EP Review: Ill Natured EP by Ill Natured

 

Ill Natured EP

By

Ill Natured

 

Ill Natured are a Hip Hop crew that is truly global in it’s make up. The crew consists of Lyricist Blaise from New York USA, Cosmic Rayne a wordsmith from Cape Town South Africa, Abstract Soundz from the UK, and DJ Stav also from the UK, there are also features from Saigon emcee’s Kazanalam and Caz. So Ill Natured spans the USA to the UK, down to South Africa and then links up with Vietnam, that’s pretty global…

Production on the EP comes from Blaise, Abstract Soundz and DJ Stav, who also gets busy on the 1’s and 2’s.

So, just how did this global group of Emcee’s/DJs and producers get together? Well, I think I’ll let them answer that “Conceived on a rooftop under the sprawling skyline of Ho Chi Minh City, the ILL NATURED crew came together through the love of the art form of hip hop”.

 

So, when you have a crew that joins forces simply out of the love of the artform of Hip Hop, you get the feeling that what you are about to hear could well be something special and the best way to find out is for me to take you through the EP and give you my thoughts…

 

The Ill Natured EP kicks of with and Intro that is full of drums, keys, vocal samples and, as is essential for a good Hip Hop sound, a good dose of cuttin’ and scratchin’ all produced by Abstract Soundz. Now what this intro does, is what any good intro does and introduces us to vibe of the EP and that vibe, right here, is some real boom bap, golden era, upbeat Hip Hop. Into the first full track and we are treated to a heavy beat that brings in some double bass, keys, and cuts. Ill Natured pt 1 gives us a glimpse at what the Ill Natured crew is all about as Blaise, who produces the track, and Cosmic Rayne speak on their views as to the world around them and in the music business But, there is also a deep consciousness here where it’s all about leaving the violence behind to live in peace and in harmony with nature. The ending to the track also features Tuan SS, from Hanoi Vietnam, who drops some melodic beatbox and scratch vocal sounds. With Ill Natured having given us much to ponder, we are not even considering what’s next as Abstract Soundz production drops a proper head nod, feel good beat on us, that is heavy on the piano and keys. Miraculous features Saigon’s Kazanalam alongside Blaise where the two of them, in a meeting of minds, seem to celebrate exactly what the culture of Hip Hop, and its music, brings, what it means and the feelings it brings. As there is this meeting of minds there is a deeper almost metaphysical aspect as the two emcees’ almost merge into one being. What is also amazing here is to hear Kazanalam spit vocals in English as well as his native tongue.

 

 

The intro to Straight From The Heart, kinda says it all. Abstract Soundz funky beat is full of keys and tambourine is almost softened into the background giving the focus to the lyrics and bringing them to the forefront. The vocals from Cosmic Rayne and Saigon’s Caz have an uplifting feel to them as they speak on producing music from the heart. Expressing yourself from the heart is the truest form of expression and when you do that, be it in your music or just in your day-to-day life, you are coming across in the purest form, being your true self and allowing everyone to feel that. Time for DJ Stav to bring us a short Interlude. Mixing up cuts, keys, drums and flute notes he keeps the boom bap, head nod vibe flowing and giving another little insight into the Ill Natured crew, and that insight opens our mind ready for the coming of Ill Natured pt 2. Here Abstract Soundz brings us a slightly more chilled vibe with piano, drums, and some multi-layered sounds. Cosmic Rayne expands on what Ill Natured sees in regard to the current state of Hip Hop music. There are so many out there who are just looking for the money and the fame but, their music lacks any real ethics, and they are not really saying anything worth noting and they do not speak with their truth or from the heart.

As we move to the penultimate track, Cause and Effect, it is produced by Ill Natured (it’s a collective effort) and hits us with a body moving, head nod experience where drums and flute notes merge with multi-layered sounds to get the energy flowing. Once that energy is flowing, and it does not take long, you feel this deep desire that Ill Natured is bringing us this understanding that everything you need in life, the strength, the energy and the creativity is all contained within you, all you have to do is to channel it in the right way, and Ill Natured does just that as emcee’s, DJs and producers they channel their energy in positive ways to bring enjoyment and uplifting vibes to the listener or the crowd. The EP ends with a short and spoken Outro from Blaise where he gives thanks to all those who have, and continue to, give support to the crew.

Overall, The Ill Natured EP has to be one of the most impressive debut’s out there right now. The Ill Natured crew have come together with a mutual love for Hip Hop and from that mutual love, friendships and respect has grown, and this has given rise to a celebration of that Hip Hop culture through their own Hip Hop music, in one of it’s purest expressive forms. You can truly feel that time was taken to craft what Hip Hop means to them and that they are, in turn, giving that back to those who love real Hip Hop music.

The Ill Natured EP simply oozes the sound and feel of the golden era of Hip Hop music, keeping that sound, that energy alive. But, more than that, you can feel that in their music is a deep understanding of what Hip Hop is truly about, its core values of Peace, Love, Unity and just enjoying expressing yourself be it through the music, breakin’, graffiti or in the gaining and sharing knowledge. In Hip Hop there are no borders to separate peoples, in Hip Hop we are all one family united. The world could be a truly better place if we all lived this way and Ill Natured understand this on a truly deep level and in bringing this to those who listen is seeding a new generation of thought.

Something else I want to quickly touch on here is that the Ill Natured EP also features Tuan SS on the beatbox. Now beatbox, for me, is one of those elements of Hip Hop music that makes it unique, it is also one of those elements that is fast becoming forgotten in a digital world where someone can make a beat on their smart phone. Beatboxing takes amazing talent, growing from those who wished to make beats but could not afford the equipment in the ghettos, it also has to be one of the most unsung parts of Hip Hop music and its great to hear a small portion of it here, not letting it be forgotten and, in turn, showing that beatboxing is one of the original elements that made Hip Hop what it is.

It could be said that Ill Natured are the greatest crew you never heard of. They might not be household names right in this moment But, I suspect that, in the near future, everyone will know the name, Ill Natured.

The self-titled Ill Natured EP by Ill Natured is out now to buy or stream. My advice is to get it now…

On that note,

I’ll see ya…

Steve

LINKS

Get the Ill Natured EP from Ill Natured on Bandcamp Here:

https://illnatured.bandcamp.com/album/ill-natured-ep

Stream the Ill Natured EP via Spotify Here:

https://open.spotify.com/album/0onhR9XzVedaaPeWJgIF10?si=ss9elizZSwSk4rkfwRgP7g&nd=1

VIDEOS

Straight from the Heart (feat. Caz & Cosmic Rayne)

Ill Natured (Lyric Video)