JOELL ORTIZ Vinilo y CD

Review: Brooklyn don Joell Ortiz is back with one of his most potent partnerships to date. L'Orange is the kind of hip-hop producer who knows how to bridge the gap between sample-rooted nostalgia and head-twisting innovation, and so we're gifted with a full suite of beats that shock on first listen before burrowing their way into your subconscious before the second bar is finished. It's the perfect backdrop for Ortiz to lay down his crystal clear street tales, delivered with the perfect blend of venom, humour, sensitivity and stubbornness - gifts hard won on his rise to the top of the rap pile and deployed to devastating effect on this album.

Review: On Signature, Joell Ortiz's raw lyrical prowess converges with L’Orange's time-honed production chops, resulting in a pure collaborative bombshell. L'Orange crafts beats exuding an undeniable vintage charm, which mesh delectably with Ortiz’s frank flows and delivery; most notable among these fusions is ‘In My Feelings’, detailing Ortiz’s upbringing as a young Brooklynite in search of purpose, then reflecting on his self-actualisation since those day ones. Not all is peachy, though: ‘Masked Up’ draws compelling metaphorical parallels between music industry rejection and harder street hustling, and L’Orange’s hazed-out stomper of a beat wickedly complements these harder-than-nails travails.