Low-Life | UK Hip Hop Story | Fallacy

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Early Doors:
1979-1985

False Dawn:
1985-1990

Underground Years:
1990-1995

The Renaissance:
1995- 2000

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2000 & Beyond

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Fallacy - Blackmarket Boy LP [Virgin]

This is finally the LP that everyone has been anticipating. Years in development and a few months in the realisation Fallacy has produced what could be seen as a defining moment in the growth of UK based artists. The big labels press people have done the PR guru bit on Fallacy's image, the cover sensibly from their point of view focussing soley on Fallacy whose portrait is depicted in what looks like Spitalfeilds market hall. The reason for this is maximum exposure and creation of a brand. The opening track is the title track of the LP, Blackmarket Boy a track that sets of the LP in all the right ways. It is a heavy Hip Hop track in which Fallacy looks at where he has come from and contrasts this with where he is headed. Track two is a DJ interlude performed by DJ Skully, who cuts the buggery out of two copies of the Groundbreaker. To follow this we are quickly into the anthem of last summer - The Groundbreaker and then the current club banger Big 'N Bashy which features the smooth vocals of Tubby T. As with Blackmarket Boy, the tracks that are new to me are hot. Rogue Trader is no different with Adam F taking the pace of the beats down a notch, Fallacy is able to describe tales of Drug Dealing and top nights out getting spoiled by guns. It is a tale of gangsterism and street hustling, but told from a more realistic UK perspective.

Rap Folly sees Fallacy hook up with the UK's godfather of MCing - Rodney P. Fusion returns to take hold of the instrumental which has more of a hardened edge than some of the more commercial tracks. It is still a bouncer though with both MCs working well with each other, their contrasting voices complimenting each other. The Car Chat skits is simply Fallacy explaining how for the past 15 - 20 years of so, a bimmer has been the status symbol on the street. Square Beamer is the track that follows on from this dialogue and sees Shy FX and T-Power produce the backing music, and whilst the pace is slowed from their usual tempo, the sounds and beat construction are quite original giving the track a very different sound. The beats starts off with some human beatbox, but soon enough the electronic instrumentation is in full effect complete with occasional bleep.

Stopclock produced by Full Range Productions is the fist track that steps more into the full on dance music that Fallacy has been more well known for with his work with MJ Cole etc. For this the beat is speeded up to Garage proportions and Fallacy proves that he is no slouch when it comes to spitting at a high speed. The Beat Camps Ooh seems more down beat, especially with the female Ohh sampled for the music. Roni Size is drafted in for Scrunch and as such you could probably recognise the beat as being one of Roni's, a track full of energy and would rock in a club, but in the office I could feel that certain people didn't think this was entirely suitable. As a prelude to John Wayne Swagger the Stripey Shoes skit as with the other skits simply sees big Falz taking about his shoes and how they make you walk. Rishi Rich is the producer for John Wayne Swagger, which does feel like a bit of a low point.

Old & Grey on the other hand is a return to form in an LP which overall is rather consistent. One of the most classic Hip Hop tracks on here this Fusion beat makes use of harps or zithers to give a sort of Celestial feeling which fits in with the lyrics where Fallacy explores what it is to be like when he is old and grey and is looking towards his ends of days and whether he will see the pearly gates of not. Monstrous because of the guesting from Elizabeth Troy I would have thought would be a more RnB vibe track, but this is just as solid as the rest with E Troy providing a funky sung chorus. The topics for this track are girls, reminiscing back to the 80's and Fallacy describing all the things he finds Monstrous. The last new track, Stay Blessed is again produced by the Full Range Productions crew, but surprisingly possibly the slowest track on the LP. The production being mostly lazy live drums and cuts as well as high pitched Dre-esq keyboard tones is on the simple side and it is Fallacy's lyrics that carry and make the track. Fallacy has years of experience and has the ability to come over loud and clear, his flows are delivered with a confidence in his ability that only someone who has total control of their breath control can really have.

To round of the LP the Shy FX and T-Power remix of The Groundbreaker is included. The remix gives a cool spin on the already high tempoed and different sounding Fusion produced beat. New lyrics synergise with the high powered beat and end the LP with a great energy boost. Overall the LP is very well put together. Fallacy proves that he can rhyme across many styles of music and at the same time should provide enough here to keep even the most closed minded Hip Hop fan happy. At the same time, there should be enough on here to draw in anyone who has heard of Fallacy from the other tracks and collaborations he had done, as well as all sort of people who have yet to experience him. The variety of producers used have been well selected as they have cast a soundscape which envelops Fallacy and is just the platform which could push him on to big things.

Big N' Bashy Video @ www.sledgemusic.co.uk (Broadband) Click Artists.
On this site: Fallacy Jackin4Beats :: Big 'N Bashy :: Fallacy & Fusion Groundbreaker
Check the Virgin Music Group page and www.fallacyonline.co.uk