OK, here it is. The long-awaited collaboration between Nottingham beatsmith, Joe Buhdha, and Hackney revolutionary, Klashnekoff (formerly Ricochet Klashnekoff), has been heralded by many as UK hip hop's finest moment yet and is generally considered to be the album that will finally jet-propel Mr K-Lash if not directly into the commercial limelight then, at the very least, out of the underground and onto the surface.
The problem with a record like this is that it has been so long in coming, and Klash himself has been putting in excellent work on the underground UK scene now for so many years that many diehard UK hip hop fans will probably have convinced themselves that they will love this album before they've even heard the first track. However, we can be sure that Messrs Buhdha and K-Lash are not the types to allow a bit of unconditional love to lead to laziness, because this is a very good effort indeed.
While it is initially disappointing that, of the 17 tracks on 'Lionheart...', 2 have been previously released ('Can't You See' was on the second 'Run The Road' compilation and the brilliant 'Sayanora' began life roughly three years ago on a DJ MK mixtape) and 5 are skits on which Klashnekoff does not even feature, it does not detract attention from the quality that is present here throughout. Rhyme-wise, Klash is at his absolute peak; switching effortlessly from intelligently-structured concious messages on 'The Revolution (Will Not Be Televised On Channel U)' and 'Question' to hard-hitting battle lines on 'Two Guns Blazing' and even some nice, grimey double-time on the Yabby U-sampling 'Refuse To Die'. Joe Buhdha's beats are a perfect accompaniment to Klash's rhymes; fluctuating, just as the man himself does, between brash, thumping outbursts and calmer, contemplative melodies. There are some great guest spots too and, while it would have been nice to hear more from Capleton on 'Bun Dem', Kyza, Skriblah, 45 and Kool G Rap add extra quality to an already excellent set of tracks.
So, ultimately, the UK loyalists can rest easy; while this record is perhaps not the genre-busting smash hit it could have been (Klash's lack of range in terms of subject matter and a couple of slightly weaker Buhdha beats let it down somewhat), it is still an excellent album and a concrete reminder that the UK scene has a great deal to offer.
Rating: 4/5
Label: Riddim Killa/Lowlife
Words:
Tom Ellen
