Alexander C-Wil leads with high energy and unwavering confidence throughout this hard-hitting, classic hip hop inspired project I Paid The F*sher Price.
Having said that, there’s a clear contemporary edge to this meandering, uninhibited flow, and indeed to the downpour of synths that make up the opener – all in all resulting in a fairly broad range of influences; or a unique approach in itself.
Slide Down is all of this, followed by a retro-keys-led and melodic Organize. Soon enough the threads between tracks emerge, talk of the drive and determination, the obstacles, the hate, the no-f*cks-given attitude.
Alexander’s vocal style and tone prove as unusual as his musical choices throughout, and this backs up his passionate, angst-driven manner of story-telling in a bold way.
Furious 7 injects a heavy hit of high-volume street rap and another chaotic soundscape. Enough follows almost like a sequel, loaded with more anger, reflective of the need to move on having reached breaking point. This is where that vocal stands the tallest, in times of impassioned outpourings – holding nothing back and offering no apologies along the way.
Red Death is equally intense, with a faster-paced vocal and some clever word-play that really reaches out. Then we get an unexpected dose of 1980 with Airplane, a quirky and chaos-ridden performance and soundtrack.
Problem (Or Not) follows and things take a more mellow, dark yet subtly building pathway through detailed scene-setting and specifics. The back and forth theatrics add a new level of artistry to Alexander’s catalogue, and there’s definitely something about this whole arrangment that lets this track really stand out.
At the penultimate moment, Get Mine hits like another classic, nostalgic hip hop anthem. Two contrasting vocals present a clear dynamic, and the soundscape speaks on motivation and drive – creating a sense of possibility, seeking to energise.
The bonus track Ya Know brings things to a creatively free finish. A spacious and cleverly lyrical track, with a quirky, memorable direction, and more of those performance theatrics that help shine further light on C-Wil’s unique way with creative hip hop.
I Paid The F*sher Price in full proves as carefree and confident as its title implies. It makes for a strong introduction to Alexander C-Wil and all that he represents within the scene.
Check out Alexander C-Wil on Instagram.
