Belles in Monica (Hip Hop in Scotland) has reviewed our new album...... Check it out...

HERBILLEST

PROPAGATION

REVIEW BY URBANELITE

Herbillest are a crew outta Philly, with emcees Duke, Reno & Grassmoke, and producer DJ O'Brick and co producer & cuts meister DJ Slick. As the name suggests, with song titles "Ganja Crusaders", "Everything's Nice", "Pass it Along", a number of links from track to track which got the guys lightin up to higher ground, and the sleeve notes dedicatin the album to "the entire herb smokin nation", you get the picture early. However, any fears that you gotta endure 18 tracks playin off one trick are thankfully dispelled early. Sure, there is a runnin theme throughout, mostly that weed is a positive thing promotin a peaceful & creative state of mind and that it should be decriminalised. This is already out in the public domain and has been visited many times before and will be again, but if it helps to make albums like this, then it's gonna help the "for" lobbyists.

Production duties are shared by Duke, DJ O'Brick and DJ Slick. The latter also supplies some absolutely brilliant cuttin displays throughout the album. The musical approach is steeped in the traditions of the best of hiphop. Some choice drum loops, soul & funk samples, the aforementioned prevelant cuttin, and emcee skills that'd put you in mind of De La Soul. It's an album to feel good, to hit the floor and sometimes jus to kick back and fall apart. It actually sounds like an album from back in the day and you gotta check the copyright2003 to make sure you havent put the wrong cd in the player! That's not to say it sounds dated or the boat's left without them....quite the opposite. We're all exposed to what's gettin blasted outta Clear Channel, MTV or whateva and while production skills are technically there to be mused over and admired, somewhere along the line they lost the point. Progress is good but...put it this way, The Matrix is visually amazin, but if you got the choice of watchin that or maybe The Godfather made 30 years earlier....things with substance (no pun intended!) are permanent, and when done right will work and last throughout the latest craze.

Herbillest clearly got brought up in the best hiphop had to offer, and from what we've heard this year, sit very well with what's happening in the underground, and which will ultimately become the dominant force as the bling jigsters fade away. Specifically, Herbillest combine high quality production skills with a traditional hiphop sensibility and produce music people actually wanna hear as opposed to bribin the big playas to place on their lists. They do mix the game up nicely with their variety of beats due to the different production techniques of Slick, Duke & O'Brick.

Slick & O'Brick are using mainly old soul & funk samples & loops. Where they are co-producing, we're gettin some high quality hiphop from the day, laced with fierce cuts, like on the hi octane "Ganja Crusaders", the floorfiller "Ras Herbillest", the soul/funk banger "Philly Freedom" and one for the b-boys "Live my Life" which is usin some real authentic 70's rhodes & analogue samples. As a production team they definitely got a style, drawing on their 70's influences which they bring up to the new millenium, guaranteeing to be gettin your feet movin. This continues on the head nodder "Clicks Click" and the big kicker "Expressions". Other tracks like "La La Land", "Pass it Along" and "Fightin Phils'" mix up the tempos but are still based round big heavy bass, choice samples and well cut up beats that continue the old skool flava with a twist of 2003.

Duke's productions show perhaps a little more influences comin thru. From the soulful "Everything's Nice"...what used to be called acid jazz but without the beat poet look...to the slow jazzy floor filler "Get Off My Ladder", these tracks fit well amongst other tracks from Slick & O'Brick. But there's a more sparse, electronic feel of his tracks "Live Entertainment" and "No Question". The overall impression is that Herbillest had a real good time puttin this album together and it shines thru. There's a good mixture lyrically of makin a point and injectin humour. Duke, Reno & Grassmoke all have flows ehich fit perfectly with the music. Theyre not tryin to showboat which would be uncalled for. Herbillest are a tight run crew in tune with each other at all levels, and for fans of the essence of hiphop & all things that are ACTUALLY good in the world, you simply gotta get this.