Out on Buttercuts Records, ‘The Holy Moley’ is quite surprising in that it sounds nothing like your typical UK hiphop. Things are as gloomy and dark as usual, but the production by Will and Uncle Willy feels a little more inventive and artistic as opposed to the average DJ Premier impressionist attempts. Track five, ‘Hungry’, offers the first proper glimpse of Illa Man’s rhyming skills as previous tracks purposefully mumble. The rapping voice is alright and the flow’s solid but nothing too exciting. Later tracks show admirable attempts at various types of hiphop track, showcasing influences of grime and dancehall. The album drags on a fair bit though, and there’s perhaps too little character in the vocals to get interested by. Nothing too thought provoking is being said and so everything’s kind of forgettable. Overall, it’s a debut album that could have been trimmed a lot and worked on a bit more.

Posted by Tee in Albums & EPs, Reviews. Both comments and pings are currently closed.