Style 43

There I was getting all down in the dumps about the doom & gloom of winter coming and then Dubbledge goes & drops a banger of a mixtape and smacks winter in the face with his “One Inch Punch!“.

Dubbledge came on the scene four years ago with the “Fist of Jah” mixtape and got people buzzing from the get go, thanks to his flows which were as sharp as they were funny. 2007 was the year he dropped his debut album, “The Richest Man in Babylon“, on the much-missed Low Life Records, and now two years later he is back with this little beauty.

Lyrically, this is as strong as anything he has brought out previously and will definitely be enough to keep his already established fanbase satisfied, while reaching out to new heads too, especially through the production. The beats he has used are all from the 90s and feature some real stormers from artists like Black Moon, Method Man, Raekwon, Souls of Mischief and Group Home.

“‘93 Til Infinity” gets a nice reworking into “‘09 Til Infinity” with the help of Selesha - who featured on “Fist of Jah” - and Jade Tran. Eric B. & Rakim get the treatment with “Know the Ledge“, being revamped into “Juice“, featuring a sick verse by the inimitable Kyza and “Glaciers of Ice” sees the ridiculously dope Raekwon track of the same name, redone with an appearance by TB. I was pleased to hear “Livin’ Proof” by Group Home and Black Moon’s, “Who Got Da Props“, getting a nod, the latter being one of the first hip hop tracks I owned on tape (If anyone cares). Dubbledge gives all these hallowed beats the respect they deserve, which is nice given some of the musical atrocities that have happened in the past when decent beats got jacked.

This mixtape is a blessing cos it also heralds the imminent arrival of his sophomore album, “Is Wot It Is…But It Ain’t Wot It Woz“, which should be amazing given how tight he is sounding on here. “One Inch Punch!” is out on 7 December on Hidden Agenda, and you can check out the “Juice” track with Kyza below…

Tags: Dubbledge, Hidden Agenda, hip hop, Jade Tran, Kyza, Selesha, TB