step from looking at the negative side of things is to focus more on the
positive side. Piano and Specifik’s deft cuts of a classic Eric B and Rakim sample leads us into Spread Love Repeat then, as the head nod beat drops in, and
Junior Disprol enters the scene, we immediately wonder if this will have that
positive edge? As we nod along to the beat it quickly becomes apparent that
what Junior Disprol is doing here is opening us up to the stark reality of life
before pointing us in the direction of the focus that will bring the positive
vibes our way. Sometimes you just have to open your eyes to the darkness so you
can recognise the light. With out focus firmly on the light things become clear
and with the clarity comes a vision and not just any vision, with bass, horns,
cuts, a dash of other sounds thrown in and the kinda funky beat that has your
whole body out the chair and groovin’, we see the Visionary Heavyweight. Iron
Bridge (aka Verbs and Jibbarish) join Specifik to show you exactly what it is
to be the very definition of a Visionary
Heavyweight, you need to have
knowledge and forethought, be able display both written and verbal wordplay and
it all needs to be presented in a way that quite honestly just ‘Moves The
Crowd’, and with Iron Bridge alongside Specifik, this one ticks all the right
boxes…
Time for a quick
musical interlude with Meta War, a heavy funked upbeat with tambourine and
bongos and sonic sounds that cleanses your pallet after some intense verbal
wordplay that has had you mind entwined. However, Specifik keeps the energy
going, keeping your body and mind wired for the next onslaught…
We know that The
Triple 3 Effect grew out of the experiences of Specifik during the Covid
pandemic and the lockdowns. Our introduction to Crumblin’ Bricks takes us
back to those dark times with sampled TV broadcasts to a nerve tweaking sound.
The beat, when it hits, is pounding drums with tambourine sounds, piano notes,
and more stories from the pandemic, highlighting the effect on mental health
and more. Chrome steps up alongside Specifik to open-up, in his unique style,
and detail what it was for us to live through those times, where we all felt
controlled and separated from those we loved, listening to stories of, and
constantly exposed to climbing death rates. The effects of those times had huge
impacts on us all in so many ways, to numerous to mention and some too painful.
During those early days of the pandemic, something else that exploded was the Culture War and here Specifik invites Figure Of Speech to the mic to speak on all
aspects of this situation. From the history we’ve been taught to the history we
should have been taught to the fact that the poor fought the poor and no
thought to knock number 10’s door and challenge the elite and powerful, those
who make the decisions that affect us, tell us what we should learn so if fits
their narrative and keep the darker side hidden. Being woke to what was
happening, became a thing to be ridiculed, when waking to the truth is in fact
a powerful thing but, those in power don’t want us to understand the truth,
because that brings power to the people and the people will rise up to be heard
and so they ramp up the fear to take the focus away and take back the power.
