Just over 5 years on from their breakthrough project ‘Don’t Panic’, Smoke Boys are back with a bang to round off their time together in the industry with one final collaboration ‘All The Smoke’. Following the past decade of pioneering music from Smoke Boys, this well executed production combines their well-known sound from the past and elements of drill, UK rap, dancehall, Afrobeats to create a flavoursome mix. Put together, we have another ground-breaking sound for the group’s final project together.
Smoke Boys have teamed up with one of Drill music’s most in demand producers, MK The Plug whose inventive style has really set the stage to show their timeless sound. This new project integrates well-known motifs from the start of their musical career as we experience a blast from the past alongside drill’s contemporary beats.
A worthy selection of distinctive and energetic tracks really gives a great snapshot of the musical mark that Smoke Boys made on the genre and captures their presence and legacy in the scene. Building on their recent success working with Dizzee Rascal, they have proved again that they can combine the old school sound to create a nostalgic track for followers of Grime and still be at the cutting edge of UK rap today.
With the three singles ‘No Heart’, ‘Justin Bieber’ and ‘Click My Finger’ providing a small selection of what the album has to offer, the ‘Intro’ starts the project off flawlessly with the Eastern beat samples being presented from the beginning. ‘9 Lives’ sees the first feature of the project with ‘Sevn Alias’ closing the track.
The project then takes a cold turn bringing a hard-hitting beat, blessed by well known Drill artists, ‘K Trap’ and ‘RV’. ‘Ski Mask’ is the textbook way to showcase Smoke Boys powerful bars. ‘Smoke Fetish’ sees a break from the heavy 808’s, bringing a ‘boppy’ atmosphere to the tune.
A duo of Swift and Deepee occurs in ‘2 Man Step’ as the drill bassline and rhythmic hi-hats return. Back and forth the two of them flow off of each other’s lyrics with precision. Shutting down the EP, ‘Tripz’ rounds off a tantalising selection of tracks.
Over the years they have achieved international recognition and worked with some incredible artists including the likes of Skepta, Stormzy, Chris Brown and even Drake made a guest appearance at their headline show in London. Reflecting their impact and popularity across the industry they really took the UK scene transatlantic, taking South London worldwide.
For many of their fans this really is a sad moment, but also a great occasion to celebrate their era that will go down in history. As trail-blazing UK artists, Smoke boys pushed boundaries from UK rap, interweaving their powerful narrative.
This EP is the perfect way to end their journey creating music together and putting their final collective stamp on the future of the industry. It is the end for the artists as a collective, but fans can look forward to solo projects and individual ventures.
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