Locality Reviews: Ramson Badbonez - A Year In The Life Of Oscar The Slouch

Ramson BadBonez, the latest addition to the High Focus label was first discovered at the young age of 14 by the biggest entity on the Uk scene at the time Task Force. After featuring on a few of the "Music From The Corner" releases and projects from Jehst, Verb T, Mud Fam and many more UK artists, he eventually teamed up with producer Harry Love to bring us "The Official Mixtape Vol 1" which quickly got him noticed through out the UK hip hop industry as one of the fiercest Mc's around. After a few more years of pumping out highly rated mix tapes he dropped his debut album featuring production from Harry Love, 184, Farma G, Dr. Zygote and Jazz T.

Fast forward to 2014 and he has now teamed up with producer Charlie Mac (you may have heard some of his earlier work from his Instrumentals Vol 1 - 3) and High Focus records to release "A year in the life of Oscar the Slouch"

The album has 14 tracks and runs through from track 2, January to track 13, December giving us the full year in the life of the titular character. Featuring appearances from Jam Baxter, Fliptrix, Mystro, Rag N Bone Man, Row.D, Joker Starr and more, this release is set to excite the mind of anyone with a taste for the slightly darker side of hip hop; with a focus on a moody tone and a stylised take on story telling which is evident through both the lyrical content and the tight production.
The eerie artwork from Jaypee also helps solidify the mood of the concept album, whilst displaying talent from every angle, showing that High Focus and BadBonez are not to be messed with.

Here are some highlights from the album.

After the intro the album gets started with January "In Da Blitz Time" giving us an introduction to Oscar the Slouch, his struggles causing him to hustle for money and the grittiness of his streets.

"Straight from the back alleys and trash cans with no hope pockets are flat broke....."

"Hustle from a dark crevice blood I'm hard headed, a fucking shark menace cotching in the park selling....."

Charlie Mac accompanies this with a perfect beat to set the scene and start of the story. His ability to make you feel the months through his music is amazing and consistent throughout the album.
Moving on to February "Whateva The Weathea" shows us that Oscar is willing to do whatever it takes to make money and fears nothing, not a damn thing. Featuring Mystro backing up Oscars harsh words, Gadget singing the chorus and a banging beat from Charlie Mac this one shines and delivers on all levels.

Another personal favourite is March, Scruffy, Bummy, Hungry featuring Jam Baxter and Joker Starr. It starts with a short vocal sample followed by Badbonez dropping straight into verse accompanied by Charlie Mac's big bass and strings. Oscar seems to be angry during March referring to himself as the Grumpy Grouch and describes what sounds like a month of madness violence and setting fire to police cars. Baxter and Joker Starr deliver with their own individual style and twist to the story in epic fashion.

October was the first single to be released off the new record and gave us an excellent example of what to expect from the rest of the upcoming album. Not only showcasing the natural ability and skills from the producer and the title MC, it also features heavyweight MCs Fliptrix, Row.D and Rag N Bone Man, giving us a clear indication of the calibre of guest artists set to appear on the record. Each MC gives us a another piece of the story to enjoy over the deep, smooth bass provided by Charlie Mac, allowing the space needed to to ensure nothing is unclear. The production value is at its best and complimented by the chorus, courtesy of Rag N Bone Man.

Above is the second single Desperation (November). This banger is not only reminiscent of the old school hip hop sound we all love and crave so much, but the visual aesthetics of the 8bit style adventure game graphics from the early nineties, which struck a personal, if rather geeky chord with me. Ramson Badbonez hits this one solo, giving us a philosophical look at poverty stricken estates, drug dealin and general husslin' to get by on the cold streets in November. This tune stands out as it captures perfectly the combined talents of just Badbonez and Charlie Mac to create the perfect chemistry, shrink wrapped and sent directly to our ears.

In short, this album is a must for any true fan of UK hip hop. It has great production, story telling and plenty of guest appearances from well known UK artists. Ramson Badbonez reminds us he is a big player on the UK scene. If this album is anything to go by he has a bright future in the Hip Hop world.