‘Wait, seriously… You’re actually going to hit me with a review
that’s written by somebody he works with often and also happens to be a close
friend?’ Yes, f*cking deal with it.
Apart from ‘Scotland Stand-Up’ there is a lack of reviewing and discussion
within hip-hop and rap in Scotland. How many blogs and online platforms can you
think of just now? Yeah, thought so… Now read on people. I promise it will be
as impartial as possible while avoiding mentioning a single track I’m featured
on...
Madhat McGore:
you know him already. If you don’t then I’m assuming you are either new to rap
music in Scotland or are in one of those cliques that’s so cliquey that your
clique’s got a cliques. It’s a common trait in this genre that people stick to
their mates (this reviewing isn’t helping that image I admit). Furthermore,
others seem to judge based on a couple songs that became popular online without
looking in-depth at the artist and his catalogue. I’ve seen it happen, I’ve
done it myself. It’s far too easy to dismiss certain acts and put them in a
bubble, thankfully this release is the sharp pin we can wave towards those
judgemental bubbles.
The release:
Already known for his high energy and rapid delivery over beats, this is
exactly where we begin. Madhat clearly has a signature sound. I would think
only a complete idiot could confuse the artist with another in Scotland or the
rest of the UK. But, this also comes with a negative angle. Madhat can sound
the same on various tracks, or similar production tricks us into thinking we
have heard it before. It was only when dubstep hit the mainstream that he
really took his place both on tracks and certainly raised his profile with live
performances. While solo rap and hip-hop acts can struggle to get a crowd
reaction and lift energies, Madhat showed many how it should be done. Now that
dubstep is leaving our attention span the rapper remains spitting over harsh
sounding beats and baselines. But have we heard it all before? At the start of
the tape this is how you might feel, but hold off a second, let’s look into the
concepts and lyrics within the first 5-6 tracks and dig a little deeper...
First off it’s not Madhat we hear to begin with, it’s DJ Livewire introducing the release.
Right away that indicates who this is for, it lets us know the audience is not
the local scene but the larger UK scene as a whole. The intro track itself is
standard for the artist, harsh beat, harsh voice and harsh words for both the
listen and any other acts that might be tuning it. ‘Hands up, or I’ll take off’… Madhat doesn’t need to do these free
tapes anymore, or live shows in the local scene. There’s a bit of anger here sugar-coated
in confidence. Furthermore, ‘Bridge a
Gap’ gives an idea of what he was attempting to do with the local scene and
the UK perspective of it, while seeking more in his own life. ‘Going In’ produced by Show N Prove is also a continuation of
the narrative, but in a more impressive and catchy way. Deezy’s distinct voice brings something more to this also, which
leave us questioning why he isn’t pushing himself more.
Skipping
a few tracks in ‘What Can I Say’
really stands out, like really. Madhat is perfect on these kind of tracks, loud
and imposing, yet chilled overall in feel. The beat adds to this, sounding
faster than it should due to the relaxing nature of it. This reminds me in a
way of ‘Simple Things’ released years ago. Sometimes talking about everyday
life and the enjoyable parts is when Madhat connects with the listener. It’s
all good killing a beat with a sick flow, but this is when Madhat stops rapping
and makes a song for non-hip-hop fans. That is perhaps an angle he should look
into more often when branching out. It is the polar opposite of tracks such as ‘Chances’ where we hear deep personal
emotion and self-doubt. A run of tracks produced by Dale A Thomson gives the tape an escape with its brilliant hooks / angelic
vocal samples. It’s really noticeable how the mood of the release has changed
from track 10 onwards, now we’ve calmed down, we start to pay more attention to
lyrics.
As I’m over half way into this I’m starting to notice I
should be in the car, not listening behind my desk. It contains far too much
energy for a solo listen indoors. ‘Quality’:
And it is. Now that we’re this far into the release we have fully tuned in as a
listener, now we find ourselves not listening to him, but with him. I mentioned
it should be played loud, or in a car, but now I’m listening to the track named
‘Fast Car’ I want to be in the
Meadows with a zoob and fruit cider…
‘Sitting With Bottles’…
Produced by Jigz… why I have heard this before? Oh wait I’ve not, I’ve also
used this same beat by Jigz on the Vagabonds album with Wardie Burns haha. I
actually love that, that’s what mixtapes are and do. Re-use production and
create different tracks, I’m loving the fact that Scottish hip-hop has grown to
such an extent this is happening internally too. The following track ‘Stand There’ is a stand-out track.
Madhat’s emotion has changed, a little depressing with a beat that shouldn’t
suit, but does so well. I am honestly very impressed and into this second half
content, Show N Prove returns with an incredible remix of Oasis’s Wonderwall
which Madhat excels on. The last track I will mention is simple, and for good
reason. A ‘Pure Grim Love Story’ is
a brilliant piece of story-telling which drags the listener into a real audio experience.
I can’t do it justice. Listen, and make sure you are sitting down towards the
end…
Conclusion: This
isn’t his best work, far from it. It touches his brilliance but repeats much of
it’s content and message over a few times. Perhaps it could have been shorter,
but it is a mixtape after all. Everyone following the music in Scotland knows he
hasn’t hit his potential either. But remember this is a FREE MIXTAPE. Nothing
more than keeping up the buzz before the main album drops. That said album
should be incredible, personally I have heard tracks from it over the years and
it blows everything else away. Yes, this is a review of the mixtape, but while
writing it I really want to phone Hatter up and tell him to get his f*cking
album out. Madhat has the potential to bring Scottish hip-hop into the UK scene
in a way not done before (ironically from an artist which backed Scottish
independence). While the Scottish scene has become over-saturated and messy we
need acts such as this to fly the flag in a professional manner. He’s not
everyone’s cup of tea in the local scene, but he doesn’t need to be, he
out-grew it long ago. It’s about time everyone was fully aware he isn’t seeking
your approval, he’s far past that. Now Madhat is getting to the stage he’s
planning his direction and style for a larger audience. So listen to this, mainly
the second half of the release is where you should pay key attention and I guarantee
you will find something new to the Edinburgh artist. As he plays with styles
and his image it’s apparent this is still only a preview, clearly the best is
yet to come… I mean, if ‘Pure Grim Love
Story’ didn’t make the album… what did?
Thank you for
reading.
Pea-suit. Werd x
Photos used by TDSLR Photography. All rights remain.
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