Def Jam: Fight For LDN

‘Apex and Denzel (are) trying to bring the game back’ within their hypnotically hyperbolic ‘Def Jam: Fight For LDN’ number.

Denzel Himself is Outer-London’s unorthodox goth rap-star, that’s been ‘ignoring the rules’ from the get go; cutting avant-garde waves within the industry; bearing that renowned ominous voice in conjunction with conscious-seizing wordplay and occasionally chopping in one of those trademark ‘UH!’ adlibs; vividly exhibited within the positively bone-chilling ‘Melty’ from ‘Baphomet James’, and showcased on the iconic COLORS stage alongside Lord Apex’s other half, the nonconforming songstress KEYAH/BLU; as she weaves together that assertively cooling ‘kinda busy and I…’ hook.

Sonically, ‘Def Jam: Fight For London’ sees Denzel turning to… well, Himself. The prophetic wordsmith not only blesses us with a barrage of emphatic bars, but also provides the keys; slapping us in the face with a Neptunes’ inspired four beat entry before steering us into a chain of erratic synths, paralleled with a zealous drum pattern comprising of; snappy snares, metallic clinks and of course that distorted bass prominent within any Denzel riddim. Having a hand within every step of the anthemic number’s cultivation; the man proves he’s certainly ‘no regular jit’.

With two of the most inventive artists residing within this little island on one track; Def Jam, as you can imagine, is absolutely ripped up with brain-rattling wordplay, deviceful flows and everything in-between. Ensuing the abstract hook, Denzel delves into the gritty upbringing he became accustomed to; ‘fiends running up and down the streets for grit/I move smart, but grew up round the streets and shit’ - all before tapping into his gratitude for the greater power; giving praise to the most high; ‘himself ain’t no regular jit, cuz I walk with allah’. Wrapping up the verse, Denzel turns back to the careless aura he posses; telling some girl claiming his name to go ‘suck (their) mum’ and making it clear that she needs to get out his face - bringing the energy we all came here for. 

Now, this man Apex really stepped in with that; … ’HUH, HA, HUH, HA… HUH’ intro. See this intro right here yeah… this intro truly encapsulates the freewill this guy posses when it comes to the writing process; ultimately setting him a mile ahead of these other artists and seemingly only getting better with every entry that tails. ‘Apex’s swag just hits different’ some listener said and I don’t see no lies - it’s ‘sickening’! Apex’s voice modulation for this number just transcends the audio to another dimension; those high-pitched ‘AY SAYYY THAT!’ alongside the erratic instrumental have me wanting to go back to that era of krumping - and let me not forget that ‘now we in the game, switch the level up/now we cop the frames, switch the bezel up’ bar while he’s sporting those trademark Prada shades - talk to him nice!

The two have undeniably drained the true potential out of this link-up; not only offering an insanely intoxicating sound, but also bringing an essence of nostalgia to those of us that remember the days playing Def Jam: Fight for NY on PS2 *and yes, it’s always been PS > Xbox*. The goth has truly turned up for this one, so make sure to show some love; get this one up to a rightful amount of numbers, run up the Denzel directed visuals and give the man his recognition!