ALBUM REVIEW: SV & Alyssa Jane – Neo Phily

Boston producer and Jim’s Pool Room Records co-founder Sean ‘SV’ Veligor and New England rapper/singer/songwriter Alyssa Jane join  forces on their debut joint record “Neo Phily”, which serves as both a follow-up to Alyssa’s 2021 debut album “grey area” and SV’s 2023 compilation project “My Corrhiza”. In my review of the latter, I stated that Alyssa was THE (yes, this word will be presented yet again in caps) standout performer on “My Corrhiza”, thanks to her diverse range in rapping and singing. She also displayed a willingness to wear her heart on her sleeve, even when she’s going hard on solo cuts like “Dopeness Right There” (whose chorus alone is still lodged in my brain since I first heard the song back in JANUARY of last year) or collabs like “Without You” and “The Tree” featuring Jim’s Pool Room artists Capo and Gage respectively.

Going back to Alyssa’s debut record, it’s interesting – and probably intentional – that it bears the same name as the excellent 2019 album from British rapper/singer Little Simz. Not only was that album my official introduction to Little Simz’ work, but it presented a rapper unafraid to address her flaws and insecurities through engaging and relatable introspection whilst showcasing her truly impressive lyrical dexterity. After the first few listens I gave “Neo Phily”, I checked out Alyssa’s “grey area” and from a production standpoint, I can see how her penchant for smooth, low-key beat selections fits so well with SV’s moody, mid-tempo instrumentation.

What’s interesting about “Neo Phily” is that it feels like a thematic expansion of “grey area” and a thematic / sonic expansion of the SV and Alyssa Jane tracks on “My Corrhiza”. Therefore, fans of Alyssa who were probably expecting her 2023-released singles like the respective smooth jazz and bossa nova crossovers “Karma Suits Ya” and “NEW PR!” to be packaged into a new album may have to wait a while longer. This is entirely an Alyssa and SV presentation to the extent of having NO guest features, not even from Jim’s Pool Room.

The album’s rewording of the term “neophilia” (love or enthusiasm for what’s new) and the juxtaposition of diurnal and nocturnal imagery in its cover art hint at the journey the listener is about to embark on. It’s a journey where the ‘new’ is right in front of us but the ‘old’ is not that far behind, and where light and dark co-exist, both externally and internally. From the opening track and third single “Kerosene”, SV and Alyssa establish the emotional ‘grey areas’ the listener will experience on this journey. The post-hook alone sets up the album’s main theme of emotional duality (“Tonight, I be quick to remember that I live two lives / Not talking about a disguise”). Though SV’s beat on this track is smooth, wavy and laid-back with some pleasantly jazzy horns and guitars in the mix, Alyssa wrestles with her own self-doubt while presenting herself as unwavering in her pursuit towards greatness in her life and career. She accepts her imperfect self, but the only way for her to attain some level of perfection in her life is obviously to move forward.  Performance-wise, Alyssa sounds so natural over SV’s production, effortlessly switching between rapping, singing and even vocalizing, as she does on the pre-hook after the first verse.

Compared to SV’s last instrumental, the production on the following track “Leave” sounds moodier, darker and significantly hypnotic, with its synth keys, drums and occasional embellishments of sax. It’s as if something unnerving – an emotion or memory perhaps – is creeping into Alyssa’s subconscious. Thematically and lyrically, this is one of the album’s darkest moments as Alyssa finds herself stuck in a particular rut in her life, desiring to leave everything behind in search for answers. 

Her emotional burdens get heavier on the next track “Pressed” where on the beat, we get this odd, brief skipping effect on the drums during the non-vocal sections of the track. It’s a subconsciously self-aware aspect of the song, as I saw it as a representation of how unclear Alyssa’s life path is. I will confess that during my first listen to this track, I swore some background process on my laptop was causing the song to stutter while I was playing it on Spotify. Sporadic Windows 10 annoyances aside, “Pressed” is easily one of the album’s best songs! Yes, the beat is great – even with the ‘skips’ – but it’s Alyssa’s vocal range that makes this song work. She embodies the emotional baggage she’s dealing with at this point in the record through her vocals, whether it’s the smoothly-sung, catchy-as-hell hook, the slightly heightened expressiveness of her raps, or her gradually aggressive post-chorus after the first verse.

