GREED TASTES LIKE POWER

This man is the definition of a ‘thinking man’s rapper. Throughout his whole discography he’s always felt like a man who’s 5 steps ahead in his creative, artistic and lyrical endeavours. With that being said he’s returned with yet another thought provoking piece of art that I’m sure will place itself in the history books as has the rest of his catalog. Let’s talk about it! This is the brand new album by MC and Umbrella Collective member -Substance 810 who has brought with him a stack of producers such as -SEYES FINEST -Backwoods Muzik -Jamil Honesty -Quincey Tones Beats -Moo Latte -Annex -AShortTimeLater -Hanzo Bladez As well as rap features from -Jamil Honesty -Josiah The Gift -Squeegie Oblong -P.U.R.E -John Jiggs -K-Prez and the one and only -DJ Grazzhoppa on the cuts! As the this grand album starts it does so first quite subtlety. To be exact with a 8 second spoken word clip that says ‘The point is ladies and gentlemen, that greed (for lack of a better word) is good’ and that’s the premise for the record and it says everything you need to know about Substance’s mental leading into this! As the album officially starts with track two -Gluttony we get this theatrical instrumental that’s packed with these delicate piano keys, sharp strings, hypnotic drum beats and what sounds like some re accruing violin strings that gives this track that extra hit of texture! Not to mention that proper use of bass that forces you rock your head to! On track three -Gordon Gekko we hear a more heavy handed boom Bap offering with these ridiculous synth chords that hit you right in the face as you get into the track! Of course this track has those mesmerising drums utilises with some well executed strings that lack just behind the main elements to add some lush vibes to the track! There’s also this loop of what sounds like a xylophone in the background as well which if I’m right is an instrument you don’t hear used everyday but it definitely works in this occasion! On track four -Kindness For Weakness right out the gate we have what sound like blasting alarms in your face to the adrenaline pushed through your blood as the song progresses we have what I’d consider the most surreal drum usage to date on this album. So loud and bombastic in execution and when combined with those thick bass strings it’s lethal! There’s also some subtle use of keys in the background and of course you can’t ignore the fact on this beat we have -DJ GrazzHoppa absolutely killing it with those vicious cuts and scratches to give this one a strong 90’s feel! On track five -Money Never Sleeps we have the track start off with the phone ringing with a brief conversation spoken right before the offical track kicks off which just like the last one starts off strong with those loud and sharp chords piercing your brain forcing you to move your head for the duration of the track! We also have a the usage of a hypnotic drum pattern and thick bass with some light piano key loop that reminds me of a G-Funk influence you’d expect to hear from the likes of -Dr Dre! Overall one of the more minimal tracks but hits just as heavy as the others! On track six -Self Preservation we have what I’d consider one of the more interesting and innovative instrumentals I’ve heard yet! Starting off with that twang filled chords in two different layers! They have this swaying nature to them that feels aesthetically appealing because it’s so unique! There’s also some methodically charged drums and some thick bass! Also if I’m not mistaken there’s more use of a xylophone in the background! If so it definitely adds some depth to the track! On track seven -Bee Stings it does indeed start with some bee sounds (which is the first time I’ve heard a hip hop track begin with that) as the song progresses we hear a combination of some haunting keys that has a methodical charge to them that’s associated with those shrieking chords and trademark drum patterns! Somehow this track is both minimal and vibrant! Also made stronger with those two strong feature tracks! On track eight -Monopolize we have a more mid 2000’s mainstream era hip hop feel with this one! The type of track you could see playing on the radio or the hot 100 charts! It starts off with those hypnotically enhanced high pitch chord loop that’s combined with this beautiful acoustic sounding strings give this song an almost Spanish nature to it! This also has some heavy drums that act as a type of sonic skeleton to the track! If the instrumental itself wasn’t dope enough it also has two dope features in -John Jiggs and -PURE to close the track off! On the ninth track -Mice & Men we have a return to the more atmospheric cut of beat with that gorgeous and sombre female vocal harmony that loops across the entire track in an almost haunting, ghostly way! From there we get some low ball bass strings that feel underneath the rest of the instruments that is accompanied by again what sounds like some sticky xylophone keys as well as the rock and roll style patterns that thuds all throughout the song! And to say -K-Prez killed it would be understatement of the month! Shoutout to him! On the tenth track -I Can Feel we have a more heartfelt expression on the beat. If Hov can make the track cry then Sub can turn this into a cinematic poetry lesson. On this one we have those rhythmic chords that have a swaying motion to them that work in unison with those sharp drums and thick bass with those abrasive re appealing strings! Not to mention the star of the show that classical style voice snippets that feel like a 1950’s performance in your ear! On the eleventh track -Michigan Time it starts off with a news report discussing the grim reality of crime in Michigan which alongside his Umbrella member in Josiah it sets the tone for the rest of the track! From those sharp keys that go off in that mysterious and haunting nature with that slight vocal snippet in the background! This is accompanied by some slow paced drums and some badass cuts provided by -DJ Grazzhoppa! A truly heartfelt listen that uses the music itself to tell the story that’s so appropriately named -Michigan Time In the final track -Clear Conscience we see the album close off in a more soulful meets hip hop blend I found incredibly tasteful! You’ve got those thick and funky bass chords that is teamed up with those slightly distorted keys and rhythm based drums! This might be the most minimally structured tracks but it reminds me of the late 90’s type bears that I loved! When we discuss the rapping side of things it’s important to point out that for as long as I’ve known of his music (which was prior to my website) he’s been a man who doesn’t waste or use words for no reason. I said in the intro he’s a ‘thinking man’s rapper’ and I truly believe that. Out of everyone in Umbrella and all the various personalities and skills each member has I’ve always felt Sub is the poet of the group! The one who always makes a point to have something important to say and conceptualise to the audience and this album is yet another example of that mindset come to life! Across these 12 tracks he’s trying to to bring that narrative of -GREED TASTE LIKE POWER’ to life through exploration of different themes such as -GLUTTONY -MONEY NEVER SLEEPS -MONOPOLIZE -KINDNESS FOR WEAKNESS Even in his song titles he’s portraying an example of context, helping to piece together his original title theme and break down each aspect of it which in turn gives us multiple meanings, perspectives and verses of him exploring each of those things! This man’s thirst for knowledge and understanding never ceases. From spitting life lessons to memories of his past life to his current goals and aspirations to just straight street poetry his verses are filled with pearls of wisdom and experience that you just can’t teach. I swear every second bar can be used as an inspirational quote on your wall to help you progress in life! He’s just that sharp! What I also love about him besides his obvious clean flows and powerful executions of penmanship and cadence is the fact he always knows how to walk that sonic tight rope between ‘making a dope hip hop record’ and ‘spitting knowledge’ going too far in either direction would be detrimental to his goal of educating the masses and so he always makes such a great point to balance both worlds creating a banging rap record with tons of literature gold sprinkled through it! That can also be said by the features! Each man helped elevate and push the quality aspect even higher then with Sub on his own. Although I was unfamiliar with a few of them before this thanks to this album they are all now on my radar! Great performances all around! They say ‘GREED TASTE LIKE POWER’ well, time to unleash your inner Larfleeze and hoard on a magnificent feast that is this album! A meal all to yourself and become more powerful then you’ve ever been before with the lessons he’s teaching over some of the best production 2026 has to offer!