In Focus: Consensus
Over the years, Consensus has put in the graft to hone his skills and the love for his art. His previous projects’ titles have cleverly incorporated the start of his name - SubCONtext & CONtroversé, Total ReCon, CONcerned and The CONtract (available on all major streaming platforms) and it’s this eye to detail or ‘CONtinuity’ that speaks to me as an artist and as a consumer So what next for CONjunction? CONstitutional? CONspiratorial? I just CON't wait.
The stand out past project for me would be ConCERNed. Originally made to show that hip hop projects weren't all just standard boring content, Con actually researched particle physics and even visited Cern and the LHC, filming a video alongside the trip. Naturally, Consensus’ sound has really matured and improved over the years, as most artists do. I feel he’s not jeopardized himself or his values, keeping it realer than real and it's what I respect most about his music. Whether it's the performance, soul and musicality in SubContext or the lyricism, content and grittiness of Controversé; I can't knock him one bit for keeping it true to himself.
Subcontext has a lot of rave elements attached within the music. It has an amazing two step beat to start with and an almost Hyper D (R.I.P) influence with some of the call and response lyrics. The prophecy is reminiscent of Foreign Beggars, with a little sprinkle of Nas and Damian Marley's Distant Relatives project. In Con's own words, he described the release as “five moody tracks about the stuff I never get to talk about so much. It's about SubContext - context within another context.'' This is a joint production collaboration with Subkinetik! With its’ Electronic synth style of Rap/Grime, it’s complimented by the double release of Controversé - a smooth driving project, complete with your classic soulful beats, clever wordplay and melody within the lyrics. Based on both projects, I can see not only has Con come a long way with his songwriting ability but the project itself is very well built; artistically, sonically and in regards to business.
If Subcontext was an EP for the Nightclubs, Controversé would be one for the Jazz clubs. My stand out tracks would be In the Mood and The Showman. They’ve both been added to my respective playlist and I'm really eager to see the visuals for this project. Controversé & SubContext are available now on all digital platforms and available for physical copies here.
For more info on Consensus, check out his Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages.
Words by Kyle Fate Gonsalves