Up next is the album’s second single “Trip on Me” which features this dreamy mix of R&B-styled drums, trap percussion and retro-80s synths. As the title implies, someone’s emotionally tripping on Alyssa  (a fan, a friend, a potential partner perhaps) and as the superbly trippy animated music video suggests, she’s taking this person on this psychedelic, mental journey through her highs and lows. Once again, she’s embracing her flawed, imperfect self and in the context of the song, hopes that this ‘visitor’ gains a deeper understanding of who she is before taking their friendship or relationship one step further.

Speaking of relationships and ‘tripping’ on people, there’s the album’s lead single “Down to Zero”, where Alyssa raps and sings about not being able to get her ex out of her mind and wanting to rekindle their obviously fractured relationship (“I just need you to know that you’ve been on my mind / Ever since the second we decided to break the bond”). SV’s instrumental perfectly sets the melancholy tone of the song with its somber piano keys and light snares and synth notes in the background.  The hook is well thought out, as Alyssa flips the “ready or not” kid’s game into a heartfelt plea that not only will her ex be close by when she finishes her count from ten to zero, but she’ll be capable of finding him before he’s considered ‘lost’. If I have one gripe with “Down to Zero”, I felt it deserved a second verse, given how exceptionally well-written this song was.

The album’s final leg begins with “How it’s Made” and “If You Been Bad” where Alyssa picks herself up from the lows she’s been experiencing on this record thus far. The former track features a droning ambient beat laced with boom-bap drums and a pitch-shifted vocal chop. Alyssa puts this beat to great use as she reduces her self-loathing and regains her confidence through some much-deserved self-affirmation. Her opening lines establish the mindset she’s in at this stage on the album: “Sympathetic to the ones before you / They got a side of me I can never undo / Had to pick up the slack to be something / Now I’m working overtime to deliver my cool”. And throughout this song, she’s boastful with her bars, vulnerable with her emotions and grateful for the support she’s received from her fans and loved ones during the mentally tumultuous times in her life.

We then get what is my opinion the BEST SONG on this record: “If You Been Bad”. SV’s production has a distinctly dramatic flair to it, as if I’m  hearing a spacey, boom-bap version of a spaghetti western theme composed by the late, great Ennio Morricone (kids, ask your parents). Alyssa delivers what is essentially a therapy session on wax, with these freestyle-like raps centered on how her music has helped her cope with mental, emotional and even spiritual loss over the years. The second verse shows a startling amount of growth on the record, as Alyssa mentions the recent support she gave to her father and acknowledges the creative medium of music as a true blessing in her life. And yet near the end of the song, she shows awareness of how easy it is to slip back into the darkness, breaking hearts and burning bridges in the process (“Staying out of trouble cuz the karma’s active”).

With the inspirational highs given by those two tracks, I guess it’s fitting that “Neo Phily” concludes on a dour note with “Slow Motion”. I say ‘guess’ because while a part of me wishes we got a brighter, optimistic ending to the record – with Alyssa’s confidence back up and her life back on track – the reality is that life itself doesn’t play out like that. Try as we may, there will be moments of uncertainty, pain and stress that will inevitably pop up after the moments of joy, happiness and peace of mind. And I have to applaud Alyssa and SV for concluding their project with that harsh truth in mind. SV saves his most somber instrumental for last with a beat consisting of frail, disenchanted piano keys, amplified quite effectively by vinyl crackle.  As the title suggests, Alyssa finds herself moving in slow motion thanks to the “creeping” demons she’s been addressing and fighting throughout the record.  Like the equally distressing “Down to Zero”, this is another track where I felt a second verse was absolutely needed. With its near-minute and 45 second runtime, making it the shortest track on the album, “Slow Motion” feels more like a ‘To be Continued’ than a ‘The End’. But maybe that’s the point. It’s not supposed to be the end of this neophilic journey. There’ll be more pain and struggles to endure on this path but there’ll also be more blessings and achievements to be had on it as well. In other words, this Neo Phily story is still being written, and each page begins with one step forward.

Overall, “Neo Phily” is yet another top-quality album from Jim’s Pool Room Records and a thoroughly entertaining project from Alyssa Jane and SV. It’s also a remarkably cohesive record, thanks to the seamless blending of SV’s mood-inducing instrumentals and Alyssa’s reflective lyrics and heartfelt vocal performances. Creatively, the sky’s the limit for these two and I can’t wait to hear what they put out next!

