‘Royal Blood‘ is the latest offering from Q-Unique and it’s one hell of a hip hop project. Q’s fifth solo album is a seven track heat rock, solely produced by Jake Palumbo and without a single feature. Q holds down a true solo project spitting as aggressively as he always does, while DJ Presto One brings his skills on the wheels to make the samples and scratches sing. It may only clock in around 20 odd minutes, but in the modern musical landscape, this is where it needs to be. And this is a prime example of quality over quantity.
From the jump we get treated to some really dope boom bap production on ‘Bad Meaning Good‘, with horns infused throughout and Q as hungry as ever. The subtle update of Big Pun’s iconic ‘Dream Shatterer’ line, let’s you know he ain’t playing around! ‘Eye Don’t Sleep‘ has a palpable energy seeping through the speakers, the strings, the crisp snare – all work to set a really upbeat, triumphant anthem that Q uses to speak his social commentary with an educated edginess. The introspective, exploration of brotherhood and duality on ‘133rd Psalm‘ is powerful and Palumbo & DJ Presto One embed some soul into this soundscape which really creates a potent and meaningful track.
‘Don’t Wanna Wake Up‘ is not just a delightful, ethereal soundscape but it’s a unique way of exploring the history of hip hop and paying homage to those who have paved the way – complete with a dope Biggie sample that fits beautifully. ‘Chess Not Checkers‘ brings back that distinct boom bap energy and gets the head nodding while Q is focused and delivering on point bars with poise and purpose. The guitar-laden ‘Random Play’ is menacing and moody, the cuts are precise and the funk is legit as the bars focus on the concrete playground. Finally, this album closes out with ‘Ingredients‘ with Q-Unique breaking down what his intriguing personality consists of and those elements that inspired him to become who he has.
‘Royal Blood’ is a bar-fest. There is some real mature content delivered throughout these seven tracks and the mood is perfectly captured and delivered by Jake Palumbo. Not one minute is wasted and this project builds from the moment you press play, until you have to go and hit it again. It’s interesting, both in terms of lyrical content and concepts, but also sonically with Palumbo production and the cuts from Presto. Q-Unique has delivered a really dope project that should once again find its way into repeated rotations for hip hop heads worldwide.
About The Author
Related
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
