Krate Krusaders


25ThC gets his hip-hop on to review Krate Krusaders Volume 2. Here are his thoughts: 

This is the second volume of featured artist releases from South West UK production duo Bad Habitz and 1 Step. It features a selection of well respected MC’s from both sides of the Atlantic and, on the face of it, should be a good listen. However it falls down in a number of areas.

Hip-hop has always been about pushing boundaries, trying new techniques and sampling previously hidden sonic gems. The production here is pretty standard and on most of the tracks feels a little like hip-hop by numbers. There was very little head nodding going on at this end. On quite a few of the tracks the beat is far too prominent, meaning that the vocal is lost and it makes it difficult to follow the MC’s flow. This may be simply a mastering issue but it does make it heavy-going. As a whole, it’s unlikely to bear repeated listening and some tracks really grate on the ears.

Mamba has a nice laid back vibe. Sick Flow has a heavy beat and accordion sample which fit well with the vocals of Ramson Badbonez and Flitptrix. Put The Work In has a lovely Arabian feel and great lyrics from Sonnyjim. These are the few exceptions, but on a 17-track album, it’s not nearly enough.

Review by 25ThC