With commercial music in the UK mainly gravitating towards the grime scene, it’s refreshing to finally hear a UK Hip Hop EP which offers an alternative to the current trends.
Heart’s Desire J the Exodus’s new 7 track EP is a solid assembly of tunes and is a welcomed throwback to high quality beats and rhymes especially for Hip Hop aficionados.
Those familiar with his previous work will know that the MOBO unsung finalist has always had food for thought in his lyrics. On his new EP Heart’s Desire he continues in this vein exhibiting Socio-Political verses that flow effortlessly overhead nodding beats and musical arrangements.
For instance, Exodus holds nothing back on the opening track Fall from Grace highlighting police on black violence and the riots in Ferguson and Philly “The exodus to my people keeping it cerebral, murdered by the police surely is illegal”.
This sets the tone for the rest of the EP and on the title track Heart’s Desire he continues his concise observations questioning some artists’ true intentions in the game “what happened to the lyrics you’re more concerned with the fashion, it’s all a facade like lights camera action. When the mask comes off and you look into the mirror what do you see it’s not only the gold that glimmers”.
On Still Water Runs Deep – guest artist AKS shines and continues the words of wisdom with deep lines like “everybody’s selling out what’s the cost of my conscious, no abundance of funds could ever cover my substance”
Other notable tracks are Beast Mode which is conceptually constructed around a boxing theme and is the first video released off the EP. On this track J the Ex shows his versatility by rhyming skilful bars over string laden dark production that offers a nod to the grime crowd.
Overall it’s the EP’s assured lyrical consistency and quality of tracks throughout that is its most impressive characteristic. And will inevitably be a benchmark for any of J The Ex’s future material that follows.