If you have not heard of Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip then I highly recommend you listen to at least a few of their tracks. I heard them first about a year and a half ago, and have been highly anticipating their full-length album.
Dan Le Sac provides the beat whilst Scroobius Pip lays down the lyrics, and lay them down he does ever so well. Pip is like a poet in his songwriting skills, yet he incorporates them into a hip-hop style that is unique. At first listen it could be easy to mistake them as a standard UK hip-hop act similar to that of Kano, or The Streets. However if you were to listen to the lyrics you would understand that it is much, much more than that.
The album starts off with "The Beat That My Heart Skipped". The song starts with a live poem read by Scroobius Pip with some excellent lyricism. It then breaks into a funky beat with more great lyrics.
But I really want to know what she thinks of me
Because I`m loving every idiosyncrasy
But I ain`t one to jump through hoops to make a 1st impression
Been there, done that, learnt the worst of lessons
We want to be loved for who we appear to be instead of who we are
So our real selves take a backseat behind the pomp and the façade
And that`s as true of the rude boys, downing pints and acting hard
As of the kids shunning convention with clinical disregard
The next great song would be "Look For The Woman" is about a man who is stuck in a relationship and does not know where to take it.
My head's in a mess
and I'm stressed
but i guess its a test in the quest for happiness
and the rest of that mess
so i best just acquiesce
even though I've grown tired of you
Probably the most interesting and intriguing song is "Letter from God to Man". Scroobius Pip said "This poem isn't actually about religion. It is kind of irrelevant to the piece whether or not you believe in God or a God or anything like that. Thats not the point......" The song is more about the effect that man has had on the earth. The multi-layered meanings make it one of the most impressive songs I've heard in a long time.
It was You that invented bombs, and the fear that comes with them
And it was You that invented money, and the corrupt economic systems
You invented terms like just-war and terms like friendly fire
And it was You that didn’t know when to stop digging deeper, when to stop building higher
The song that is most poignant to modern culture is "Thou Shalt Always Kill". The underlying message is 'think for yourself' as opposed to following trends or social waves.
Thou shalt not read NME.
Thou shalt not stop liking a band just because they’ve become popular.
Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry.
Thou shalt not judge a book by it’s cover.
Thou shalt not judge Lethal Weapon by Danny Glover.
Thou shalt not buy Coca-Cola products.
Thou shalt not buy Nestle products.
The final song on the album is an epic track called "Waiting For The Beat To Kick In". According to the song it is about a dream, but it is wonderfully written.
Waiting for the beat to kick in,
But it never does,
Waiting for my feet to grow wings,
That lift me above,
All of these tiresome things,
That we know and love,
Waiting for the beat to kick in,
But it never does
So overall I have given this album 9/10, because it is lyrically superb, and the beats fit the lyrics excellently. The chemistry between Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip plays brilliantly. I would pick out songs that I recommend, but I've already done that. Other honourable mentions go to "Tommy C" (a tribute to Tommy Cooper) and "Development" (which starts like a guitar ballad). The only reason I have not given this album a perfect 10 is because there are a few forgettable tracks.
In my opinion, Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip have turned British Hip Hop into a form of poetry
and completely transformed my thoughts on what hip hop can be.
If you like Dan le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip then I will also recommend Riz MC to you. I saw him live in Belfast during the summer and he was most fantastic. He is also an actor and has been several TV shows and movies, most recently the 5-part horror series Dead Set.
Rating:
[IIIIIIIIII]
9/10
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Thank you and goodnight.
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