THEHIDDENMASKTHEORY

I can’t believe I almost missed this release. I was actually looking for an older release and then I saw that this had been uploaded to DSP last Wednesday! How I only found this now is ridiculous. I understand it’s an older release but still Three of my favourite artists together for one album? Especially since the last time they mixed up it was so good I had buy the physicals! So with that in mind let’s talk about it! This is the 2022 album release (but new to streaming) by MC’s ??? And the duo of Swaello and Smello who are the twins who produce this album as the infamous -TheMellos! Again a pairing that makes their third instalment of collaboration! Their first being -FACE II FACE in September 2021 then again in December of 2021 with -HENERYSHIDDENHECKLER Across this one we have a banging set of 10 tracks with 28 minutes of pure, unadulterated, heavy handed hip hop that these 3 are known for! Not many are as fluent as this team up and this album is a perfect example as to why! Firstly, the production feels swift and raw in a way only the twins are capable of. From the fact they can utilise those haunting, dark type boom Bap beats combined with gritty soulful distorted tracks that force you to mean mug the world with each new track intensifying the aura and energy surrounding this album! Whether you’re talking about tracks like -PERDUECHICKEN where we hear those up front bass filled chords with those delicate piano keys that sit snug behind the bass! As well as these we have some sterile drum patterns that helps form a type of instrument skeleton to the entire track! There’s also this sound which reminds me of running water or something deep in the background that re appears every 10 seconds or something! Adding a hint of texture to the track! There’s tracks like -FOODSTAMPS which has this mysterious vibe to it with those swaying chords that have a slight synth feel to it that is at the forefront of the track looping endlessly! That’s accompanied with some minimal drum work and some re appearing bass strings that work every 3-4 seconds to add a layer of punch to the track! Definitely a more skeletal track but equally as infectious! There’s even the track -GLOBETROTTERS which provides the listener with a late 80’s hip hop feel! You’ve got the trademark combination of those hypnotic drums, light bass and funky strings! I want you to picture early LL Cool J or Run DMC type vibes! I wasn’t expecting this kind of instrumental but to hear these three mean rap all over it feels so tough because they actually suit it! Speaking of the men, they hit as strong as they ever have! When I first listened to this album I was expecting it to just be ??? Rapping solo and then I got excited second track in when I realised it was going to be all three! What I noticed from ??? Early on was that he was experimenting with different rhyming patterns and spitting techniques! See he’s always been known and become the new face of the ‘Splash Free Form Rap’ style that has captivated the underground! And while he still does use that a lot in this album he also tries more slowed down, thoughtful and surreal rap performances! Epically if you look at the tracks -SLIDE -PERDUECHICKEN On these tracks I hear him pacing things differently and making his words feel that much more impactful! I was surprised. That’s the thing we don’t know how much he has literally ‘HIDDEN’ from us that we don’t know about. He could make his next album all flows we didn’t know he was capable of! This I guess was the first time I thought about the idea of him pulling out a new card of rhyming! As far as the twins go, they also share the same line of ‘Splash Free Form’ and their renowned chemistry speaks volumes across the underground! I love to hear their individual energy coming together under one synchronicity! If I had to describe the difference between the two I’d say Swaello is the more brash, in your face , fuck you energy type of MC while Smello is the more smooth, sharp and wavy of the two who breezes through a beat like a blade of glass in the wind! The two of them combined creates a fusion stronger then Gotenks! And they hit even harder! Then you add that together with ??? And you have a recipe that you can’t hope to ignore or beat! I love hearing the combination of adlibs provided by all 3 coming together on the tracks making for a wild, chaotic and devastating experience of heavy bars and undeniable charismas! I can’t imagine a single man, woman or child who appreciates the underground NOT fucking with this one? What are you even doing if you’re not on this one? I’ll give you 23 Incredible reasons to fuck off if you ain’t on this wave!