People say patience is a virtue. It might not be a mantra familiar to one of the most prolific acts on the hip hop scene today, but if his latest collab is anything to go by, Verb T is growing to appreciate the value of biding your time.
Produced with Pitch 92, the ever-busy emcee’s latest work Good Evening has been three years in the writing but that doesn’t mean either artist has been slacking. In that time Verb released a heap of other LPs, worked with the likes of DJ Premier, Illinformed and, of course, ruffled feathers as one quarter of supergroup Four Owls.
Meanwhile, Pitch 92 has been staking out his own claim as one of the most exciting producers on the UK scene, sharing the stage with the likes of Mos Def and Pharcyde while crafting the beats behind award-winning Manchester rap group Mouse Outfit. To say the two have been keeping busy is an understatement.
Verb T & Pitch 92 – I Arrived Late
You’d think Verb T and Pitch 92 would struggle to put together something so impeccable with so many projects on their plate, but as Verb explains on Mates Rates, “Shit comes together when you least expect it.”
Few other acts today can twist bars around a beat like Verb. His delivery sits somewhere between mesmerically sedate and ear-bendingly assertive. Good Evening provides both in spades, with closing track Break Limits a masterclass in breath control and metronomic delivery.
Verb T & Pitch 92 – Mechanical
There’s no doubting Verb T’s credentials in spitting but it’s his glib observations of modern society that propel him above the crowd. Past tracks like Where You Find Me and Sittin’ Here showcased Verb’s self-deprecating humour, but here lines like “I wasn’t waiting for your dumb attention, I can’t relate if you can barely string a fucking’ sentence,” come barbed with a new kind of venom. Good Evening takes that trademark world-weariness and injects it with a sense of urgency befitting the fucked up state of contemporary Britain.
Pitch 92 has already been causing a stir thanks to a prolific touring schedule, but Good Evening marks a new high for the Manchester artist. The spring-loaded percussion and soul-fused harmonies cast a pitch perfect backdrop for T’s verbal wizardry while the stretched out Sunday morning vibes of They Say are so chill they could probably be banned under the Psychoactive Substances Act.
Verb T & Pitch 92 – Sugar
There’s some top-class collabs on Good Evening too, but the titular track takes it with an oral onslaught – courtesy of Jehst and Confucius MC – reminiscent of Phi Life circa Millennium Metaphors.
At 16 tracks long, Good Evening may seem like a bit of a stretch, but the listing is diverse enough to mean you’re never looking for the skip button.
The pairing with Pitch is a match made in hip hop heaven – spinning faultless beats beneath a heady procession of razor-sharp humour and caustic putdowns. It may have taken three years to write, but Good Evening is proof that you can’t rush perfection.
Good Evening is out on High Focus on 6th October pre-order on limited edition vinyl or CD here