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10

Now available on Spotify and neophily.com

ALBUM REVIEW – Dookie Bros – Happy Dook Year

For my first album review of 2024, I’ll be covering my first album listen of 2024: the newest record from Canadian rap duo Dookie Bros – “Happy Dook Year”! For those who forgot the first two paragraphs of my “Merry Shitmas” review from last December, Dookie Bros consists of rapper/producer/boom-bap torchbearer Shy The BeatYoda and fellow rapper Franchise.

Last year, they dropped three solid (Get it? Dropped…..solid) EPs in the forms of “Manure Music Vols. 1 & 2” and “Merry Shitmas”, the latter of which not only made it to my Top 10 bracket of BEST ALBUMS OF 2023 but stands as a shining example of Christmas-themed rap music done right! And like “Merry Shitmas”, “Happy Dook Year” is a 21-minute record with production handled entirely by Shy, no guest features and its thematic focus centered on a particular occasion. In this case, it’s about….well…..starting off the new year right. As we all should know, it’s always beneficial to go into the new year with some sort of hope, faith and optimism, even if you don’t have a clear idea of everything you’ll be doing in the new year or you’re still hung up on the losses you dealt with the year before.

And that’s the exact vibe Dookie Bros brings to the table, resulting in a project that sounds and feels more mature and focused in tone compared to “Merry Shitmas”. Now that the Christmas season is over and Mariah Carey is cryogenically frozen until November 1st, a new year has started and it’s time for the Dookie Bros to execute their game plan. Franchise and Shy sound so hungry and laser-focused on this album that even their penchant for raunchy humour is dialed back a considerable bit.

From the opening track “The Dream Team’, Dookie Bros sound determined to establish their names as one of hip hop’s greatest duos. Interestingly, it uses a snippet from an old WWF promo for the tag team The Dream Team – and as a professional wrestling fan myself, I did appreciate that bit of schooling into the awesomeness that was Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake. Periodically on the record, we hear snippets of WWF promos with wrestlers either doing hyped-up tough-talk or expressing how fired up they are for starting a new year in their legendary careers. The instrumental for “The Dream Team” features an 80s-inspired electric guitar solo laced with leisured drums, which altogether sounds like a boom-bap reinterpretation of a classic wrestling entrance theme. Shy comes through with some solid punchlines, most of which include pop culture references (points for that “Moonraker” bar, by the way)  and Franchise compliments him with an exceptionally written and performed verse.

The heat turns up on the following track “The Real Dookie”. Just to touch on that title for a bit, its hook, like “The Dream Team”, involves a short succession of DJ cuts, but the Notorious B.I.G. sample used in it was always one of those things I never noticed on that specific song (I’m not going to say which one) until hearing it on this track! But anyway, over an upbeat, punchy mix of piano keys and drums, Franchise and Shy SPAZZ THE SHIT OUT, each delivering a VERSE OF THE YEAR CONTENDER!! Yes, you read it first!

Both the vocal chops added to the opening of “Flush ‘Em Down” and the hook provided by Franchise are sure to please many Public Enemy fans as this song cleverly interpolates the 1991 classic “Shut ‘Em Down” – which, in case you didn’t know, has one of the GREATEST Pete Rock remixes attached to it (If you haven’t listened to it, please do. You might need a neck brace after listening to it, however. Don’t say I didn’t warn you)! In this case, Dookie Bros share their heightened frustration over the depths some rappers would stoop to to get their music noticed and appreciated, particularly by adopting a rugged, gun-toting and drug-dealing persona. On his verse in particular, Shy warns these funk-fakers to not approach him at all, whether on wax or in real life.

Sonically, the next track “Dope Shit” is sure to please fans of coke rap, specifically the Daringer-produced songs regularly released from Griselda Records, thanks to its menacing piano chords, clinking percussion in the back of the mix that sounds like a certain something is being mixed in a jar with a spoon (if you know, you know) and a cleverly-chosen Westside Gunn vocal sample. Thankfully, Dookie Bros are self-aware enough NOT to do an actual coke rap song, since they already called out certain rappers for copying and pasting that drug-dealing lifestyle into their rhymes. As the title suggests, they’re simply informing the listener that their lyrics alone are DOPE. However, they’re just as addictive as actual dope because once you hear their 16’s, you’ll most likely come out of this song wishing you got a third verse!

