Lethal Bizzle Shows His Everlasting Influence on “Lethal B Vs Lethal Bizzle” Mixtape

The name Lethal Bizzle will be familiar to many, especially in the Grime scene where he had two of its most iconic tracks with ‘Pow (Forward)’ and ‘Oi’ with More Fire Crew. Even during my school days in the early 2010s, he had big hits like ‘Rari Workout’ and ‘Fester Skank.’

But Maxwell Ansah has been quiet musically for a while, having not released a project since 2017’s ‘You’ll Never Make a Million from Grime EP.’ After focusing on being an entrepreneur, he’s back with a new mixtape and he’s still got the fire that was there back in 2003.

Lethal Bizzle reflects on his come-up on opener ‘Boundary Road Estate,’ looking back on humble beginnings in the ends and how while he made money and had success with ‘Pow,’ other friends weren’t so lucky.

We then go into the loud and blaring sound of ‘Dapper Dan,’ which while it has Trap drums in the beat, the song has the energy of Grime. Bizzle sounds effortless with braggadocio bars about the money he’s made and the property he’s invested in. Giggs matches the vibe with his verse, while a beat switch leads into a more Drillier sound for A9Dbo Fundz to do his thing.

The Old School 140 BPM flavour continues on ‘If The Shoe Fits,’ with talk of proving the people that doubted Lethal Bizzle wrong and K-Trap also looking back on his wins in life. ‘Skint Gang’ gives us a bouncy, Ragga-inspired vibe similar to Bizzle’s own ‘Flex.’ With lines like “I don’t know the plug, I’m the socket,” he’s here to show his worth.

Moving into what feels like the second half of the project, “Attack Mode (Awake)” may have an acoustic instrumental, but it’s appropriately titled for a reason. He’s here to call out anyone, whether that be the record labels exploiting young kids or even Boris Johnson, who “ain’t got a clue.” Through his almost 20 years in the game, Bizzle clearly has some knowledge to pass on and the ability to make his statements into good music.

“Practice Hours” really feels like we’re taking it back to those old-school Grime days, with a powerful and hard-hitting beat, sounding like a battle cry as Lethal Bizzle brings the energy and some hardcore spitting. Coming through with bars such as “I ain’t no John Wayne on the roads, Name’s Max and I cause pain on the roads,” he has not come to play games and shows the listener how a freestyle should be done.

After an interlude from BackRoad Gee, we finish proceedings with a ‘Daily Duppy’ backed by a top-notch, old-school Hip-Hop instrumental by Show N Proove with great use of Piano. Another great freestyle, which covers becoming the head of his family, paying tribute to Richard Antwi, and claiming he may do a Kanye, and run for President of Ghana in 2040. It’s a great way to end the album and look back on what has been and will likely continue to be a successful career and life.

Lethal Bizzle has still got the flows, the energy, and the ability to make fantastic music, showing that his time as a top MC will continue. With a great selection of beats and plenty to say. Hopefully, this is a taster for what’s to come, and maybe we’ll finally get that ‘Lennox Road’ album.

Article by Tom Atkinson