Make room on your Album of The Year list for 2022, because Reckonize Real has just dropped a hip hop masterpiece with ‘Subterranean Obscura‘! We’ve been highly anticipating this release for nearly two months having been teased with a handful of singles and other little snippets, and every minute of this project was worth waiting for. A full 16 track, almost 45 minute album with some of the most insane production and boasting an all star lineup of emcees who give the beats the bars they deserve. The underground has been propping the culture up forever, and Reck wants to make sure they’re heard.
Reckonize Real is a producer inspired. He has been continually lacing the game with some incredible audio brilliance for the last couple of years and even a flood that destroyed his basement couldn’t dampen his desire for dope AF hip hop. From his work with The Bad Seed, Savageland, Mayhem of EMS, Supreme Cerebral and others – he has always ensured hip hop heads have some of the most interesting, authentic and versatile beats in the game. And emcees are clearly lining up to be part of his projects, as evidenced by the A list that graces Subterranean Obscura.
The intro ‘Be Wise‘ featuring fellow Savageland comrade Weapon E.S.P is brilliantly bold, and let’s the listener know from the get-go, this isn’t your usual underground, dusty, boom bap album. Weap slaughters the stripped back instrumental which is fitting because it showcases the versatility of emcee and producer. It also lulls the listener into their comfort zone and opens the ears and mind for the audio assassination that transpires henchforth. The variety and blending of sub-genres or styles on this album is insane – you have your more grimey tunes like ‘Formula UNO‘, ‘Foreign Cars AMG‘ and ‘Algebra‘ but then there are really soul / funk / jazz infused tunes such as ‘Chasing Shadows‘, ‘I Want It‘ and ‘Pillars‘. Each of these tracks showcase the diversity of production and sheer talent Reck has behind the boards. It’s also how authentic and true the sound is, the chops and loops, and the marriage of emcee and production on these joints that really levels up.
For the bulk of the album, we get that really dope, boom bap sound which slams the speakers and makes the head nod. You’re going to want to wear those headphones extra tight for this album as tracks like ‘Writings‘, ‘Death Rattle‘ and ‘The Closers‘ smack you around the dome piece. The scratches on ‘Street Tales‘ are impeccable too as DJ Grazzhoppa comes through with the killer cuts. Don’t sleep on ‘Keep It P‘, ‘Pineapple Sorbet‘, ‘New Reagan Era‘ or ‘Robbing Season‘ either, because every single track on this album is worth your time and listening energy. In fact, this is one of the best and most complete albums of the year and will certainly be talked about when award season comes around. Bet.
Now, let’s show love to the featured artists on this album: Genosha Records trio Weapon E.S.P, LoGun and Ghost of the Machine, Supreme Cerebral, Big Twins, Yolanda Sargeant, Rasheed Chappell, Napoleon Da Legend, Aida, DJ Grazzhoppa, Maze Overlay, Eloh Kush, Jamil Honesty, MED, John Robinson, XP The Marxman, The Musalini, Izzy Hott, Vic Monroe, Freeway, UFO Fev, Guilty Simpson, Recognize Ali, Copywrite, Ives and Comet Madmen. Everyone delivers an inspired performance which is reflective of the soundtrack provided by one of the best beatsmiths in the game.
Bangers: All of them. No cap. Picking a favourite is an impossible task, so just enjoy each and every flame thrower on the album.
Score: 10 / 10. I’d give it an 11 if I could, the album is flawless and brilliant. This is hip hop at its finest and everyone involved with this project should be proud of the result which is a classic. I can say that because even after 10 spins, I just cvan’t get enough of it. The variety in emcee flow and delivery, the different beat styles and smattering of scratches and samples and the quality time investment of 45 minutes. If you only purchased one hip hop album this year, it should be this one. Get over to https://realdeff.com/album/subterranean-obscura to purchase this joint now.
About The Author
