Loki - Government Issue Music Protest Review
Protest albums and Concept albums are of course nothing new. From Country Joe and the Fish and their odes of condemnation to the Vietnam war to Public Enemy and their commentaries of Afro American Empowerment and Civil Liberty. Some stand the test of time and are described decades later as being 'still relevant, but just how relevant will GIMP be in decades? Easy answer mate. Time Will probably tell us that it will remain relevant for more than just it's protest value alone. Why? Loki steals the show.
The Lyricism is actually next level. Like seriously next level. I know Loki has reported to have hand written and re written the full project up to 3 times over, which is an example of the perfectionism that he was obviously striving for, and it shows. It's a shining example of what the 'rap' element in Hip Hop was made for, and at long last the limits of Raps potential have been truly breached. Again, why so?
There are subtle threads and stark moments all the way through. It's an album of International standard, valour and appeal however the true vernacular will really be understood by Loki's fellow Glaswegians, ain't we the lucky ones! Even though the album itself is immediately impressive, the subtle nuances of time travel and the description of subtle dynamics which run through the entire project will require the listener to press repeat over and over in order to keep them learning something new each time. There's a plethora of talented producers both old and new who have provided a multifarious backdrop for the GIMP story to be told, and a tip of the hat must go to them, however it is the writing and lyricism that makes the glue that holds GIMP together. In fact, it's more like indestructible concrete poured into solid iron casting.
The fusion between the beat making and the writing can only be described as brilliant. It's a hardcore album that pleasantly trips out at appropriate moments with the help of the considerable talents of Becci Wallace, and keeps you captivated as the story hurtles one way and then slowly blows towards the next . Scarily, we may well be headed in the direction of the dystopia that serves GIMP as it's backdrop, and again Loki must be commended on his foresight. He has potentially singlehandedly given Scottish Hip Hop the next level of 'punty' that others have done so in the distant and, more recent past, although as the standards were undoubtedly beginning to rise all around, to produce this type of stand out album in that climate says everything about just how good GIMP actually is.
I can already hear the scribbles of the pens of emcees up and down the land embarking on a new style of writing. Possibly like no other work of UK Hip Hop/Art it will inspire a new generation of thinkers, contemplating the possibilities Hip Hop has to offer them as artists. Loki has raised the bar for his contemporaries. Me included. If you had to challenge me to pick a favorite tune? The title track 'Government Issue Music Protest' a collaboration with Scatabrainz has that undeniable, creeping, unstoppable precursor of what's to come thing going on, and it gets me every time. However 'the Unimportance of Being Idle' lyrically for me is the highlight of an absolutely outstanding piece of art. This is not to be missed. A landmark Album. If I'm still kicking about in Slum Village in 2034, I'll make sure that I've got a copy of GIMP in my boombox for those moments I feel like shaking the glass and unnerving the 'orthodoxy' of the free standing structures in New Glasgow.
- Mistah Bohze
On a side note, Loki and Bohze collaborate on this recent release from the Glaswegian Southside Deluxe label.