Up next, we get “The Missile Launcher II”, the official sequel to a track that appeared on their debut record “When the Shit Hits The Fan”. Vocally and instrumentally, both tracks exhibit a grimy, Demigodz-esque, lyrical beatdown vibe. Surprisingly enough, this sequel plays like a literal reflection of its predecessor, where Franchise spits his verse first, ta vocal chop is used that’s similar but not the exact one used in the previous “Missile Launcher”, and Shy raps over the mellower instrumental (this is a two-beat song, by the way) while Franchise gets the aggressive one to do his thing. Both songs are fire, but in the case of “The Missile Launcher II”, this feels like a solid entry in what could be a “Missile Launcher” series spanning future Dookie Bros albums.

The album winds down with its lead single “I Luh This Shit” (not luv, mind you…. LUH!) where Dookie Bros express their love for hip hop over a smooth boom-bap instrumental. On his verse, Franchise draws inspiration from classic “I Love hip hop” songs like “I Used to Love H.E.R.” and “Act Too (The Love of my Life)” as he uses a woman he’s attracted to as a metaphor to describe the passion he feels for rap music. Shy takes a more personal approach to this topic by mentioning the sacrifices he’s made for his rap career and how he has no plans on throwing in the towel anytime soon. In short, “I Luh This Shit” is anthemic, inspirational and tailor-made for true hip hop fans like myself!

And with the closing track “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, Dookie Bros deliver what is in my opinion the best SONG on this album and one of their best songs PERIOD! There’s a sense of gracefulness and beauty to Shy’s beat, with its sentimental piano chords and laid-back drums. But it’s the sentiment of the song that stands out the most. Here, Franchise and Shy close their album off strongly with some truly heartfelt bars centered on their continued steps towards rap immortality, writing their own story as they trod on this chosen path of theirs.

Overall, “Happy Dook Year” is yet another solid entry into the already-impressive discography of Dookie Bros! Shy and Franchise’s hunger and drive are palpable throughout this album’s 7-track duration, heightened further by their razor-sharp wordplay and emotionally-driven instrumentals. For me, they certainly kicked off this year on a strong note and here’s hoping theirs is filled with great accomplishments and tons and tons of dookie!

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10

Now available on all streaming platforms

ALBUM & EP REVIEWS: Shabriz – Vybz & Fall Into Vybz (EP)

For this review, I’ll be covering the 2021 album “Vybz” and 2023 EP “Fall Into Vybz” from Trinidad-born, Houston-raised rapper, singer and songwriter Shabriz. In distinguishing the genre these projects belong to, Shabriz himself stated that it’s “considered World Music, but I like to think of it as OutKast meets Vybz Kartel”. And with the more spins I gave these records, the more I understood and respected his creative, X-meets-Y high concept pitch.

Categorizing “Vybz” and “Fall into Vybz” as world music or afro-fusion (the latter of which the majority of beats presented on these records fall under) makes sense. But lyrically and vocally, it’s pretty difficult to fit these projects into those boxes. And that’s where we get to the undeniable talent Shabriz brings to the table. He’ll start a song off in one genre and then, at the drop of a dime, switch into another! The album and EP contain elements of hip hop, dancehall, reggae and R&B, all of which Shabriz adjusts to by selecting the right flow and cadence and performing them with American, Jamaican and Trinidadian accents. Of course, this isn’t entirely new in the world of urban music but very rarely have I heard an artist who can switch tones and flows so effortlessly on the same track (not in an overblown way, mind you), especially on beats where the vibe is so consistent, there’s no real need to do any vocal switch-ups.

But the idea behind these projects is not to overthink things like flows and accents. At 24 minutes and 5 minutes respectively, “Vybz” and “Fall into Vybz” are meant to….well…..vibe to. The production consists of smooth, mid-tempo instrumentals designed to make your head nod and, for the most part, get your hips moving. And it’s this production that drives Shabriz to tap into the right vibes each song brings and enhance them vocally to the listener.

