Shots Fired
By
4Dee
Shots Fired is the latest album from Cardiff emcee 4Dee and,
being this is the first time I have featured him, I felt it would be
advantageous for me to give you some background on 4Dee.
One of the founding fathers of Hip Hop in Wales, 4Dee has
been active in the scene since 1983 when breakin’ and electro first hit our
shores. Originally starting out as a B-Boy he made his name with his crew
Electro Force by battling other local crews. Even after moving on to become an emcee,
he maintained close links with breakin’ and hosted events such as the Welsh
Open B-Boy Championships, Original Flavours in Switzerland and Dark Circlez for
the LA based global B-Boy organisation Battle Holex. He was also the European
president of Battle Holex as well as a former UK Ambassador for the Zulu
Nation.
4Dee picked up the mic around 85-86 and joined DJ Jaffa, MC
Eric (who would go on the front chart-topping group Technotronic), acclaimed
songwriter and musician Dike Okoh and other B-Boys, rappers, and Graff writers
(another element of Hip Hop he has dabbled in) to form Cardiff’s original Hip
Hop crew Hardrock Concept. Since then he has gone on to be a part of a number
of groups such as: rock rap outfit Under The Gun (which gave him his first publishing
deal with EMI); Undecorated Veteranz with Joe Blow and the late great DJ Stagga
(who would go on the be a favourite producer of both the Dubstep and LA Beat
Scene); and Sionis, with members of the multi award winning and ground-breaking
youth group Underdogs, which 4Dee started in 1992 with his sister Berta (now
sadly passed), and long term collaborator DJ Jaffa.
It would be many years later before 4Dee would release his
first solo album. After a period of hardship and homelessness, he realised that
he had strayed too far from the one thing that gave him hope and purpose, Hip
Hop! Tackling his problems head-on, he got back to the studio to produce hid
first proper solo release ‘Indelible’ in 2021, then in 2022 he released his
second album ‘Frequencies’ and now in 2023 his third album Shots Fired is here.
This album is an outlet for all his thoughts and frustrations of the past few
years, and it harks back to the classic britcore sound in places but, never
loses sight of where we are now. There are some guest appearances from
Skinnyman and a host of Welsh artists too.
So, take a step back for just a second and let that all sink
in…
Now join me as I step well and truly into the firing line.
With his finger pressed lightly on the trigger, twin lasers
produce stereo red dots, one for each ear, guiding the musical frequencies with
pinpoint accuracy to their destination, your ears, as the Intro prepares
you for what is to come, with sonic sounds and a movie style audio, your attention
is focus in one spot, what’s about to come. Then the shots erupt, cleansing
your senses of every other sound which allows the strings and vocal samples to
guide you to Darkstreetz III, before the beat kicks in and 4Dee takes
you to streets of Cardiff. These are the dark streets of life that you can only
get a grasp of through 4Dee’s emotive story telling an inner-city nightmare
where people do what they do to survive or simply escape from the nightmare
through a drug fuelled haze. With your mind still standing in the shadows of
the place where darkness is your only friend, a heavy beat drops, catapulting
you out of that dark space and into the light with The Anthem, which
begins with some solid shout-outs. Those shout outs continue through the track alongside
some classic samples, cutting and scratching, 4Dee’s anthem is a Hip Hop anthem
and celebrates everything that makes Hip Hop what it is and more. You can’t do
anything but, bounce to this one because it fuels the adrenaline inside you and
allowing you close your eyes and feel the energy and vibration of what true Hip
Hop is.
Unstoppable see’s Joe Blow join 4Dee as guitar vibes
have us stepping into the track before a heavy beat explodes getting you
jumping. Joe Blow and 4Dee bounce off each other with ease with a vocal display
that demonstrates one thing, why they are Unstoppable. Next up is a little
light relief with a Marching Skit, courtesy of Monty Pythons Flying
Circus. But, if there is anything you’d rather be doing, like listening to the
rest of the album, then off you go! But there is a warning to come of an
imminent threat, that threat is Chemical Warfare. A melodic beat and
electronic vibes set the tone for this one as 4Dee takes aim at the state of
life around us. This is a society where chemicals are put in our food and
sprayed in the skies above us But, not just that because it goes beyond the
chemical as frequencies are manipulated under the guise of bringing us wireless
internet and phone signals, invisible signals we have no control over and that
permeate our bodies every day, just as do the chemicals in the food and the air
around us.
