Representing the old-school unity between slick beats and sharp bars, in collaboration with World Wide Recordings – 500 BC and DJ Flipcyide capture a series of hard-hitting moments, for the anthemic original hip hop album On The Come Up.
As an early example, Go is intense – a haunting keys riff and classic hip hop beat sharply intertwined with the vocal rhythm and distinct character of 500 BC. It’s an earworm of an opener, leading well into the conceptually captivating storyteller and vulnerability of Another Day – a track that’s easily one of the album’s most interesting and memorable.
Here we enter the soulful sound of the streets, with reflections on the come-up and daily life backed by an impassioned arrangement blending melody, bass and something a little more mainstream pop-like from the drums. It’s a stunning track, compelling from the outset, and a personal favourite.
After this, I Get It is also impressive, and gets a little more floor-filler playful in its relaying of a motivational journey. 500 BC switches up his flow, but the voice remains genuine and unmistakable.
Realism is key, honesty refreshing, and this comes from both the songwriting and storytelling of On The Come Up.
Another boom-bap or gangster rap anthem hits for Grind and Hustle, just before Don’t Break My Heart sees acoustic guitar and soulful spaciousness let contemplation and loving RnB layers redirect things in an unexpected way.
Before is equally beautiful and revealing afterwards. 500 BC lets the music speak openly, without fear of expectation or judgement, and that fearlessness is much needed in an age of automatically generated copycat releases. Realness matters, and here we have it.
For the latter half of On The Come Up, tracks like Real Rap and Get It Right keep a soul-funk essence engaging, with sharp and smart rhymes lingering in the mind long after the music has ended. Then we get a little more depth and darkness from the likes of I Ain’t Heard Nothing – a heavy and intense, gripping listen, which flips the script and changes the mood distinctly.
The instrumental sound-play gets unpredictable yet again as Make A Wish takes things towards something of an oriental, world-music flavour. Then to finish, Real N*ggas brings back the realism, the soul, the passion and quiet depth of 500 BC’s voice, in unison with a timeless and evocative hip hop arrangement from DJ Flipcyide.
It’s a heartfelt and powerful finish, another captivating outpouring on the bars, and a great way to wrap up the inspiring and energising journey of On The Come Up.
Download or stream On The Come Up. Find 500 BC on Instagram.