I’ll start with the longer project first, which boasts a strong opener and closer. The title track “Vybz” sets the tone of the record brilliantly, with a hazy, irresistibly laid-back instrumental and a truly impressive performance from Shabriz. Off his first verse alone, I get the sense that this song and album are meant to act as both an introduction and re-introduction to his music (Think of Ludacris’ “Back for the First Time” as an example, which was both his second studio album and major label debut). Adopting his American accent in the first half, he sounds rejuvenated as he raps about how his life experiences at that point shaped him into the artist we’re hearing on this track. There’s a great moment where the beat stops and resumes a few seconds later, giving Shabriz the opportunity to show off his lyrical dexterity through a Trini-accented dancehall flow. I will LOVE to see this song performed on-stage, and I can picture the audience losing their collective shits during that second verse! The response would be even greater if it were a Trinbagonian audience, as Shabriz spends the entirety of that verse repping his country of birth.

On the closing track “Intro (Flowers for Lukhanoo)”, Shabriz selects the mellowest beat out of the album’s bag of instrumentals and uses that to drop the most introspective bars I’ve heard in this two-project lineup. Sticking with a rap vocal style, he pays tribute to his Trinidadian friend Lukhanoo who held him down through his ups and downs, and continues to support him even though he doesn’t permanently reside in Trinidad. There’s a genuinely heartfelt moment where after the first verse, Shabriz recalls a phone call where Lukhanoo encouraged him to push his music and Caribbean roots forward. A part of me wishes that we had more introspective moments like this on “Vybz”. They would’ve fleshed out Shabriz’s character and personality on this record even more.

With the exception of the opening, penultimate and closing tracks, the vibe of the other five songs is primarily party-oriented. And the songs themselves are all designed to get bodies moving on dimly-lit dancefloors and brightly-lit strip club stages (more on that in a bit) – which is actually a good thing!

The quintet of party jams begins with “Steel Drum” which you might assume is all about Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument. But alas, no! For you conservatives reading this, it’s really about the title of rapper Foxy Brown’s debut album! Anyway, this song features a relaxed, afro-fusion beat driven by a spacey keyboard chord progression, a lyrical blend of hip hop and dancehall, a CATCHY-ASS hook and tons of braggadocio and sexuality oozing out of its lyrics! Shabriz sticks to his Trinbagonian roots on this track by centering it on the attraction he feels for a Trinidadian woman he spotted at a Carnival festivity.

Things get steamy on the following tracks “Bruk Out” and “Sugar Cane”, both of which are NOT based on the respective 1998 and 2010 dancehall riddims of the same name. The former is an undeniable mood-setter of a bedroom song, complete with a sensual, nocturnal instrumental, a deft lyrical mix of dancehall and R&B, and some of Shabriz’s most sexually-charged bars. “Fuck fi spite, don’t fuck fi war, fuck fi life” is one of those lines you’ll remember long after you’ve heard it on this track! On “Sugar Cane”, Shabriz moves the party out of the bedroom and back onto the dancefloor, where he proceeds to tell this girl he just hooked up with that she can get more of his “sweet sugar cane”. And if you know a thing or two about soca music and sugar (I mean, Patrice Roberts sung TWO songs about sugar in her career, one about a sugar boy and the other about a sugar cane!), then you should know exactly what he’s talking about. Though it would have benefited from a second verse instead of the one verse and two instances of chorus we get here, “Sugar Cane” is still a salaciously satisfying track!

Bringing some Southern flavor into the mix is the aptly-titled strip club anthem “Slide”. Over some R&B / hip hop production (the guitar solo in particular has this 90s-styled bedroom music vibe to it), Shabriz channels his inner T-Pain and expresses his love – oops, I meant to say sexual attraction – towards a certain stripper doing her thing right in front of him. The truly impressive thing about this track is how he plays with the listener’s expectations on this song, giving us rap on the first verse, R&B on the hook and out of the blue, dancehall on the second verse! You won’t associate the latter lyrical style with a beat like this and yet, somehow, it WORKS!

