The Wonderful World of Carminelitta

Album review: No Room For Dessert, 2 Hungry Bros & 8thW1

Aug 21

CarminelittaAlbum / EP, Review 2 Hungry Bros, 8thW1, Morpheus Soul Show, No Room For Dessert, review No Comments

I first heard from 2 Hungry Bros and 8thW1 on the Morpheus Soul Show a few months back and I have to thank the Temporary Residents for this nice discovery. I have to admit I didn’t take time to dig deeper and listen to many projects from either the producers or the MC, and I’m now realizing how much I’ve been missing out… This mistake will be repaired fully, and the first step is this very interesting album. Once again I first heard some of the tracks on the Morpheus Soul Show, and I was then introduced to the whole project by D.J from Domination Recordings, who is indeed very kind to me and always putting me on the best music! Now, let me tell you why you need No Room For Dessert in your life…

Some people say hip-hop is dead, it’s not like it used to be, it’s been perverted and turned into a commercial monster with rappers spreading negative messages and being stereotyped. While this may not be completely untrue, there are definitely artists out there who carry the torch and help the culture and music stay alive. I already mentioned many of those people on the blog and I think it’s important to underline the fact that you can’t complain about not hearing quality music if you don’t make an effort to look for it. It is true that hip-hop is indeed different from what it used to be, but that is only because change is inevitable in life and this is not necessarily a bad thing. You can evolve without betraying your predecessors, you can add your own touch and make the culture richer.  Producers Deep and Ben Boogie aka 2 Hungry Bros & MC 8thW1 do exactly that and bring a breath of fresh air in today’s hip-hop while remaining true to their musical roots. Boom-bap productions, scratches, samples, crazy flow and positive lyrics are definitely reminiscent of the ‘Golden Era’ of hip-hop and make No Room For Dessert a solid, thoroughly enjoyable project for music lovers.

There is an ‘old-school’ flavour to the production on the album, with head-nodding rhythms as well as soulful samples and a great use of various instruments (especially beautiful horns). The 2 Hungry Bros also make your ears discover different atmospheres, from very high energy, crazy prods to more chilled and very smooth ones, but the constant element is that you are caught up in the rhythm, which is made even easier with 8thW1 breathtaking and seamless flow. The combination of all those pieces make No Room For Dessert very easy to listen to, over and over and over again… There is also a lightness to it all, a seemingly simplicity that adds to the enjoyable factor. What I actually appreciate a lot is the mixture of light and darkness, whether in the prods or lyrics, which reflects life and its ups and downs. In the same way you can’t be serious all the time or have fun all the time in life, so is the case with music. The 2 Hungry Bros and 8thW1 manage to balance it all, never being extreme either way and presenting different sides of the spectrum.

Something I already underlined is 8thW1′s amazing flow, which was a great surprise. This is only one aspect of his talent though, as he is a very skilled writer and touches upon interesting, original and inspiring themes. I mentioned earlier the lightness of the project, which is sometimes obvious with the tones he uses, but it can be a trick and if you pay attention you can get deeper meanings and realize that there is always more to it than meets the ear… This is quite obvious with Short and sweet, with the very clever rhymes and metaphors turning sugar into society’s crack and making people realize that there are things you may want to fight for, that are not necessarily the ones you are told to. Also, Poppers, while encouraging people to have fun and enjoy themselves on the dancefloor, reminds them of the need to support quality music and artists. 8thW1 is also mastering the art of wordplay and punchlines, and delivers lyrical gem after lyrical gem on every track. He spreads very inspiring messages, urging the listeners to  never give hope and keep pushing, as you Can’t win em all but ‘you gotta win all of the right ones’ and ‘success is not for procrastinators’ (Talkin). He also reminds us that Everyday is a blessing and that even if  ’fairy tales don’t fare well’, you have to do your best to achieve your dreams. The soulful production of this one makes it one of my favourites, along with Skywriter, a beautiful collaboration with Brokn Englsh about writing, where ‘the first rule is to stay true’. Another highlight is More go, where I could discover Janelle Renee’s amazing, hypnotizing voice.

All I can do know, after thanking 2 Hungry Bros and 8thW1 for this beautiful  album, is to encourage you to discover No Room For Dessert and support quality music. You can get it from iTunes and have a sneak peak below, with Harm music, the modified party version of No harm, the crazy collaboration with Homeboy Sandman.

Find out more about 2 Hungry Bros: Bandcamp & 8thW1: website