Zero Tolerance – Giggs [REVIEW]

Words by James Woodham

3.5 STARS

Giggs, A.KA The Landord, returns with his first project since 2020 by the name Zero Tolerance. 15 years after his debut mixtape Walk In Da Park gained traction and changed UK hip-hop permanently, this album shows just how far he has come from having shows shut down, to global features from the likes of Diddy, Popcaan and Jadakiss as well as homegrown talent like Dave, Tiny Boost and Potter Payper who all show out and deliver great verses on this album.

From the introduction, it is clear a lot has changed in 15 years. From the beat selection to more refined vocals, the production was great from the jump, yet it still has the nostalgic feel of heavy-hitting drum patterns and the same cadence he is known for vocally. Diddy came in with a short feature on the lead single Mandem. Despite being a very short feature, the song carries weight seeing as his shows were cancelled by the police 15 years ago, and now he is working with some of the biggest names in music in the last 30 years.  

Unlimited Blessings sums up the album as a whole and serves as a reflection on what music has managed to do for him, as well as what he has done for music and despite the speedbumps in the early years, he is able to appreciate everything around him wholeheartedly and be grateful for everything that has shaped him as not just an artist but as a man and a father.

The second half then gets darker. P.A.D. with Potter Payper is raw and hard-hitting and is somewhat reminiscent of Giggs’ earlier work. Potter Payper opens the song and delivers a powerful verse before Giggs takes the second half of the song. This song is all that’s expected for a Giggs album and would have perfectly fit in on any of the earlier projects like Folklore and High on Life featuring Tiny Boost. All these songs are good, but all feel like a safe option artistically and slightly more could have been done, but nevertheless, still worked.

Dave and Giggs are yet to disappoint on any collaboration, all of which are different and work in their own unique way, especially this one with Dave and Giggs both rapping with a similar flow which blends into each verse smoothly. The album then ends with Shockin. Giggs raps on his own over a smooth instrumental giving a similar feel to unlimited blessings. Once again focusing on the importance of family, Giggs has gone full circle with this album, realising the importance and impact of his past and how it has become something so graceful.

Overall, this was a strong album. He took some risks whilst also sticking to the sound everyone knows all whilst keeping a nostalgic feel throughout. It is safe to say the Landlord collected the rent on time.