Shabriz changes the order of those three lyrical styles on the following, and dare I say, BEST track on the record: “Uno”. Here, we’re treated to this hypnotic, afro-fusion beat with a backing drum pattern that interestingly sounds very 90s dancehall-inspired. Shabriz drops his wittiest, eyebrow-raising double entendres, with standouts like “You have de coldest waist like Toronto / Leg and thigh, I want de 2-piece combo” and “Kinda wine turn meh sister into ah auntie / Fi de food, gyal, I willing to raid yuh pantry”. The hook, or should I say the execution of it after the first verse, is FANTASTIC as the line “You may be the one for me” is delivered in a slower fashion after the first instance. The third and final instance helps segue the song into a hi hat-driven beat that beautifully maintains the previous instrumental’s hazy and hypnotic tone. Of course, with a beat switch like this, Shabriz has no choice but to rap, and he uses his cocky bars and laid-back delivery to literally GLIDE his way to the end of the track! And speaking of ‘end’, is that a Sampha sample playing through the song’s final seconds? I would love to know!

Closing off the “Vybz” section of this review is the penultimate track “I Know”. The production on this track is the most textured on the album, with its downbeat R&B/hip hop grooves, shimmering keyboard chords, bluesy electric guitars and soulful organs. Shabriz capitalizes on this hip hop and R&B fusion with a brilliantly-sung hook and a first verse where he adds a little poetry to his sexual suggestiveness (“And I know your shrubbery’s sweeter than bowls of potpourri / I’m a Hardy boy, but baby, this ain’t no mystery / Had to save me from witches trying to kill the Cedric Digg (dick)-ory”). On the second verse, however, he starts off with dancehall for a bit (four lines to be exact), then reverts to rap. Thematically, while this song follows the same throughline as the previous four songs where Shabriz sees a girl and is determined to win her heart, I’d make the argument that it relates the most to the opening track, where it seems as if he had to ‘find himself’ first before making this life-changing commitment to stay with his current love interest. The song’s closing line “I bet you wonder where I’ve been” alludes to that as well.

The “Fall into Vybz” EP serves as a continuation of the “Vybz” album with only two tracks to keep the…well….vibes going. The first in this duo is “Anything” which features a seductive, head-nodding beat and a lyrical structure similar to the aforementioned track “Vybz” where Shabriz starts with rap and ends with dancehall. This song also shares tonal resemblances with “I Know” as it involves Shabriz assuring his partner that he’ll always be there for her, and includes a mix of poetry and sexual innuendo on the first verse and direct, unapologetic requests for intimacy on the second verse.

By comparison, “Pum Pum” is a fun, raunchy dancehall song clearly inspired by the many dancehall songs of the 90s and 2000s that got away with revealing their ‘findings’ on that particular topic over the airwaves. Over a groovy afro-fusion instrumental laced with harp-like strings, Shabriz spits a series of raw, sex-fueled dancehall bars sprinkled with witty one-liners (“Now yuh slide down de vine like Tarzan did to Jane”), the second verse of which is cut short by a brief rap segment set to some dramatic piano keys in the background.  

As a showcase of Shabriz’s songwriting and genre-specific vocal skills, “Vybz” and “Fall into Vybz” delivers the goods and more! His ear for mood-inducing beats and lyrical ability to make the absolute use of those beats are on full-display on both projects. And overall, they left me excited for the next “Vybz” session Shabriz will hopefully bless our ears with the near-future. But in the meantime, if you like your urban music with the genre-fusing bravery of a group like OutKast and the lyrical brashness and bravura of an artist like Vybz Karel, “Vybz” and “Fall into Vybz” are definitely worth checking out!

‘VYBZ’ RATING: 8 out of 10

‘FALL INTO VYBZ’ RATING: 6 out of 10

“Vybz” is now available on Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal.

“Fall into Vybz” is now available on Spotify.

ALBUM REVIEW: Mike Flips, Nord1kone & Seize – Life Cycles

In a documentarian-like tone, the narrator states the following: “Starting off small to growing up to producing the next generation. All living things have a life cycle. Each day just as important as the last”. But it’s the next fact, which may slip past listeners’ ears, that’s crucial to understanding this album: “Different groups of organisms all have different kinds of life cycles”. Simply put, while you may not have gone through what Nord1kone went through or accomplished what he did, those same three aspects of life – birth, growth and reproduction – are just a part of his life as they are ours. But as we know, there is a fourth and final aspect of life, but more on that later. 

