Hip Hop connoisseurs out there will be quick to recognise the heightened artistic value captured in ‘Loyalty & Respect’. Marking the latest effort by Lisbon-based producer and creative Solar Soundz, the EP contains a highly collaborative ethos, featuring vocal contributions from the likes of Fedro Starr, Yukmoth, and Dizzy Wright, among others. The list of featured artists is actually rather long, a signal that the project thrives on connecting talents with other like-minded talents. In all of this, Solar Soundz is always in the background, providing a wealth of hard-hitting instrumentals.
From a production standpoint, ‘Loyalty & Respect’ threads the fine line between modernity and nostalgia, pairing gritty boom-bap cuts to more refined trap episodes. It’s all a bit of a roller coaster, if you will, with the record taking listeners into a wide range of influences and moods. Crowning it all, we find the lyrical layer, which assumes quite a crucial importance in ‘Loyalty & Respect’.
In particular, the EP focuses on “timeless themes of loyalty, respect, brotherhood, and street resilience”. As Solar Soundz explains: “This EP is about standing firm in loyalty and commanding respect in a game that tests both every day. Bringing together these legends on one project was a dream. It’s real hip-hop for the streets, no shortcuts.” In a world of fake heroes, it’s good to know that someone is still keeping it real.
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