Artist: JR&PH7 x St. Joe Louis x Brokn.Englsh
Album: My Favorite Demons
Source: iTunes
Tracklisting:
1. Intro
2. My Favourite Demons
3. Scandalous
4. Lost In Love
5. Take A Walk
6. Forgot To Forget
7.New High
8. Try
Note:
Hip Hop needs a little diversity. Individual projects need a little variation. Both are achieved with My Favorite Demons. JR&PH7 are a production duo out of Cologne, Germany. Over the last two or three years they have worked with countless dope artists for their projects and have established themselves in the hip hop community. St. Joe Louis and Brokn.Englsh are groups out of New Jersey comprised of three emcees each. Each group has contributed dope hip hop music over the course of the last few years. For this project, they join forces and craft a very focused, yet dynamic release.
One of the things that I love about this project is how the production sets the table for everything. JR & PH7 are not only crafting beats on this release, they are setting the mood, and giving the music it’s own emotion. The emcees have no problem seizing the moment either. They all flourish when backed by this superlative production.
Take for instance, the title track, My Favourite Demons. The production is jazzy, and even soothing to the soul. Elete Wright from St. Joe Louis almost seems to whisper the chorus to the listener, giving the song a very intimate feel. All six emcees from both groups drop bars for this song. The subject matter lies in spending time with a woman where they can enjoy their vices. This is usually not a song that I would spend a lot of time listening to but it’s pulled off flawlessly. The music and the song is just beautiful to the ear drum.
Switching it up a bit is the cut, Bloody Sunday. This song undertakes a more political and social overtone. It still has some very smooth elements in terms of the production but it’s a little edgier and funkier when it comes to the chorus. It’s belted out almost in P-Funk fashion. In order to get a well rounded feeling for the joint, check out the verse from St. Joe Louis’, Michael Cardigan:
The people are broke, the elections are fixed / You try and spread the news, they say it is what it is / They ain’t just losing hope / They’re losing their homes / You go for broke when you got no place to go of your own / Damn…rebel music…contraband / Mixtape spanish, broken hearts in the Promise Land
As far as tracks go, I saved my favorite and perhaps the best for last. Forgot To Forget is a joint that I am sure everyone will find to be memorable as we go through the year. The hook is done interchangeably between Elete Wright and a female vocalist. It’s one of the most harmonious joints I have heard in a long time. The verses are done completely by St. Joe Louis. You know those moments where you forget that you are recently single? Well this song is about that moment. You forgot to let it all go.
There aren’t enough accolades I can shower on this EP. JR & PH7, from a production stand point, put together a very laid back, yet engaging, musical journey. St. Joe Louis and Brokn.Englsh came together and turned those otherwise great instrumentals, into great songs. The lyricism is interesting and holds your attention. The choruses are hypnotic at points. If you need some music in your collection to kick back and chill to, look no further. My Favorite Demons is your joint for 2012.
Hip Hop Dependency 