This narration, part of the intro track “The Business of Life”, lays the thematic groundwork for “Life Cycles”, the first collaboration between   Bay Area rapper Nord1kone and the beatmaking duo of UK producer Mike Flips and Australian producer Seize. The groundwork itself was established earlier in Nord1kone’s life after learning of his wife’s pregnancy. Additionally, this album is the follow-up to Nord1kone’s collaborative record with DJ/ producer and fellow Outsiders Syndicate member LMT Break “Respect the Skills”, where their undeniable chemistry and dedication to keeping the flag of boom-bap raised resulted in one of my favorite records of 2022. 

After “The Business of Life”, “Life Cycles” kicks off with “Lows and Highs”, a track I imagine will go over well at a live show thanks to its smooth, laid-back beat, lyrics centered on honing one’s craft and following your passions, and of course its engaging, crowd-moving hook. On the subject of hook, I do like how it’s framed as this daily metaphorical fight between the listeners and the external and internal forces blocking them from accomplishing their goals (“Keep your head down, G, but your eye to the sky / Knuckles up in-between the lows and highs”). Following that is the lead single “Better Days” which features this sunny, grooving-on-a-Sunday-afternoon-like beat that is easily one of this album’s best instrumentals. Though I couldn’t identify all the samples utilized on the hook, I did notice the blink-and-you-miss-it vocal from the CLASSIC rap song “Remember We” from Brooklyn rap group Da Bush Babees. With a great second verse from veteran rapper and regular collaborator El Da Sensei, Nord1kone dedicates his two verses to his gradual maturity as a man and rapper. And speaking of “Groovin’” (kids, ask your parents), the brief string section that appears during Nord1kone’s outro is GORGEOUS, adding an extra layer of warmth and nostalgia to the production. 

We then get the title track which is, in my opinion, THE best song on this album! I LOVE the nocturnal, ethereal vibe of Seize and Mike Flips’ production, further heightened with a wisely-selected vocal sample of the late, great MF DOOM (from “The Finest”, one of my favorite songs off “Operation: Doomsday”) at the beginning and a brief, haunting bit of female vocalizing peppered throughout the track. Nord1kone taps into his past experiences and present situations to advise us that we must embrace the ups and downs of our life cycles as they’ll prepare us for the good and bad times that will inevitably occur. It’s interesting how he ends that track with the phrase “Sunrise and sunset” and on the first line of the first two verses (respectively) of the next track “Underdog Vibe”, he says “I stay up in-between the sunset, West” and “I close my eyes to the sunrise, East”. Over a similarly nocturnal but smoother and jazzier beat, we get what feels thematically like a continuation of “Lows and Highs”, with greater lyrical emphasis placed on the immense effort put into Nord1kone’s rhymes, fueled by his desire to prove his many doubters and detractors wrong. 

After the instrumental interlude “Display a New Sound”, we get a boom-bap banger in the form of “Knock Knock”, NOT to be confused with the track of the same name from “Respect the Skills” (one of my favorite tracks off that record, by the way). In a strange way, this track feels like an aggressive remix to the ‘original’ LMT Break-produced version. Its menacing bassline, in particular, always reminds me of Cypress Hill’s “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That” every time I listen to this song.  And while I dug the traditional, early-90s approach to the beat’s construction and energized performance by Nord1kone, I felt we could’ve gotten a second verse from either him or another rapper, instead of the extended intro, verse, hook and outro presented on this track. 

The second half of “Life Cycles” truly showcases the record’s excellent track sequencing, as the rowdy sound of “Knock Knock” dissipates to an irresistibly wavy, horn-assisted instrumental courtesy of “Max with the Illest”. Nord1kone goes into “Respect the Skills” mode on this track, delivering a MASTERCLASS on how to flow over a boom-bap beat of such a high caliber without losing a step! The head-nodding vibe switches to that of subtle psychedelia on the following track “Throw Em Further” (the guitars and bongos, in particular, sound like they were lifted from some late-60s folk rock song). Even Nord1kone takes note of the ‘mood-inducing’ nature of Mike Flips and Seize’s beat, expressed through his opening line “All power to the Swishas, greens and Jim Beams that saved a wretch like me”. While the track itself is not about getting stimulated, it gives us a glimpse into Nord1kone’s current mind state, preferably the things he regularly ruminates on like the support from his wife and the rest of the Outsiders Syndicate and, mentioned for the first time on this album, the death of his brother.  These emotional and mental facets continue to fuel him through his life and rap career. 

