32 Troop Mayday Review
Sometimes with a release its not easy to know where to start. Every now and then, an EP, or an album, or a vinyl comes along that simply breaks the mould. Mayday is such a release. So, a call to arms, grab the pen and enlist here, this is 32 Troop. "32 Troop are a rag-tag resistance force, striking a blow deep into the heart of those who would destroy the soul of hip hop." - Spatts.
Crew mentality, pass-the-mic antics and what are effectionately known as 'posse cuts' have been a highlight of hip hop music since the beginning. The likes of Cold Crush, Lords Of The underground, The Goodie Mob, De La Soul, Tribe etc, etc, and on and on, the list is long, and i just haven't the time. Some of the biggest and most respected names in the industry are crews. Just a quick look at the likes of Wu or J5 proves just how far the concept can travel. But in the age of bedroom MCs, and as the era of 'big stars' slowly starts to breathe its last, the unity and solidarity we feel in the so called 'underground' scene are starting to bring crew mentality back, in a big way.
Social media has made links between producers, MCs and DJs that would never have come about in the same way before. And equipment is cheap enough now that with the right production, a bedroom recording can end up sounding like a studio mastered mainstream song. We could debate all day long about how the best, most intelligent and most progressive music is being made by artists far away from charts, Saturday morning TV appearances and board rooms, but most of us know now, that if you dig a bit deeper, you can find stuff that will light that fire inside us once again.
32 Troop are the natural progression of all this, enrolling MCs from up and down the country, Europe and beyond. Brain child of producer and DJ Spatts (of The Criminal Minds fame), their releases feature a plethora of MCs and scratch DJs from both here and abroad, all showing their lyrical and cut skills, and all upping their game to complement the other. This their 3rd release - 'Mayday' (after 'To The Core' and 'Batlleplan') comes in vinyl format from the Britcore Rawmance label, as well as a download with no less than 13 different versions, by some of the most interesting and talented producers on the scene. You even get 3 bonus tracks including a remix of the previous release.
And here's the thing - with so many different MCs on board, each version has it's own various selection and sequence. The diversity this creates from one single release is damn near worth a medal of honor. For the vinyl lovers the package comes with an awesome cover designed by illustrator/graffer/MC Exile and graphic designer Mr. Tibbz. As a hip hop collector you can't go wrong here, the love for the culture is branded on every syllable and every beat. It would be doing an injustice to say there were 'best tracks' because it doesn't really falter, but we've included a couple of our personal highlights. Pick a side and join the movement. UK hip hop is going to war.
- Invokal Verbalist Journalist
You can grab yourself a copy of 32 Troop Mayday on Vinyl by clicking Here or grab a digital copy of the album for a small fee of £4.99 from the bandcamp plugin below!
