ImproPoe - Body of Proof mixtape review

“It’s fun making it hard so you can’t paly with us
I’m the bomb baby, become part of the blast radius
No victory in sight for y’all
Please come with some great ideas
We’ll discuss it all at the peace summit
Not knowing you’ll never leave from it. “

You know that cool feeling you get as you’re slowly reaching the top of a rollercoaster and you know what’s about to happen? Yeah well that’s what this mixtape felt like. Repulsar Blast and all prior verses heard are the slow approach and Body of Proof is the summit. Two nights ago at Back to The City, the fan girl in me almost went and asked ImproPoe when Body of Proof is being released. I guess I didn’t need to because it’s here, motherfuckers! One of Revivolution’s extremely skilled MC’s ImproPoe released what, I personally think, could be one of the top 10 SA rap releases of the year (but that’s just me). Right from the intro, I knew that this would be a great experience.

 

The first time I heard ImproPoe spit, the very first thing that caught my attention was his voice alone. A rapper’s voice is a factor people don’t pay too much attention to but the captivation and vitality that ImproPoe possesses in his voice are very rare. Body of Proof on a whole is a mixtape with 17 tracks of clever wordplay, deadly flows, electric delivery, dope beats, a slight old school feel and witty punchlines. Shout-out to all of the producers on the project: Vez Fullstop, Blaq Faith, ProPound Beats, Cozzy and Mr Green for the high production level. Something I think all of the guys in Revivolution are very skilled in is the art of delivering their raps with such a high level of charisma that comes through, making everything they do seem so effortless. Accompanied by the exciting flows, this charisma is one of the things that makes, not only Body of Proof, but the rapper behind it very special. Although the beats vary in tempo, most of them were more or less of the same style, yet ImproPoe’s unparalleled ability to swiftly dip between wide ranges of flows is pretty impressive. The Oath is one of the best examples of this.

More tracks that stand out to me are Plumb Island; Don’t Feel Bad; the first single released Repulsar Blast; Kosher; Not Swag; By Grace which is a more honest track that sees Impro spitting about his upbringing and personality as well as the hardships of being black; Body of Proof and 3 Seasons which is 4 minutes and 4 seconds of ImproPoe hitting punchline after punchline such as “you lack the skill but not hunger so have a bite of mine” on three different beats. What I really dig is that on all 17 tracks there are no features. If done correctly, this is one of the best things a rapper can do with a mixtape or album. ImproPoe killed it but, personally, I would have loved to hear someone from Revivo join him on The Extremist Cause; maybe Tony Dangler. What’s really dope about Body of Proof is that ImproPoe took the hooks too. He not only spits for 3 full verses on most of the songs but he also takes the hooks. ImproPoe just wanted to flex his ability as a lyricist with this entire mixtape really.

 

This is a beautiful mixtape all the way through. “You know how hard it is to market this? This ain’t the cream of the crop; it only makes the head bop. I gotta do what I would do to contribute to Hip Hop”. Body of Proof is honest and ImproPoe’s authentic passion for rap really comes through. If you’re not really into heavy lyricism and listening to sixteen bars after sixteen bars for 55 minutes then careful the lyrics don’t fly over your head. If you don’t have Body of Proof, wake up!

 

“Let’s cancel
Close the booth for telling y’all the truth
Or is it just conspiracy?
Well, you know the words of men
Like how they predicted over a hundred times that the world would end
Take what you want from this
I’ll write more bullshit in the mean time
ImproPoe: literally one of the most diseased minds.”

 

 

Lyrics & Content: 5/5

Production: 3.5/5

Overall: 8.5/10

 

Peep the download link below:

http://m.audiomack.com/album/impropoe/body-of-proof-5

 

PEACE, LOVE AND HIPHOP

KTTIB x

"With this album, I think I'm saying all the things I really want to say." - Riky Rick on Family Values

Close to the end of last year I was given the opportunity to go through to HYPE and write a few pieces. One of the pieces I was asked to write was a list of my top five rappers of 2014 and instantaneously I knew that Riky Rick had to be put on that list. With such a strong passion for music, Riky continues to gain respect in all aspects of the game.

“I remember all the times they used to sleep on my beats. I was in my bedroom; I couldn’t sleep ‘cause of beats, beats, beats, SP’s, MPC’s, never thought I’d change the world with these MP3’s. First shows I used to play had empty seats!”

 Last year the producer and rapper showed us exactly what he’s capable of doing to our rap game and with the release of Family Values on the 3^rd of April, there’s no telling what impact he will have now. Whether it’s dope beats to bob your head to or if it’s sick punchlines to replay, Riky Rick has proven that he is to be taken seriously and wasn’t playing when he said “ek is die antwoord”.

Check out the interview and don’t forget to cop Family Values! Sounds like a potential classic.