DEF CULT
By
Junior Disprol
I think its fair to say that in the last five years the man
from Cardiff, Junior Disprol has been on something of a roll. First came DEFVALLEY in 2019 followed by two huge releases in 2022, Hung Drawn and Slaughta’d with Krash Slaughta and DEF II; then in 2023 came Uber Magnetic alongsideRoughneck Jihad, the build up to which was something truly inspired and
introduced us to the Hidden Content Club from the label Plague.
Well, now in 2024 the Hidden Content Club is back and
treated us to a bonus pack and single release that featured a non-album track,
The Fun and The Horror, and a remix of the track Hawk Ghost. This was all as
the precursor to the third outing in Junior Disprol’s Def Series, DEF CULT.
Once more brought to us on the Plague label and, as with both previous DEF releases, Produced by Cool Edit Chud. It
features appearances from DJ Jaffa, Krash Slaughta, Stepchild and his Uber
Magnetic partner in rhyme Roughneck Jihad. The album also features some stunning
artwork from John Stark, just to put the icing on the cake.
Now, Junior Disprol is no stranger to this blog and as such,
needs no introduction, so let’s not beat around the bush here and get straight
into the DEF CULT…
There is no hanging around here as DJ Jaffa joins JD on the
opening track Marvelous, which perfectly sets the tone of the album with
a nice head nod drum beat which is surrounded by this eerie mix of bells and
nature sounds that all comes together to give you the impression you’ve been
drawn into some weird nightmarish world. This is Junior Disprol’s world, a
place where expecting the unexpected is the norm and it is hard for the
neurotypical mind to even conceive of what now put in front of it. Here he shows
you exactly why he is so marvellous in what he does by taking words, phrases
and more, mixing and weaving them into something you would never think
possible, and when you mix all that with the music, reality is thrown out of a
window, a window that doesn’t exist or does it? With all expectation cast aside
the sound move to slick funk vibe with drums and guitar taking the forefront
for The Fly Most, if you know your Hip Hop then you will know that being
‘fly’ was all about being the best, dressing the best and so on. So, is JD
speaking on being the best here or is about a fly or being a fly on the wall?
You decided because this is one of those that seems open to interpretation, and
after a number of listens I wanted to go with the traditional Hip Hop view and
that JD here is just showing what it is the be the fly most on the mic. Up next
is A Murmur Forms, which has recently seen a video release, and has more
of a jazz vibe with the horns, bass, and drums, which loop and switch creating
a sound which tests your nerves as it progresses. JD’s words seem to tear at
every brain cell, threatening to turn your awareness inside out. The world
around is what seems to form into a murmur as Junior Disprols words and flows
form into a dazzling murmuration of their own, mimicking that of a flock of
starlings over the somerset levels…
Can We Live finds the drum beat almost softened into
the background as a nerve tweaking electric guitar loop grabs your awareness,
threatening not to let go. JD takes a look at the state of society and Britain,
a place you can no longer call great. How can a person or a family truly live
in this society when we are constantly being priced out of everything we need
to survive, while the 1% flourish and stand, not on the shoulders of giants
but, on the desperate figures of the working class, the infirm, the disabled
and corpses of the fallen. It’s a bleak look at life but, that’s life right
now. With your mind reeling from what it has just had to comprehend, it’s time
for DJ Jaffa to join Junior Disprol once more and to punch and slice a hole in
those dark storm clouds with Ready Rock. The head nod beat takes us on a
more upbeat vibe while the eerie xylophone sounds keep us in that weird
twilight world but, this one creates a seed inside you that blooms almost
immediately and bears fruit that you can only taste with your soul because this
is what the energy of the music can do for you if you allow it in. There is
this sense that the creation and the feeling of the music is able to clear the
darkness from most recesses of the mind. So, when you’re ready, feel the music,
let it in and get ready to rock. Now feeling a bit more upbeat it’s time for
the albums title track to be unleashed, DEF CULT. The drums and guitar that forms the main
element of the beat here has a melodic quality that has you quietly nodding along,
focusing on the words, while every now and again there is a burst of guitar
that stops you relaxing to far into that sound. Having given you the
foundations, JD now hypnotises you, taking control of your mind, he delivers
words that infiltrate every corner of your mind and making you a newly ordained
follower of the DEF CULT.
It’s perfect timing that you are now in the cult and your
mind is focused on this one thing because, if you are listening on the vinyl,
it’s now time to flip to the B-Side, something you now do in an almost trance
like state. I Got It Going Awwn takes you into a TRON like world with
solid boom bap beat alongside electronic sounds that digitize your every
thought from this moment on. If it can rhyme with Awwn then its Awwn, that’s
what its all about here; well almost. There is a moment, where JD emulates the
Ruler Slick Rick, that brings an almighty grin that comes out from within.
Suddenly you begin to realise that this cult is not something to fear but,
something to revere. That sense of living in a digital world now takes on an
eerie twist as the electronic and other sounds whirl around the head nod beat
like a plethora of spirits released from purgatory. Krash Slaughta joins JD to
help slice through the ghostly fog allowing your body to soak up the vibes.