MPD Skit opens up the subject of child trafficking
and questions the narrative that they only do it due to borderline personality
disorder. These are often highly organised groups who make a lot of money doing
what they do. Are these people with BPD or just sick individuals catering to an
even sicker clientele? With that thought in mind, you’re wondering what is next
when the cut-up pocket watch chime from the movie A Few Dollars More grabs your
attention followed by a heavy beat. The Hex Files see’s 4Dee voicing
both sides in a battle of light and darkness, one side is the light in its
current human form, whilst the other is the dark-side or an evil entity bent on
an age-old revenge against what now the descendant of those who cast out the
evil many years ago. It may even have you considering where the true definition
of evil lies, in this case. We reach the mid-point of the album with Rebellious
Energies a hardcore and raw beat with razor sharp cuts which has that
britcore vibe running through every second. It might sound like this one is
just a collection of intelligent metaphors and similes crafted into crowd
rousing slice of audible goodness but, its more than that, because this is
where the energy to take a stand begins, this the medium that speaks to those
who need to hear it…
More pounding drums herald the arrival of Versed &
Cursed, the faint sound of keys on the verses and the heavy bass and electronic
vibe of the chorus gives this one sound that is akin to britcore mixed with
horrorcore. 4Dee and Chew go in on this one that seems to almost explore the
deepest darkest fears, whilst taking a look through the eyes of both good and
evil. It’s almost a sequel to the Hex Files. With your soul in taters, you
wonder if there is any way back to the land of the living But, there is a
lifeline and comes in the most curious of ways as the Theme from Ironside rips
into your consciousness literally dragging you back to life and preparing you
for 8 Barz of Fire. Heavy drums, bass and strings combine to get your
head nodding, exactly what you needed is seven plus minutes of pulse pounding,
flame spitting and adrenaline pumping pleasure courtesy of 4Dee, Joe Blow, Mr
Phormula, Delisha, Fiya Da Flame, Big Loon, Scott Keltic Knot, Emarvellous,
Brighty, Ads The Barbarian, Versatyle, Ezquniverse, Melo, Dick Dastardly,
Slammo, Chilly Chill, Swell, 7breaths, Chew Np11, Lex Scoops and DJ Jaffa. You
wanted a posse cut Welsh Hip Hop style; well, you got it. Time for a short
interlude courtesy of the My Pen is my Rifle Skit, as taken from
Platoon, which symbolises the fact that the emcees main weapon is their pen,
loaded with ammunition from their mind…
The ammunition in the mind of 4Dee is put to good use on the
title track of the album, Shots Fired, also the one track on the album
that is not produced by him, being produced by Acko. Pounding drums, cuts and
synths give this one heavy feel which is based around a piece of classical
music (which sadly escapes my memory right now). 4Dee uses everything in his
verbal arsenal to unload a relentless salvo of bars to assault your mind, while
also giving you the energy to jump around to this one. Next is another
interlude in the form of the Stolen Skit, this one looks at the story of
a very shady social worker who will obviously stop at nothing to remove a child
from their parents. This is a rather scary vision that may or may not reflect
things that can happen. It puts you in mind of a broken system that in turn is
the product of a Broken Britain, the subject of the next track and see’s
4Dee being joined by Joe Blow and the legendary Skinnyman. The beat is a
combination of melodic drums and guitar which creates this reflective vibe. The
subject of this track is far to involved to go into in depth but, it extremely
important for everyone to be educated on. The legal fiction or strawman was
created by registering you birth, and it is a subject well worth researching
and what it means for you as a person. This is how your country truly cares
about you…
No Paperwork Skit is another truly disturbing
interlude with real people describing real events and shows what can happen is
this so called ‘Great’ Britain. As you real from those words, drums pound your
ears, closely followed by an electric bass sound that twists your every nerve.
4Dee then gives the Lowdown on who he is as a rapper. All you have to do
here is to just listen and understand exactly what his pedigree is. On to the
last track of the album, Ununited Kingdom has an upbeat vibe that
combines drums, horns, keys, and cuts, for one of those keep you moving beats.
4Dee takes a look at the reality of nation we live in, this so-called United
Kingdom or Great Britain but, is it really either of those things? The people who
make this nation great have to deal with oppression, racism and control, the
only thing that unites most of us is the fact that we are treated less like people
and more like numbers or as an ends to a means. In the eyes of those in a
position of power we are simply the workers, the ones they tread on to reach
higher and higher wealth and power but, we are the ones with true power if we
only realised it…
Phew, I mean what a ride that was…
That is what you might call a powerhouse of grown man Hip
Hop. It shows an unflinching and unapologetic vision of what it is to live in
the UK at this current time. It’s not a very pretty picture but, then when we
are all struggling to pay our bills and to afford the essentials, or even
making ourselves ill from a constant pursuit of money to live comfortably,
there is no way to sugar coat it and that is exactly what 4Dee does
here, he lays all the cards on the table and says ‘there ya go. That is the
stark reality of society right now’. He does it in a way that anyone can sit
and listen to it and say ‘yeah, I understand that. This guy knows what he’s
talking about’. He speaks to everyone on a level that shows he knows how it
feels to have been there, and it helps when you know people get where you’re
coming from.
Shots Fired is a rollercoaster from start to finish. Yes,
it’s dark in places but, that is the nature of our society but, it’s not all
doom and gloom. There is still much to listen to and to simply enjoy and more
than enough to get your heads nodding and fists pumping.
4Dee shows his pedigree in many ways here delivering
some solid production that instinctively captures the soundscape of live and
his wordplay and story writing has a true depth to it that only comes from
experience of the highs and lows of what life has to offer. I have to take my
hat of to him for delivering a stunning album here in which you can feel the
roots of that real Hip Hop sound but, also one that is mixed with the gritty
and raw power of true-life experience.
It would be amiss of me not to mention the guest artists who
feature here. From the legendary figure of Skinnyman and long-time collaborators
Joe Blow and DJ Jaffa, to the wealth of Welsh artists on 8 Barz of Fire,
everyone of them brings their own style and presence to the album and what this
does is pack the clip full of mind piercing vocal hollow points and turntable
trickery as sharp as a bayonet.
There really isn’t much more I can say about this album
except that I really advice you grab it and give it a listen. Because the only
way to get the most out of it will be to immerse yourself in it personally.
Shots Fired is out today, exclusively on Bandcamp via
Veteran Records, A label that might have only been going about a year but
already has an impressive catalogue of releases. All other platforms will see the release on 14th May.
My humble thanks to 4Dee for asking me to review this
and for the Bio which formed the foundation for the beginning of this article.
On that Note,
I’m out, See ya.
Steve.
LINKS
Shots Fired will be available through Bandcamp Here:
https://4dee1.bandcamp.com/music
Check the Veteran Records website Here:
Veteran Records on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/veteranrecordsfb
Links for the Broken Britain single release (Inc. all streaming links):
https://songwhip.com/4dee/broken-britain
4Dee YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGapm2D36Ro79Ybrt7lvNkg
VIDEOS
Broken Britain
The Anthem
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