I’m not sure whether it’s ego or the notion that emcee based music has to be competitive, but multi-artist projects are seldom seen in grime. You’d be hard pressed to find a record with two emcees, so to have four on one record feels like a real treat. “Royal Rumble” brings together Big Zuu, Kamakaze, Capo Lee & Eyez, four artists who’ve made the grime scene their own in the past few years. The four take a democratic approach to creating, no one emcee hogs the beat and the focus seems to be on creating a record that’s the sum of its parts, rather than four emcees screaming for the highest recognition. ‘On Fire’ is a drill inspired joint that features each of the four spitting fiery grime flows; while ‘Pay The Fee’ rallies against overdue booking fees and dodgy promoters. Standout track ‘180’ is grime at its best. The beat – produced by Swick – is loaded with frosty synths and dissonant melody, while the emcees trade pirate radio style flows over the top. The four wear their influences on their sleeve, too. The tape is rooted in grime flows but borrows the rolling bass of drill and the melodic influences heard in rap, as evidenced by the production styles on the opening track and the solo efforts from Big Zuu, Eyez and Capo Lee. Overall, “Royal Rumble” is a snapshot of four bright talents taking the grime formula that extra bit further, enjoying the work they create at the same time. Extra points if you can figure out which wrestling belts the four are wearing in the cover, too.
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The Art of Grime 