82 Seward Ave

While I’ve credited this man to being one of two of the third gen of underground poets. It seems (based on his last release prior to this) that he’s expanding his career to more theatrical projects! Albums with more cinematic concepts. From the boxing one to this! He’s not content with just beating everyone lyrically but he wants the credit for the no pun intended ‘Thought Provoking’ albums. Let’s talk! This is the latest album by MC/Supreme Lyricist -Thought Provokah with Production from -Talen Ted -dUMB-o -Jay Fehrman -BARKER -Esco And features -Bengie! First of all. I love the simple concept of a man returning to what seems to be his hometown and we hear through various skits his shock at certain changes and him trying to see if he can play ball and more. That’s the thing, when people think ‘concept’ they think it has to be some -Kendrick Lamar level ideas but sometimes the most simple ideas work best! When we discuss the production it’s definitely some of the more smooth and stripped back traditional hip hop sounds we’ve heard him on yet! We have tracks such as -Basement Reps which consists of those super subtle piano keys that is alongside those juicy plucked bass strings and that rhythmic drum beats that also features time with that lowkey vocal harmony that stays trapped away in the background for further texture! There’s tracks such as -Heaven Must Be What You Are. Which starts off with that skit of the main character returning to a place he once called home. As the song officially starts we hear this beautiful soul exchange with those gorgeous vocal harmonies that are combined with those methodical bass strings and further soul influence drums! I also love the use of sharp synth style keys in this track to provide a beautiful heavenly atmosphere to the song! I also love the track -Why The Ys. This one and its mellow beauty is hard to ignore. This one has those delicate piano keys at the forefront that later evolves into inclusions of those Jazz style drum work and even further in the track we hear what sounds like some choir vocal work! The minimal base of this track makes all the various elements that much harder! A true sonic spectacle! On this album we hear a more story telling and introspective side of Thought. He’s doing his best to find that perfect balance between keeping up this conceptual narrative and spitting what’s on his mind in a glorious fusion of author narrative and personal experiences in this combination of lavish sounds and production. One of the things I love about his performances is how elegant and interesting he sounds! He never shys away from using his master craftsmanship on the wordplay and utilise it into his songs whether they be conceptual or not. So it’s elevated even further on tracks where he’s got a purpose and striving for a specific narrative as is here. From his in depth pen game to him just spitting facts to his occasional bragging bars (that he has more the earnt) he’s giving the audience a sense of versatility on the record as we get to hear many different sides of him all performed immaculately! Also the fact that he can rock a record with little to no features! Not many can say that and yet he proves it here. Of course Bengie kills his part but the rest is all Thought and he proves once again why he’s one of the best going in the culture! Another successful chapter in the story of Thought. A man who has now upgraded his arsenal and now become MORE of a threat in the underground, this is definitely not the project to sleep on!