S.T.A.R.V.E
By
CAPPO
This review was originally written for the September Issue of the Killa Tapes Magazine. It is amazing to think that my reviews are being featured in physical magazine. There are not many magazines out there right now and it was reading magazines such as Hip Hop Connection and others that were part of the inspiration for me to do what I do now, because I wanted to do reviews which expanded on those short reviews and gave an insight from the point of view of a person who might buy and listen to the music. Anyway, back to the review...
Way back in the early 2000’s I became aware of a highly
rated album by a UK emcee called CAPPO. This album, Spaz The World, quickly
became hot property and one of the must haves of the time. So, to have the
chance to review his latest work for my first review contribution in Killa
Tapes Magazine is something special.
Cappo was born and raised in Nottingham UK and originally
began his Hip Hop journey as a Graff writer. He also began rapping from an
early age and by the Mid-1990’s getting noticed with his first proper show
coming in 97 at the Nottingham carnival. His first Demo ‘First Knight’ came in
98, closely followed by the self-produced and self-financed ‘The Cap Tape Vol
1’. After getting noticed by SON records Cappo had a few released via the label
before his first solo album ‘Spaz The World’ came on the Zebra Traffic label in
2003. Since then, he has become a legendary UK emcee, with a string of releases
under his belt, the latest of which ‘CANON’ came in 2023
S.T.A.R.V.E is released via Plague records and is a
nine-track album with some incredible physical releases on the cards too. The
album is written and produced by Cappo, with some additional production coming
from Congi, Theorist and Sam Zircon. Recorded and mixed by 1stBlood and
mastered by Irn Mnky, the design and layout come from Rich Brown at Bee
Graphics.
With all that said, there is only one thing left to do, and
that is for me to take you through the album, top to bottom, giving you my
impressions along the way…
It all kicks off with Jar which is produced by Congi
and has a heavy pounding beat, interlaced with keys and more, giving it a sound
that is deep but, also switches along the way keeping you focused on the words.
Cappo’s vocals here seem to have this reflective air to them which mirrors the
tone of the beat. Jar grabs you deep in your chest as Cappo speaks on
what feels like the thoughts of someone musing on a broken relationship or even
the loss of someone close, things that have a close emotive energy and leave
you wondering what hits home more, the loss or the wonderful memories left
behind. With those thoughts still so clear in your mind the intro to Drip,
suddenly jerks you back to reality, produced by Theorist, this one has a sparse
beat mixed with piano and the sound of dripping water. This all comes together
for a vibe that plays havoc with your mind, much like Cappo’s words, which at
first seem to be reflective of things he sees around him, from the struggles of
relationships and changing aspects of who you are to fit with that
relationship, to the struggles of a parent doing their best but, seeing their
frustrations explode on those closest to them. However, as you listen you begin
to question those thoughts and wonder if this all about one person’s
experiences in life, dripping into his current awareness. There is not time to
sit and contemplate those thoughts as Terrace 3 – Void hits with an
accapella vibe, where Cappo’s words have the emotive strength of a person
grappling with their own mental health, stepping back from those closest to
them. The beat kicks in about halfway through and has a more modern sound to
it, mixed with some electronic vibes that seems to match the feels of those
intrusive thoughts that hit every day, matching the air of the lyrics
perfectly.
Window is next and opens with an eerie intro, which
I’m not gonna try and translate here, and sets a tone that has you wondering
what’s coming. When the beat drops, it has a pounding feel that seems to weigh
heavy on every nerve. Cappo’s words seep into your mind and speak on someone
struggling with life, medicating and immersing themselves into anything that
numbs the pain. Just as you are coming to some understanding, the beat changes,
becoming slightly more upbeat with a sound that gets your head nodding. Here,
it feels like this is a moment of clarity in an otherwise pain filled haze.
This is a moment where you can suddenly see your own struggles and where you
need to be to get back to who you are but, it is also the moment where you may
question if you have the strength to do it? Terrace 2 is a short that
has a huge impact, with Cappo’s words those someone might record in a live
video, recording their thoughts as they continue to struggle with the strains
of life where there is not enough money or help for those who need it most. I
have seen this stuff first hand on the streets and in talking cafes and it hits
so hard because these few words are so real and reflect the sad reality that so
many live. With those words hitting so hard, it is almost a relief when the
piano and head nod beat of Strongbow kick in but, that relief is short
lived as the reality of Cappo’s words hit home once more. There is a glimmer of
hope here though as this one focuses on someone doing their best to recover,
swapping the spliff for a four pack of Stongbow, doing their best to take their
meds in an attempt to get better but, only finding solace within their own four
walls while the system looks down on them, labelling them and failing them and
those around them. This is where the medical model favours legal drugs over
giving more support and therapy that can truly help people get back into
society and back on their feet.
