Full Plate US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Underground hip-hop veterans Dillon and Batsauce have crafted unorthodox rap music together for nearly 20 years. With Batsauce on beats and Dillon on lyrics, their latest effort, What Have We Done, reflects their unique journey. The title might be rhetorical, inviting listeners to explore the trials, small victories, and major setbacks of being aging independent artists in today's tough music industry. This album features a well-curated crew, including legends like Grand Puba and Kool Keith, alongside modern rap heroes Quelle Chris and Reef the Lost Cauze. The result is a diverse collection that ranges from personal to aspirational, and occasionally delusional. What Have We Done offers a visceral reaction to a life lived on the edge, presenting a raw, unfiltered view of their experiences. Whether it's 'too much' or 'not enough,' the answer remains open to interpretation. This album is an honest talking about through the ups and downs of long-time hip-hop creators.

Review: Dillon & Diamond D's new project Uncut Gems has been produced by the Grammy award-winning beatsmith and hip-hop legend Diamond D and features plenty of next-level scratches by Atlanta-based rapper and DJ Dillon. As well as the skills of those two, plenty of big names are called upon for features with Elzhi, Slimkid3 of The Pharcyde, Ras Kass, Planet Asia and more all guesting. It is a raw, deep take on their sound which we first heard on 2017's Black Tie Affair. There is everything here from late 90s style to dusty samples via eclectic arrangements of beats. It is another classy outing from this vital pair.

Review: An impressive compendium of raw instrumental beats and rap features composed and orchestrated by the late producer Paten Locke from Atlanta, GA, who sadly passed away in 2019 from stage-four cancer. All conceived, produced and recorded by Paten in the mid-2010s, this rough collection spans the best part of a decades' work, with the very last of these bombout beats having only been completed in 2017, two years before his death. Now reissued by Full Plate, the theme and title of this record feels timely and jesting, as if to suggest and anticipate his friends, family and fans make merry after his passing. Despite the demure context, Locke's preferred tone of unwavering poise and braggadocio, felt in his production style and choice of features, is not lost on us here.