Release Date: 15 March 2019
Song Count: 15
Rating: 4.9/10
Description:
Surprisingly, even after an album of a similar genre ended up being the one rated lowest on this entire blog so far, I haven't written off the entire music field of country-specific mashups between DnB and hip-hop & adjacent styles entirely. This album of Shy FX, originally Andre Williams, who is a producer thoroughly interwoven in this niche UK hip-hop sub-scene, was released close to 7 years ago and features the collaborative efforts of quite a few vocalists and artists to act as the bread and butter to most of what it has in store, including the likes of reggae regent Mr. Williamz and world-famous singer Lily Allen.
Many of the tracks within Raggamuffin SoundTape are preceded by interludes introducing them in as cohesive of a manner as possible to varying levels of effectiveness, and typically consist of fast drum samples being mixed on top of different types of singing and rapping, most notably bombastic reggae-style flows defining the most key aspects of the album's overall sound. While a lot of the tracks distinguish themselves from the others sufficiently to not get drowned out within their own work, depending on where the listener's inclinations and preferences may lie, some songs may certainly stick out more than others as more intriguing additions.
Whilst reggae rapping has never truly lied amongst the music styles that cater the most to me specifically, it is difficult to deny that its execution in the album and especially its songs that deliberately lean more towards the genre is quite controlled and expertly done. There is furthermore more than enough of a variation of songs within the album that songs that rely less on these elements do not only exist, but also come as a breath of fresh air keeping things interesting and enjoyable enough for even someone that may not care as much for a lot of the rest of Raggamuffin SoundTape's contents.
While very far from any album favourites lists I were to hypothetically make in the near or far future, this was nevertheless a musical experience that was worthwile to sit through to expose my ears to something new and unique (without outright torturing them). If reggae or hip-hop is your jam to your bread bun or you are otherwise curious about what an outright bonkers mixture of genres can potentially sound like, this album may just well be a venture worth exploring - even if it is unlikely to receive any further attention beyond this initial dive from yours truly.