Slow Poison is produced by Sam Zircon and brings a
heavy modern sound with a grime edge to it. The piano elements give this one an
emotive edge; that emotive edge fits with the vibe of the track which really
seems to be focused on addiction in its various forms, and that is the poison
which slowly invades you, gaining control of who you are, taking away your true
self and separating you from those who care. Coming back from addiction is hard
and takes willpower, something that has to come from deep inside, from your
true self, and you have to recognise that and find who you truly are. The
penultimate track is another short, Terrace 1, which brings another
glimpse of the sun through the dark storm clouds. Here we hear the words of
someone fighting to kick the darkness and find the light of the true self,
realising that they have retreated from everything and everyone who brought
light to their life. This is one of those huge steps forward in finding your
true self, asking for the help. The last track of the album is Writeful
Owner and brings another emotive vibe of electronic keys and heavy pounding
beats that reinforce the deep aspects of the words. Those word here see Cappo
opening up on moving forward with a clean slate, starting again after all the
struggles, pain and suffering, this is where the new journey begins and walking
forward into a future that you get to write yourself, written in a place that
is illuminated by the light of love and positive vibes…
Sometimes you have to give yourself a minute when you are
summing up the overall vibe of an album such as this, and this is one of those
times.
On the face of it this album is about so many of the
struggles that people go through in life but, it is so much more than that.
S.T.A.R.V.E has such a deeply personal edge to it that you can’t help but feel
as you listen to every track. It hits every emotion you have as you listen,
from sadness and empathy to a conclusion that culminates in a feeling of relief
as you understand that all the battles throughout the album have not gone in
vain and there truly is a brighter horizon in view.
Cappo touches on so many subjects that anyone of us can
relate to, and it is the strength of those words that impacts you so deeply as
you listen; you can feel his pain because you know that pain but, more than
that, you can feel the positive nature of the final track because you feel that
too, and you feel all this because of the skilful way in which Cappo delivers
every word of every line across the album and those spoken word elements carry
such impact too, it’s almost unreal. The wordplay is incredible too as it
matches the impact of the delivery, allowing you to hear and feel every word on
a whole different level.
Production wise too, you can’t get much better here as every
track has this sound that matches the tone of the lyrics perfectly, allowing
every track to reverberate through your entire being, eliciting an emotive
response that you might not be expecting. I have to commend the guest producers
as much as the production from Cappo himself, it’s a cracking piece of work to
say the least.
I don’t know how much of this might come from Cappo’s
personal experience but, from sitting here and letting every word in, feeling
those words too, it makes me think that these words could very well come from
his own lived experience, which is why this album hits on so many levels,
because it comes from a place that is rooted firmly in reality and true
emotional experience and for someone to be that open and honest takes story
teller to a whole different level. In fact, you could even say that this goes
beyond story telling and becomes a beacon to those out there going through
their own personal hell, and shows them a light, a direction to a true path of
recovery.
S.T.A.R.V.E is out on Plague records now.
You should also check out the additional release by Cappo and Plague called Vignettes, a collection of additional shorts that serve as an expanded narrative for S.T.A.R.V.E and it protagonist. This is available as a free or Pay what you can download and well worth listening to once you have digested the original.
My humble thanks to Craig at Killa Tapes for asking me to do this and also huge thanks to Danny over at Plague for giving me the chance to review the album.
I’ll see ya next time.
Steve – Infinite Sounds UK
LINKS
Get your copy of S.T.A.R.V.E. here:
https://plague11.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-a-r-v-e
Get a copy of Vignettes Here:
https://plague11.bandcamp.com/album/vignettes
Cappo Links:
https://www.instagram.com/kafka_poe_murakami/
Plague Links:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/plague11/posts/
https://www.instagram.com/plague_11/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCffd_9Pc-5NDYA7OyoUV5cQ
Get the Killa Tapes Magazine and much more from Killa Tapes Here:
https://killatapespodcast.com/product-tag/magazine/
