Lately, there seems to be a massive resurgence of artists drawing inspiration from the classic boom bap sound that carved out the foundations for the scene we love. DJ turned MC Ricta’s debut full length release “Snacks & Deception LP” is another strong addition to the current wave of those paying homage to the pioneers, whilst adding a modern twist to proceedings.
Dropped on the Coventry native’s Beat Back Records imprint, “Snacks & Deception…” weighs in at a fairly substantial 14 tracks. Production duties fall in the majority to the man in the limelight but feature beats from Jusoul, Beatowski, Robot Orchestra and The Returners sprinkled in for good measure. The LP also boasts some stellar cameos that include the likes of Craig G and Dizzy Dustin of Juice Crew and Ugly Duckling fame respectively.
Ricta manages to weave in a range of subject matter; from relationships, future dreams, paying dues to the genre, to all out relentless wordplay. However, the boom bap sound always remains the main focus. This is encapsulated perfectly in tracks like “How It Is, “The Hard Settle”, “One Of Them Days” ,“Sure Thing” and the title track “Snacks & Deception, the latter two of which carry a certain Gang Starr vibe; Ricta’s lyrical dexterity and Jabba The Kut’s antics on the 1’s and 2’s playing the modern day Guru & Premo.
Ultimately, as a debut ‘feature-length’, Ricta’s “Snacks & Deception LP” is an extremely impressive offering. The soulful melodies, hard-hitting percussion and equally infectious verbals had me bobbing my head from start to finish. At a penny under a fiver, it’s a more than worthy addition to any head’s collection. Download “Snacks & Deception LP” from HERE.
Review By Mike Pattermore.
