akira the don - thieving
neither a new album, nor a mixtape but somewhere in-between.
this 22 track self released artifact is a mixed bag of remixes of tracks off
akiras major label funded debut, when we were young, acoustic revisits of
said major label nightmares, some new bangers, and a couple of special lawyer
baiting bonus levels that will make you jump with joy, or writhe in agony.
ever since the whole i’m on a major label, oh, now i’m not episode (and if i am
right, i think the actual phone message that declared him dropped, has been
added to the mix before the gorgeous can’t go to sleep), akira has held back on
his flow of mixtapes that were often dropped on his site.
instead, prior to the arrivial of the official second album, adam releases
proper fully packaged cds like thieving, with made to measure artwork,
and lets his fans throw him a fiver for the love-n-rent and privilege of hearing
his latest adventures, and to be honest, i think this freedom is perfect for his
creative urges.
prior to thieving was the mashup/electro/dancefloor madness of stunners 130 that
adam made with his hipster party monster wade crescent, whereas for this one,
its all about taking it back to his hip hop roots, with a huge slab of
pop-n-song thrown in for good measure.
alongside a couple of home made gangsta/chopped and screwed styled productions,
the real fun is when adam takes a forgotten classic and goes all freestyle crazy
over the top.
of course, most people will know of his nirvana and elastica rips
(both of which appear here to complete the jigsaw), but alongside these crowd
pleasers are new unexpected pleasures.
to really get the smiles going, he’s grabbed an old warren zevvon
classic, werewolves of london, and just dropped the almightiest of slabs
of brilliance over the top for werewolves, using the piano party loops as
a foundation, the celeb/gigolo scene gets a nudge before descending into a seedy
but catchy chorus involving the realities of living in rented accommodation. its
hook filled and if not for the massive sample making its official release
impossible, a massive radio hit. as would the brilliant xtc heavy giro
that tells the story of all how many ex rock stars end up in the line for their
giro, or working at woolies, all to the loops of making plans for nigel.
spread over 70+ minutes are many tales of personal issues, some funny, many
heartfelt, with references to the troubles of daily life, all matched against
the struggles of a man in need to tell the world stories via his chosen art, and
in that sense, thieving is by far one of the most enjoyable hip hop based
albums i have heard in a long time.
a fiver well spent suckas.
more detail : here