Here you find Junior Disprol speaking on being a Magus Of Phrase. But
what does that mean? Well, the definition of Magus is a conjurer, sorcerer, or
a magician; so, what he is saying here is that he is a magician when comes to
creating something with words and you simply can’t argue with that the more you
listen. The vibe switches once more as drums, guitars and keys combine for a
sound that would not be out of place an album from the Doors, it has that kinda
Hip Hop psychedelic feel. Hawk Ghost dispels any last vestige of dark
clouds that might have remained as its energy raises you up to a new level,
while keeping you in that altered state of reality. This time Junior Disprol
switches from speaking through a ghostly haze to taking on the essence of a
spiritual form, soaring high above and looking down on what’s around and
channelling that into words and phrases that boggle the mind as you search for
the source but find only words that seem to appear from nowhere…
Your eardrums vibrate with the power of the beat, bass and
horns as Def At Behest explodes into your awareness. Soon, strings are
introduced that have you looking over your shoulder, looking for what’s coming
with a sense of foreboding like a movie soundtrack vibe. Listening to this one
might make you wonder just what this is all about but, try listening a few
times and that think of the title and what it means? Def is all about being the
best and by doing that at behest means you are doing it by instruction or by
command; so here maybe, its all about JD showing how good his skills are by his
own instruction? Being an emcee is all about honing your skills from life, from
what you see about you day by day, you are literally teaching or instructing
yourself, that’s how you learn. Think about that as you listen and if it speaks
to you. Now, time is ticking by and as you move into the album’s penultimate
track the Domesday Clock. Drums, bells, bass, and horns form a huge
sound that has that that soundtrack vibe about it, one that makes you feel you
have stepped into a pool of shade among the sunlight. With that air of
foreboding setting around you once more you find that you are stood in an
equilateral triangle with an emcee at each apex; perhaps it’s a circle not the
triangle you first thought but, anyway, Junior Disprol is followed by Roughneck
Jihad and finally Stepchild, each one displaying their individual rhyme skills
as the doomsday clock ticks another second but, that second feels like a minute
or a whole day as the words float through you awareness; you realise there is
so much around us that signifies we are headed towards a doomsday but, you also
realise that we are the ones who can also reverse that and stop the clock
ticking down to its ultimate conclusion. As you contemplate that thought you
realise that the album is about to reach its own conclusion and you have
reached Def Not, the final track. Keys, guitars, and drums create a
reflective vibe and one that feels you about to enter something deeper than has
gone before. The intro makes you feel this one needed time to get going, like
it needs a few deep breaths first and as JD begins to speak you realise why
those feels occurred to you; not everything is DEF in life and this one finds
Junior Disprol speaking on the loss of his mother. This one is by far the
deepest track on the album, and I could feel every word, deep in my own heart
having lived this same story with the loss of my own mum back in 1995. What can
you say, treasure every moment with those you love and enjoy those moments to
the fullest. The track ends with an upbeat, high energy guitar solo, just get
the adrenaline pumping once more and leaving you with much to think about…
Just take a breath because that was some ride. In fact,
there is this feeling that DEF CULT is an album of two halves, as seems
to have two different vibes running across the two sides of the album, if you
have the vinyl, or between the first six tracks and second six. The first half
appears to have a slightly darker air about it, laying out the foundations and
showing you what’s going on around you or inviting you to see it. But the
second half has this far more upbeat vibe to it raising you up most of the time
and giving you a reason to feel that its not all bad out there and it ends with
a touching ode to his mother that is such an awesome way to end the album, with
such an emotional sentiment. It’s just breath taking from start to finish.
I may have said this before but, what the heck, I’m gonna
say it again, for me, Junior Disprol is one of the most underrated emcees on
the UK scene, if not the entire Hip Hop scene, at this time. I don’t know of
anyone who can take words that seemingly have no place together and spin them
into something that is entertaining and speaks to you on some strange
unconscious level. He just has a masterful way with words, like the title of
the track Magus Of Phrase, he truly is a master sorcerer of words and
rhyme.
I couldn’t wrap up this review in any way without mentioning
the work of Cool Edit Chud on this one. As with JD being a wizard with words,
Chud is a wizard of the beats. He is perfectly able to emulate the vibe of JD’s
words and together they just craft something where the music and words vibe so
well together. It is almost like these two are an extension of each other, they
work so well together. The different vibes and sounds created by Chud work so
well with JD’s vision for his lyrical content and mood.
Having appearances by DJ Jaffa and Krash Slaughta on the
cuts, along with Roughneck Jihad and Stepchild adds flavour to the whole
project while taking nothing away from Junior Disprol and Cool Edit Chud.
DEF CULT is the kind of release that Hip Hop needs to
carry it forward. It has that nod to the real Hip Hop sound but, draws on a lot
of different inspirations along the way. It also has a sound that has definite
mass appeal and is not likely to get old very quickly. This has to be another
contender for album of the year, in my humble opinion. It’s a perfect fit with
the two previous Def albums and might just be the icing on the cake…
My thanks go to Junior Disprol and Plague’s Danny Boyes for
putting this one in front of me and letting me do my thing.
My final thought on DEF CULT is simply “Go get this it”.
DEF CULT is available now and comes in a range of formats
including some stunning physical versions too.
I’ll see ya next time.
Steve.
LINKS
Get your copy of DEF CULT Here:
Junior Disprol Socials:
https://www.facebook.com/DeadResidents
https://www.instagram.com/juniordisprol/
Plague Socials:
https://www.facebook.com/plague11
https://www.instagram.com/plague_11/
https://www.youtube.com/@plague_11/featured
VIDEOS
A Murmur Forms
The Fun and The Horror (Taken from the Limited Hidden Content Club 7" Single)
