Macabre Unit formed sometime during the early 2000s - composed of R. Demon, Nines, 9ner and other lesser-exposed MCs and producers.
This is their third full-length - originally released on MySpace, removed and then reissued on Demon's SoundCloud as a single track in 2015.
Skeletonz immediately opens with one of this tape's hardest beats, showcasing its dark soundscape and mechanical production. The rapping on tracks is split between mostly Demon and occasionally Nines, who unfortunately aren't on any tracks as a duo. They're both amazing MCs (or rappers, if you want) who not once let up this superb tracklist's flow and pacing. Many songs directly transition into each other, them seamlessly trading verses over ever-changing beats. They're lyrically vicious, staying aggressive while delivering some humorous lines. It almost veers into Horrorocre like on the violent exclamations of Gangsta and other tracks;
„If you're a Christian, pray I'm a cannibal
You're not my victim, you're my prey
So rest in pieces, you're beneath us”
-Dance wit da Devil-
It's difficult to emphasize just how consistent they are, especially with the mixing being fluid this could comfortably function as a one-track mix like how it was later released. Throughout its 44 minutes it keeps the pressure up the entire time, making up one of the tightest tracklists in this era of Hip-Hop. Some variety could be nice, but I greatly appreciate a group that knows their skills and execute them effortlessly. To help with that, besides the main two MCs a whole circle of people are featured - 9ner, Loq, Nuse, N-Do, Genesis and Brutkid. They help immensely with songs not blending in together and have nice verses in their own right. Everyone's flow across this is unrestrained, shockingly fast yet also deeply technical all wrapped up in the nice bow that the production is. With how tiny the breaks in between songs are I assume this was all recorded in one take, especially crazy considering how layered some of the rhyme schemes are.
For as much as I talked about the vocal performances, this tape's production is also incredible - handled by the main MCs themselves - its bass is rumbling with a notable Dubstep bent on a lot of it. The synths also help plenty with the almost heavy atmosphere these songs reside in.
There are some mild detours from the main experience though, like the strange extended remix of Sunshine which I assume is from the reissue or the outro remix of Juggernaut.
6 Feet Below Sound 2: Buried Alive is a landmark release in Grime and the UK in general. Every element of it is extremely well-done, even down to the amateurish yet competent mixing. Unrelenting brutality, vocally and instrumentally - just as it should be.
9/10
See also: Ruff Sqwad, Dizzee Rascal, Wiley
- kreyzi
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