Grown Up Free
By
LEGS MC
Grown Up Free is the third in the Grown Up series of albums
from Legs MC. I featured the previous release in this series, Grown Up Too,
back in August of last year and you can read that review on the link below,
with will give you some background on Legs MC.
Once more on this new album Legs has brought in some top-notch
guest artists, including another appearance from his sons Zackary and Raphael,
alongside some additional production talent. Guests include Falle Nioke, Rhyme
Advocates and DJ TGK with additional production coming from Murmur Beats, Ted
Roxwell, JG Romez and Solar Sounds.
The best thing to do here is not to keep you hanging around
but, to dive right into the album…
Love and Attention opens the album with a pounding
beat to get your head nodding. Here Legs opens up on the negative side of
social media. While the socials have their advantages in helping artists get
promotion and so on, the drawback is that people spend so much time focused on
scrolling, tweeting, and so on it takes attention away from the things that are
most important. Heaven and Hell drops next with production from Murmur
Beats. The sound has that boom bap edge with a soulful vibe running through it.
The focus here is really trying to see the silver lining to all the clouds,
especially in a world where you are bombarded with a constant stream of
negative media reporting. It’s all about looking beyond the darkness, the pain
and the suffering and having a deep knowing that the light is there, you just
have to have the faith in it. With those thoughts of being stuck and not
knowing where to turn, your mind drifts to thoughts of freedom, which leads to Song
About Freedom; featuring Falle Nioke, solid boom bap drums and strings are
backed by soulful vocals to bring a deep and thoughtful vibe. The last few
years have seen so much focus on peoples seeking freedom from so much oppression,
racism and control, this track really has that sense of an anthem for call to
stand up for what you believe and to see freedom for all, everywhere.
Sadness and Joy features Rhyme Advocates sees drums.
Bass and woodwind sounds merge to bring a head nod beat, where that woodwind
sound creates a mind-bending twist. This one seems to look at two sides of the
same coin but, the important thing is to remember all those moments of joy,
especially in the moments where sadness grips us and we struggle, it’s
remembering the joy that gets us through and shows us that things will get
better. The little comedic opening to Wrong Horse, gives way to heavy
drums, bass, and guitar notes, bringing a slightly dark edge to the sound. On
the face of it, this might seem like a look at the so-called sport of horse
racing and perhaps it is just that but, maybe there is more to this here and
the wordplay has that equestrian edge to play with your mind as it’s all about
Legs being an artist and being in the game for the long haul and not just to
make a quick quid or two. It’s all about taking your time and honing your
craft, so you are still in it when most have fallen by the wayside. Next up is The
Grinch Skit, a little track that features Zakary and Raphael, the sons of
Legs, giving us a fun little skit all about the Grinch over a heavy beat with
keys. You can’t help but grin at this one as it brings some light relief to
proceedings. This leads nicely into My Sons, a thoughtful sound is
created by drums, bass, and keys, is the backdrop for Legs to drop a touching
track that is focused on his sons and seeing them grow up and being the best
father, you can be for them; always guiding them as they grow and take their
own journey through life. There is not much more you can say about this, except
that I found it really touching, as a father myself, it really echoes my own
thoughts and feelings.
Conduit is produced by Ted Roxwell who brings a heavy
beat alongside some keys that have you thinking of horror movie vibes. With
that eerie sound floating in your awareness, it brings an interesting vibe as
Legs speaks on the almost supernatural element of how his words seem to come
from deep inside, in a way that seems like they control him, almost writing
themselves like they possess him or are the conduit to another realm. JG Romez
produces Division and uses a piano heavy sound with a pounding beat as
the backdrop bringing a focus to the vocals. Legs opens up on the state of
society where facts are blurred by fake news in order to cause a constant state
of division between people, races, countries and more. Within this fractured
society we seek to pull apart and separate the truth from the fiction, so that
our children will know what’s real and what’s not. It is not an easy thing to
do with the constant steam of negative media attention but, we do what we can
to build a better future. Character Assassination is produced by Solar
Sounds and has a more chilled LoFi sound of drums and keys with a modern
ticking sound added in. This one is all about the cancel culture where anyone
can be made a target and have their whole life and careers turned upside down
by internet critics with little or no evidence, just hearsay.
Bragadon’t features DJ TGK on the cut, the drums are
sparce and almost fade into the background as bass, keys and horns take the
forefront. Legs takes the opportunity to speak on who he is and what he does as
an artist but, there is not braggadocio here as he displays his talents in a
way that just opens your eyes to the facts without making himself out to be
more than he is. The penultimate track is Fee Fi Fo Fum where drums and
guitars merge to bring a strangely enjoyable sound with a head nod vibe. This one
has some slick wordplay that displays the giant size of Lags verbal talent,
something that might not be immediately apparent but, first impressions can be
misleading. The final track of the album is King On The Mic and hits
with a heavy vibe of bass drums creating the perfect musical backdrop for Legs fully
open up about just how good he is as an emcee, dropping intelligent and slick
wordplay that rounds off the album in style getting your head nodding and the
corners of your mouth curling up as you enjoy every word.
Sometimes it is easy to sum up the overall feel of an album
and Grown Up Free one of those albums. Legs brings us another album that
displays a solid balance of storytelling and real world lived experience that
does not fail in its ability to be something that anyone can associate with as
you listen.
The production is all on point here, be it from the guest
producers or not. Creating a sound that is ultimately Hip Hop but, has those
little additional influences along the way that add to the depth and quality of
the sound. Not only that but, the production helps convey the words to you in
such a way as to maximise the impact.
Vocally and lyrically Legs shows his range of flows and
styles that work so well in delivering the depth of the message he conveys with
each track. The intelligence and quality of wordplay comes from a continuous
love of the music and a desire to consistently stay on top of his craft, honing
and tweaking his style as he progresses. The guest artists also perfectly fit
into proceedings once more, bringing that added depth, style and feeling along
the way.
There is also that depth of feeling here about family and
creating a path on which the next generation can walk, whilst still forging
their own journey. By including his own children on a track, it really brings
home that sense of family being so important and it touches a part of you very
deeply and in a way that you may not actually realise until you reflect.
So, overall Grown Up Free is the perfect addition to the
Grown Up series as it adds to and builds upon the foundations laid by the
previous albums. Using the sound and the lyrical power of Hip Hop music to
drive home both important subject matter and the need to enjoy yourself as
well.
My humble thanks to Legs MC for letting me bring this one to
you.
Grown Up Free is available now. Grab a copy and support the independent music of Legs MC...
I’m out,
See ya next time.
Steve.
Legs MC Linktree for all the links you need:
Read the Grown Up Too Review Here:
https://infinitesoundsuk.blogspot.com/2023/08/album-review-grown-up-too-by-legs-mc.html
VIDEOS
Love and Attention - Live from The Shed
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