This is all set to Specifik’s big ragga sound system vibe of bass, bongos,
drums, keys, and sonic sounds that gives the perfect platform for the message
and gives it an almost anthem like sound. With all that knowledge and the
strength of those emotive subjects Specifik brings us a lighter note, one that
is rooted in Hip Hop and the streets as he takes a look at graffiti culture
alongside El Da Sensei (Artifacts), Cosm and Phill Most Chill on Hurt The Transit. Firstly, Specifik makes feel like we’re transported to the dark tunnels
of the New York subway system, then he drops this heavy beat with plenty of
bass and rapid-fire cuts. Each emcee drops stories of being out there getting
your name up using markers or spray cans. Hitting tags, throw-ups and burners,
it’s all about those window-down whole cars or top to bottoms. Getting into
fights with other crews means going over their work or getting your work gone
over in retaliation. The thrill of bombing and the adrenaline rush is hard to
beat where putting your freedom and your life on the line is what you do in
writing you name in graffiti on the wall. This the perfect musical expression
of what it is write…
Our last little skit
is Get Wild, and once again in this short musical
interlude, Specifik pounds our ears with a heavy, wild, and funky drum break
which will undoubtedly have you bouncing as he gives you another little look at
his production quality, what else can you say, right…
Now well and truly
into the final quarter of the album Specifik drops heavy beat with keys, a
sonic sound, and a good dose of razor-sharp cuts. Under Control see’s
Specifik’s partner in rhyme, Whirlwind D, and Doozer on vocal duties over that
dark edged beat. This one is all about how the masses are under the control of
the ruling elitists. How they exercise this control is all laid bare here with
intelligent and knowledgeable wordplay directing us to think more about what is
going on around us. You can only be open to the truth if you choose to question
what you see and hear around you and then educate yourself. Now your mind is
open to almost anything, Specifik and the NuJericans (Joey Dynomite & Sol
Zalez) ask you to 4give My
Actions. The drums and percussion
are almost softened by the guitar heavy sound but, together the sound mixes and
merges into a sound that invades every corner of your mind with an almost ragga
edge to it but, ending the track with horns that almost switches the vibe to a
soundtrack sound. The NuJericans put their cards on the table in terms of their
music and life, it’s all about doing what you need to do to always be moving
forwards. Sometimes you might need to do things you are not entirely at peace
with the keep that forward momentum and that means needing to seek forgiveness
at times. It might not be the best way to be but, it is the nature of the
society we live in, at times. The album ends with MC Oliver Twist joining
Specifik on This IS Not A Test. Specifik creates a heavy pounding beat with
some acoustic guitar notes. There is this dystopian air to things here and it
fits exactly with MC Oliver Twist who calmly and slickly dictates a narrative
of a bleak future. This is a place where the Bomberman rhymes without beats and
Specifik creates music from the most basic foundation, fuelling artists to push
forward and take a stand, taking music back to the starved masses and giving
back that energy, that enjoyment and the expression music gives. No matter what
happens in the future, there will always be music…
Let me sum this up
first of all by saying ‘WOW, Just WOW’, This album is simply that good. I mean,
could it really be that The
Triple 3 Effect was overseen by
some higher power? In a world where more and more people are awakening to new
paradigms and science becoming more open to things such as parallel universes
and life beyond death, could it be that something esoteric or could it be that
Specifik was simply guided by his own higher self to create an album that
touched on higher levels of consciousness, fuelled by the energy of what is
happening around him? Will we ever truly know?
What we do know is
that overall, The Triple 3 Effect is a truly outstanding album where Specifik
is demonstrating what can be achieved when you are at the top of your game. His
production and scratch DJ techniques are top notch, in fact there is almost
something next level about his production here. He creates sounds that are real
Hip Hop at their roots but, the subtle influences from other genres flows in
and out, giving you a complete experience, if you can call it that. His choice
of guest artists is inspired, with each fitting perfectly into their place and
adding the icing to the cake. This has the pedigree and the possibility to be
the pinnacle of releases from the UK this year, if not Hip Hop in general. The
Triple 3 Effect oozes passion and emotive music making with every beat and
every bar that you hear, and I’d go so far as to say that this is solid gold
right here. It truly left me with chills and buzzing like I had just heard
something that touched my soul.
I have no words left
now so all I can say is this, if you have not heard The Triple 3 Effect yet,
you need to get it, listen, and feel it because that’s the only way you get
100% of what this album is about.
The Triple 3 Effect is out now on B-Line Recordings. It is
mastered by Rola at Khameleon 107 Bristol, features art and design from Digital
Dyer and is dedicated to Del Soulcondor (who’s memory lives on in the music).
On that note,
I’ll See Ya,
Steve.
LINKS
Get The Triple 3 Effect from Specific on Bandcamp:
https://djspecifik.bandcamp.com/album/the-triple3-effect
Buy The Triple 3 Effect from Suspect Packages Here:
https://suspect-packages.com/product/the-triple3-effect/
Buy The Triple 3 Effect from Hip Hop Be Bop Here:
https://hiphopbebop.com/product/specifik-the-triple3-effect-lp/
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