UK artist Sharpey, who has been producing music since the age of 13, discovered his passion for the craft due to his granny passing away. He felt it was a way to release his feelings and the anger that was locked inside him. After a great response from the general public he discovered that his hobby and passion for writing and producing music became more than just a way to release himself, but something that others could relate to as well. Sharpey has since been progressing rapidly with his Trap Rap style and has released the album “Life Journey” which documents his intended ascension into the industry.
This isn’t exactly a startling revelation, but hip-hop has always been rife with male MC’s who style themselves as unrepentant hedonists, recounting in vivid detail, song after song, how many women they have, how much money they make and how often they themselves are fucked up on drugs, alcohol or fame.
And while for most rappers, this kind of bacchanalia equates to a background chattering constant (figuring out a handful of metaphors for a woman’s shaking ass, for example) Memphis’ Sharpey is basically the professor emeritus of UK hip-hop’s debauchery.
He contributes greatly to defining the dominant aesthetic of Southern underground rap – transported across the ocean – creating syrupy, stomping, beats full of skittering hi-hats and seasick keyboards while pairing them with larger than life lyrics detailing gleeful expanses of depravity.
The resulting album, “Life Journey” is a stadium sized version of the lean grimy garage-drenched hip-hop the UK has churned out over the years. He balances his songs between the sounds of A$AP Rocky, 2 Chainz, Young Jeezy, Future and Fetty Wap. Not many – if any -UK rappers can pull that off with the authenticity that Sharpey does. You’d think the 26-year-old was a resident of downtown Atlanta.
Track one, “So Sexy Ft Sn1 Pablo” is a pretty solid introduction to Sharpey’s operating procedures, featuring queasy funhouse stomp of a beat that has rhythmic chants punctuating each boast with stylized grandeur.
The lurching crunk catchiness of the opening track is repeated on the EDM-spiced “Turn Up”. “Money And My Trap” shows how close the bloodlines between Sharpey’s own rap style and Southern crunk really are, with the track’s saturated synths and hi-hat gunfire nestling in nicely next to Sharpey’s melodic, super-fxed verses.
No doubt Sharpey is among the best when it comes to picking superb beats that goes with his cadence and sound of voice. Sharpey’s selection of producers places the already sky high album into another atmosphere. Especially impressive are the slow-burning, minimal, but atmospheric beats on “Gym Nas” and “Pole life ft Sn1 Pablo”, which allow for Sharpey’s vocal flow to take center stage.
True to its name, “Life Journey” provides listeners with a captivating and joyful soundtrack of Sharpey’s life. The unhinged hedonistic vibe will evoke imagery of intoxicating binges, loose women, bass filled antics and most importantly, a serious hangover. Listen with responsibility!
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