Scene and Heard  –  CCXXV : Black Lotus. –  Noah Archangel (ft. Yeax Majesty, Juskwam, DJ Thruvo –  Band of The Hawk)

Music always seems more convincing when it is backed up with a gang mentality, that, “us against the world” ethic that all the best outfits possess and Southern Hip-Hop collective Band of The Hawk carry just such an attitude effortlessly. Whereas hip-hop, like many genres which come from a more underground place, seems to have been subsumed by commerciality and fashion by chancers and late-comers to its socially conscious musical party, Black Lotus and the Four Horsemen of the Hip-Hopalypse who deliver it, immediately feel like the real deal.

East Coast lyrical dexterity meets West Coast swagger, golden age 90’s vibes but laced with the fresh and exploratory sound of the contemporary scene, Band of The Hawk is the perfect blend of familiarity and forward thinking, of knowing your place in musical history and being brave enough to write your own chapter. The lyrics are filled with street philosophy and social commentary and land perfectly on the listener with style and confidence and the whole affair is spacious, allowing every word and every beat room to breathe and so work more effectively. A game raising musical slice if ever there was one.