Serge Severe x Terminill – Service Without A Smile (2012)

Artist: Serge Severe x Terminill

Album: Service Without A Smile

Source: Artist

Tracklisting:

1. Monstrosity
2. Rare Flow (ft. Jon Belz)
3. Words In Motion
4. Service Without A Smile
5. Switch It Up
6. Grey Area
7. Thoughts In My Head
8. Know The Truth (ft. Luck One)

Note:

I am not a hard man to impress.  I like good hip hop music.  Is that too hard to ask?  Can I get some good hip hop music sent my way? Well, someone in the greater north west heard my beckon call.  Serge Severe and Terminill are certain to make  a statement with their latest release, Service Without A Smile.

I was anxiously awaiting this project once I caught wind of it several months ago.   Once I heard the single, Monstrosity,  I knew this project was going to be featured on the website. That cut was dope enough but  the  entire project has incredible production and dope rhymes slewn about.

But speaking of Monstrosity…lets go in.  This is one of those twisted beats that sounds like an uptempo horror film score.   The first word that comes to my mind when describing this joint is, psychotic.  Serge Severe and Terminill are dropping this cut live from the sanitarium. DJ Wels contributes nicely with some expert cuts on the beat.  You also know right from the jump that Severe’s not playing around.  He drops that slick word play, letting you know he’s a monster. Check out Serge’s last verse:

I’m Godzilla / Nobody iller / Walking like Thriller / Zombies and goblins revealing / Running like Centaurs we feeling / Abnormal / The track forms you / Like not normal combat / We on that  / Beyond rap’s / Cash crop / I try to tell em’ I’m a beast like Sasquatch / It only takes one swipe of the match box / Killing the Grim Reaper / My pen’s ether / Mutating through ten speakers / It breaks beakers /  Balance like twin features…

Yes.  The man is a monster.

Going from being a monster, Severe then illustrates on the next track his,…Rare Flow.  The two tracks seem so natural in sequence. Terminill brings the listener from the chaos of Monstrosity to the smooth, head nodding bass line of Rare Flow.  The contrast between the sound of the two songs is stark.  This joint seems so effortless for the producer and the emcees.  I am almost at a loss for words when discussing this song.  Terminill sets such a chill vibe for the track that Severe and Jon Belz just seem to float over the beat.  I would love to hear this song performed live with a string bass.

Grey Area is incredibly brief, but also incredibly potent.  Terminill does so much musically in such a short period of time. The drums are constantly altering as are the various other samples and instrumentation. Serge Severe keeps perfect step with his flow and rhyme scheme.  This is a perfect example of producer and emcee chemistry.

The last track off the album, that features another elite emcee, Luck-One, is another sure shot. On Know The Truth,  Terminill laces a super funky and bluesy rhythm.  He utilizes some unique instrumentation with the bluesy guitar and the harmonica.  It’s what I will call ‘backyard boom-bap’.  Severe and Luck-One remind us all who is really running things around the world.  It’s the men with the ‘slick tongues and shiny suits’ who are profiting and the rest remain struggling.

This short EP showcases some of the incredible talent that is being procured in Potland.  Serge Severe continues to impress as an emcee.  He shows a great deal of dexterity flipping on Terminill’s limitless musical taste.  And let’s face it, producers never get the credit they deserve. Terminill deserves a lot of accolades for his production on Service Without A Smile.  He takes the average boom-bap and adds his own distinct personality to the track.  The quick of it is that Severe and Terminill deliver not just a solid release, but a memorable one.  Cop that.