Skepta, Ignorance Is Bliss, Album Review
Skepta
Ignorance Is Bliss
Album Review
The latest and fifth full-length record from UK MC Skepta, Ignorance Is Bliss, on the surface, wouldn't be an album I would normally go out of my way to listen to.
However, given the numerous songs he has featured in that I have enjoyed such as ASAP Rocky's "Praise The Lord (Da Shine)", and more recently slowthai's "Inglorious", I figured it was high time to give Skepta the benefit of the doubt and give this newest album of his a proper listen.
What initially gripped me with this album's music upon skimming over a few tracks and dipping my toes into the grimy waters was in-fact its production. I was happy to realise this as I seem to have built up an assumption that the production behind many grime songs were quite simplistic, sharp and lacking in immersion.
However, the musical content this album offered appeared to take things in a more experimental direction (if only a little) and at a push, could even be compared to the production behind Travis Scotts' ASTROWORLD.
The atmosphere that this production helped create was one that did feel markedly British and also quite nocturnal. In an atmospheric sense, it reminds me of being on a night out in the streets of London.
While Skepta doesn't completely stray from his Boy Better Know roots, with a fair few singles still having that punchy, grimy feel and plenty of mentions of his famous phase "grease", we still see the MC begin to carve his own path on this album.
Lyrically, this album definitely feels like quite the victory lap for Skepta with tracks that adress both the positive and negative effects of being widely known.
Another element of this album that I really enjoyed is how it seems to fuse an early 2000's garage aesthetic, with more modern, trap music elements. This is noticeable in tracks such as "Greaze Mode" and "Love Me Not".
As well as the two tracks I've mentioned, "Bullet From A Gun", "Going Through It", "Animal Instinct" and "Glow In The Dark" are all highly enjoyable and energetic tracks.
However, my favourite track lyrically may have to be "You Wish" which sees Skepta put out some stellar bars in a track that flows incredibly well. This is indeed one of the songs that feel more traditional to grime. But despite this, I think this is done to great effect with this track.
This album is definitely another one to add to the collection of great UK rap albums of 2019, and one that I am glad I did not ignore, contrary to the albums title.
Thank you for reading.
Booth Boy
Comments
Post a Comment