One of independent hip hop’s most authentic and moving voices returns this season with a stylistically modest yet conceptually and melodically majestic album.
From The Commonwealth of Dominica to Sweden, Scoob Rock brings cultural depth and identity together with talent, creativity, and a refreshing sense of gentle but smart writing to modern hip hop, and Manners and Respect is quite possibly his greatest work to date.
Rap Commandments is simple yet stunning, a smooth jazz backdrop and faultlessly smart bars laying down an anthemic reminder of the Scoob Rock voice in both style and substance. It’s an incredibly worthy introduction to the album, and it paves the way beautifully for the diversity and depth that follows.
The title-track is gorgeous, Manners and Respect blending the heartfelt authenticity of the Scoob Rock voice with a guitar-led backdrop and a lush and inspiring hook. Songwriting meets with thoughtful bars of meaning quite perfectly here, a smooth and intimate dedication to the poetry and warmth of hip hop designed to connect people, to tell stories and impact a listener to their core.
Live takes the storytelling further, a piano backdrop adding versatility but keeping the pace mellow. With Seed we get a touch of that Caribbean accent and flavour, something like soca and reggae infused through a catchy jam. Then for Walk Like, Scoob brings the nostalgia and cinematic, Gospel aura, with fragmented production and a seamless vocal flow all building up a classic, timeless and deeply addictive mood. An easy highlight for its fine fusion of genres and moments, its motivational theme, and the outright catchy nature of that anthemic hook. ‘Walk like a champion… we see right through.’ Scoob Rock is on top-form here, and the whole project reflects and leans towards this truth.
Upbeat jams return for the rightfully titled Mojo, a quicker set of bars reminding us that Scoob Rock is a versatile and talented rapper, and an artist in more ways than one. Then we turn down a smoky sub-set of hip hop for the cool and creative yet vulnerable realism of Level – another favourite for its purity and willingness to go there, its poetry and honesty combined, and this timeless old-school ambience that’s humble yet alluring.
The album culminates with the mild intensity and urgency of a rather brilliantly mixed Experience. Emotionally heavy but still on par with the vibe of Manners and Respect, this track shines more light on the stories that built this journey, the artist we’re intertwined with along the way, and the inspiration behind the new album. It’s a smooth but emotional track, with a soft and soulful hook, and it makes for the perfect final highlight to wrap things up.
Find Scoob Rock on YouTube & Instagram.
