Return to Stoney Island dropped today, courtesy of British stalwarts Brothers Of the Stone and RLD records. The trio consists of label mates and two of The Four Owls; MC’s BVA and Leaf Dog. The production is carefully constructed throughout by the multi-faceted Illinformed. Bringing forward an effort that we have come to expect from the two early members of the High Focus family and one of the most prolific and influential UK Hip Hop producers at present. Soul and jazz samples mixed with British humour and lyrical dexterity, solidly place RTSI as one of the best releases in Britain of recent years.
Bubbling with British passion from start to finish., each song flows across your ears, slapping your eardrums and forcing your head to nod to the cold cuts and slick word play. The two MCs completely own their craft. ‘On a Roam’ is the perfect example of artists who completely understand who and what they are. Not to forget the sick accordion sample Illinformed throws in. Picking the best songs off an album this good is a hard task. Each track posses something individual to the record. If I were to pick my “favourite track” it would be a toss up between ‘Overseers’ or ‘Everything’. Or the title track or maybe ‘On a Roam’… This could clearly take a while!
The weight that British Hip Hop carries today is evident through the respect it gets from our friends over the Atlantic. Brothers of the Stone’s first album included guest appearances from Vinny Paz and the legendary KRS-One. Return from Stoney Island continues the cross-atlantic collabs. This time, including features from Young Zee, MOP and Wu Tang Clan‘s very own Inspectah Deck.
RTSI dishes out social commentary and quick puns with every track. The tongue in cheek lyrics cut over slick beats show that Return to Stoney Island is a true compliment to the British Hip Hop scene. Check it out here!