Hailing from Gateshead, it may have seemed unlikely that Andrew Laidlaw aka
MC Unique would end up signed to underground LA hip-hop label Rap Junkie
Records - but hard work and no small measure of talent have helped his dream
come true.
MC Unique may still be in his early twenties, but there is great maturity in
his lyrics, and this is already his second album, after his self-financed
debut Baptizm of Fire. As well as being a fine rapper, Unique also produced
most of the tracks on The King of Linguistics, making him something of a one
man hip-hop band.
My only concern is that it isn’t always obvious that MC Unique is actually
British; particularly on tracks like Keep It Real and the very funky
Remember That, featuring Rap Junkie Records boss B Down. The production,
subject matter, and even his voice, are Americanised - but coming from a
deprived area in terms of hip-hop history, with a genuine dearth of local
artists probably explains all of that.
The brutally honest UK Reality Check sheds further light on this conundrum,
as MC Unique openly admits that UK hip-hop has done very little for him,
while American hip-hop has provided him with all of his inspiration.
Having said all that, The King of Linguistics is a very decent album indeed.
Smooth production from start to finish allows MC Unique to spit from the
heart, which is something he does with consummate ease. Check Lyrics
Perfected, with its excellent battle rhymes for just one example of that.
100% From England is MC Unique’s way of bigging-up UK hip-hop and features
an excellent guest appearance from London’s LeEO, but MC Unique is obviously
hoping to break into the American market with this album. Let’s hope he can
succeed where so many other talented UK hip-hop acts have failed.
www.rapjunkierecords.com
Reviewed
by Fraser Syme
|