Speaking of career, Nord1kone examines his current path towards rap immortality on the penultimate track “Path of the Poet”, yet another fantastic song on this album. Its jazzy, hazy production flows in your brain from start to end and the vocal chop serving as the song’s hook is guaranteed to stay with you long after the song ends. If “Throw Em Further” gave us a glimpse into the man Nord1kone is, this track gives us a glimpse into the artist he is, from his humble beginnings as a kid who rapped for fun to a man who takes the craft of rap seriously. The third verse showcases a significant change in Nord1kone at this point on the record. Now older, wiser and a father, he has a clearer idea of who he is as a rapper and a man. His rhymes are more thoughtful, he’s using his art to provide for his family and even his battle-rap approach to rhyming has changed to that of motivating his rivals to step their pen game up to help move the culture forward, as suggested by the following line: “Like help a homie up even after I knock him down”. In addition, he drops what just might be the perfect summary of his character growth on this album: “But the majority will never know the Nord1kone / And that’s alright because I write through day and night to overcome”.

Saving their most emotional song for last, Nord1kone, Seize, Mike Flips and sole guest Outsiders Syndicate emcee The I.M.F. close the album off with “Flow State”. Over the appropriately disenchanted drums and horns of Mike and Seize’s production, Nord1kone and The I.M.F. trade bars over a conversation turned therapy session, with the former expressing how overpowered he feels by the stresses of life, especially the difficult task of moving forward from his brother’s death. The most sincere characteristic of this track is The I.M.F’s role as the confidant in this scenario, continually and REALISTICALLY assuring him that things won’t get better overnight, but they will get better over time. The first half of the second verse, performed by The I.M.F. himself, is just as sincere as he reminisces on his childhood and how, even as a kid, he was aware of the rift between his parents’ marriage. Yes, it’s a cathartic and oftentimes uncomfortable moment on the album, but it’s a necessary one, as this is where the album shows that even with the knowledge that we will experience lows in our lives, we do need some sort of support through them. 

The outro “All Over Again” brilliantly emphasizes how the world around us changes while we go through our individual life cycles. While the intro presented the album’s themes in a collage of fake radio and TV snippets (Points for the “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”-esque one that appears before the narrator starts talking), this outro delivers its messages through online media content. The majority of this track involves what sounds like one of those animated YouTube videos with stock sound effects and an enthusiastic narrator re-iterating the ‘life cycle’ concept. And not only is this is the first non-song to touch on death (the fourth and final aspect of life), but it includes a fact that’s also crucial to understanding this album and yet will slip past some listeners’ ears: “Somewhere along the line, some of them have offspring…..or they just make copies of themselves before they pass on…..before they die”. That is a great reminder that even if you don’t become a parent, you can still leave behind something of value that’ll inspire the next generation, whether it be – in the case of the artists who made this record – a well-written and performed song or a well-produced beat. We then get this pitch-shifted vocal snippet where this person (most likely the narrator from the YouTube video) says “It’s the cycle of life. Things are born, they grow, reproduce and die. Then it starts all over again”. Obviously, it’s way more complex than that, but at its simplest, most basic form, it’s as perfect of a summary on what life is as any!  

For an album centered on such a fascinating and meaningful subject, I admire how concise and compact of a package “Life Cycles” is. The track sequencing is outstanding across the board, thanks to the tonal ebbs and flows of Mike Flips and Seize’s instrumentals from song to song. But what impressed me the most about this record is how relatable and easily digestible it is. It doesn’t beat you over the head with its existential themes and messages, you don’t come out of it feeling overly depressed or burdened by the fleeting nature of life and if you’re part of the audience this album is catered to, you should leave this record with your neck feeling a bit sore from the constant head-nodding you’ll most likely be doing throughout its entire run! In short, this is Nord1kone’s most thoughtful and heartfelt project to date and easily one of his best records. It’s also a brilliant showcase of the beatmaking talents of Mike Flips and Seize and yet another great collaborative project between Nord1kone and other like-minded, boom-bap loving producers and emcees! An absolute must-listen! 

OVERALL RATING: 8.5 out of 10

Streaming is available on all platforms and Vinyl can be ordered worldwide