Single Review: Hot n Hupid by boodah

 

Hot n Hupid

By

boodah

Hot n Hupid is the first solo release from boodah and the first release from Hidden Hobby Records. boodah is the brother of the brains behind Hidden Hobby Records, one Montener The Menace, who you may know…

Boodah describes himself as an ‘ancient and reluctant emcee’ who did some demos and such like with a few talented people back in the day but, never got round to putting anything out. It was only at the insistence of brother Montener that he actually put something out and so he appeared on Montener’s recent solo albums and also made an appearance on the track Shut Up! From the recent album C.I.R.C.U.S by Frisco Boogie, you can reviews of all these on the Blog.

Hot n Hupid is the first release from an upcoming controversial project titled the WESTWOODWORLD EP. You can probably guess from the title of the EP that the focus is on former Radio One DJ Tim Westwood, who has been the recent focus of sexual assault allegations. To be honest it can be said that Westwood is one of those you either love or hate. He was a huge figure in the early days of UK Hip Hop, supporting and helping grow the careers of many of the UK scenes defining artists. However, in more recent years he moved in the grime scene and has made comments that have upset many in the UK scene. So, it is not surprising that tracks are beginning to emerge that are hitting out using the infamous Hip Hop Diss track vibe.

Boodah began writing a Diss track back in the late 90’s but, never got completed. It was in light of the recent news coverage about Westwood that boodah says:

"our Timmy hit the mainstream headlines recently for some of the stuff I’ve been writing about. Therefore, I thought I’d just shamelessly leak the already recorded track now to capitalise on the news cycle. I must admit that the impact of the WESTWOODWORLD EP has already been partly lost, Half the joke was supposed to be that someone is not only going to the lengths of making a diss track, but a full EP on a topic/person that has been irrelevant for over a decade. Yet I feel compelled to complete this, as much of Westwoods’s corruption and negative influence on British hip-hop is yet to be documented. It’s quite telling what the BBC decided to leave out of their documentary. I actually like the BBC in general, but boy do they have some blood on their hands”.

 

It is obvious that boodah has been following the career of Westwood for some time and has some strong opinions on him, as a person, and what he has done with has career. So, let me tack you into the track and see what boodah has to say…

Hot n Hupid begins with part of an interview with Westwood in which he makes the comment ‘Hot n Hupid’. The track is produced by JL Beats and when the beat drops it’s a solid mix of pounding drums backed by organ notes and bass notes, that gives you this slow head nod vibe. Boodah opens up on Westwood big time here showing there is no love lost and this is not just because of his mispronunciation of ‘hot n hupid’ not hot and humid. Boodah is not shy about speaking on the sexual assault allegations, spiked drinks and questionable DJ skills. It might seem a little tongue-in-cheek but, the allegations are very real as is boodah’s dislike of Westwood. He also displays solid wordplay skills, lyrical flows and, in this instance, a comedic vibe that almost verges on cynicism as he vocalises his feelings.

If, for one second, you remove the subject matter of the track, this is a solid Hip Hop Diss track with a nice boom bap beat that you can really vibe to. There was once a time when diss tracks were a staple of hip hop music and, although they have become less apparent in recent years, it seems that with everything going on, we were gonna see more of these as time went on.

Now, I am not here to give an opinion on Tim Westwood or the allegations, I’m just here to tell you my thoughts on this track. One thing is for sure, is that many in the UK Hip Hop community have been split on the subject of Westwood for many years and regardless of which camp your in or which side of the fence you sit on, this track and the upcoming EP is going to open the flood gates on comments from both sides. But, one thing is for certain, should the allegations be proven, and it is shown that Tim Westwood did indeed abuse his position, then he does deserve to have the full weight of the law descend on him. Personally, I don’t know enough to comment on the situation, and I have not yet seen the BBC documentary in question, however, I do know from personal experience of some close to me of what this type of abuse can do and it does not sit well with me.

So, my advice is for you to check the track out and make your own mind’s up and keep watch for a number of upcoming projects from boodah, who is sure to make some wave within the UK Hip Hop community through 2022 and beyond.

On that note,

I’m out,

Steve

LINKS

boodah on Bandcamp here:

https://boodah1.bandcamp.com/releases

boodah on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mr_boodah/

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