[REVIEW] Skrapz – The End Of The Beginning [@skrapzisback] [@ExplicitLDN]

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The Ice City Boys (ICB) has been established as one of the hardest in the UK Rap scene and has surely dominated the game this year. With Nines shutting down the Rap game earlier this year with ‘One Foot In’, it was only right that Skrapz does the same thing. Skrapz has always had the UK buzzing, originally representing the Grime scene with SLK to the present day representing the UK Rap scene with his mellow, laid back flow.

Skrapz has an extensive back catalogue proving that he has been making quality music long before his large fan base. 2015 has definitely been the year for Skrapz to reach out to a wider audience and prove that he is a major contender in the UK Rap scene. Skrapz brings us ‘The End of the Beginning’, a 14 track album with a fruitful selection of features from the likes of: Wretch 32, Donae’o, B.anca, Kai Ryder, Nines and many more.

The album begins with “Iron Mike” (Produced by AC Mainz) as Skrapz lets the whole scene know that he is the Mike Tyson of the UK Rap scene. Skrapz speaks about his come up in the game, ICB and the fake rappers involved in the UK Rap scene. The track brings us the heat we expect from Skrapz and sets the levels for the album.

This is followed by “They Ain’t Ready” (Produced by SM Beats/BeatMechanics) which is a boasy track as Skrapz warns the competition that none of them are ready for what he has to bring to the table. Covering a range of topics from weed, the high life and his team this track represents everything we enjoy about listening to Skrapz and this is a track that will be replayed often.

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Long term collaborator Giggs joins Skrapz on the album for “Round Here” (Produced by Major Notes) which is one of the more gritty tracks on the album. The ghoulish track reminds the scene that Skrapz and Giggs have long term history in the UK Rap scene and knows how to make authentic UK bangers. The collaboration is something that a lot of fans would have expected and it proved to be one of the more notable tracks on ‘The End of the Beginning’ that can certainly shut down raves.

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Skrapz shows a lot of versatility on the album and manages to stand toe to toe with the lyrical wordsmith Wretch 32 in “Everywhere” (Produced by RxR Music). The track serves the purpose of bringing that nostalgic hip hop vibe to the track as both Skrapz and Wretch 32 spills real life rap on the track.

Skrapz is joined by WSTRN’s very own Akelle Charles for “I try” (Produced by Pressure Beats & Wildboy Ace) which is a very intimate track as Skrapz speaks on the people trying to set him back in life and his desire to make money to support his family. He understands what he has done was only for a good cause. The vocals of Akelle Charles make the track more light-hearted and emotional complemented with the thought provoking lyrics of Skrapz.

Skrapz is joined by a few ICB members for the track “ICB” (Produced by Rimz Production) featuring Likkle T, Keza, Fatz and Streets and “3 The Hard Way” (Produced by Nav Michael) featuring Nines and J-Man. Any fans of ICB will appreciate these tracks as it works well with the mixtape and is essential to make the album well rounded.

Skrapz brings back the old school vibe in UK Rap and brings us a genuine album that covers a range of topics that we can all relate to. Skrapz does not just speak on the success in his life; he also covers emotional moments that are presented really well on the album. Considering ‘The End of the Beginning’ was originally meant to be an EP, we are glad that he made the decision to make it an album as it has all the qualities of one and had a solid selection of tracks which are special in their own right. Skrapz has produced many projects. However, ‘The End of the Beginning’ might just be one of the best.

Favourite Track: Round Here featuring Giggs (Produced by Major Notes)

Tariq Peters (@Explicit LDN)

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