Leeds Hip Hop Scene

This record’s a pretty easy listen. Personal, honest and simple. I’ve heard Chattabox calling themselves ‘a minority in a minority’, and I see what he means. A small-town, northeast crew who are trying to do something much bigger. The album kicks off with 2 tracks ‘Laygate to Vegas’ and ‘Im Gunna’ that get straight to that point. The familiar accent is being put to right uses. A solid bita northern pride that makes me raise my head a little higher.

Often, MC’s have 2 persona, 2 sounds. One you hear on the radio, on the albums, the ‘co-produced with some old randomer from the label’, rehearsed cleaner version. And then there’s the live stuff, the mixtapes, the on the spot freestyling that showcases what they know they’re best at. Nothing added. Nothing taken away. The top Mc’s being the ones who mix the two sounds into one by always staying true to where they’re from and knowing who they are. Something I reckon the Beastie Boys triumph at, and, in their own special way, the Yorkshire Terrierz. The Dialect album has this spontaneous, first try kind of sound. It lets them carry off some other potentially disastrous ‘first try’ ideas. I tried having a drum along, and was disappointed to find the beat is practically the same in every song. That can work for some artists, and nobody said that’s what makes a good track. But it really helps, especially when we’re “evolving” from ‘I Know You Got Soul’ and ‘Wildstyle’ kinda drumkit workouts.
I’m sure you’ve noticed how many mother sticking Skits artists shove forcefully into albums that are just trying to be something they haven’t quite become yet. I have to hand it to this lot, their skits don’t fit into that pathetic group. They sit well and they lift the whole album up some more. They’re like a few solid original freezes in a heavy bboy freestyle.     
      

There’s also this Roll deep kind of attitude, where they blatantly instruct and try to persuade the messed up metal carrying, crystal metal loving youth that plenty of us used to be; to do something positive with their lives. Home hitting straightforward lyrics like ‘every day’s another change to change it, every passing moment another chance to rearrange fate.’ And the forever original ‘I wish I could go back to school.’ And, providing the repetitive three beat bass drumming doesn’t put them off, the youth might find that this message makes sense. The message being similar to mine means I’m more that prepared to nod along in everlasting support.
 With a variety of influences that make tracks like ‘A life in the day’ and ‘Orchestra( ft. Glass Onion’s vocals - freakishly similar to the gorgeous Mr Hudson’s)’; this album will easily make some individual feel and think in a totally fresh way that’s personal to that individual. Personal spitting influences personal thinking and realisation. The northern Dialect crew can rest easy at night knowing that this album may in fact become a regular visitor on a few ‘inspire me so I think twice before I fuck up again’ mp3 lists.

In a bit.

Nino*

More Info:

www.dialectcrew.com