REVIEW | Team Demo – It’s A Demo – Raw Side Hip Hop

You know the production credits – Team Demo are those dudes. If boom bap hip hop is your thing – they’ve got you. Mix it up with some West Coast flava – holla at the crew. The fact is, Team Demo have been doing their thing on the production tip for more than a minute, providing some of hip hops best soundscapes for years, but now it’s their time to shine with the album ‘It’s A Demo‘. This ten track opus, not only features some FIRE production, but the quality of guest verses on this joint, speaks volumes to the quality and respect Team Demo / DMV production crew have in the game. We’re talking Methond Man, Rome Streetz, Planet Asia, Ras Kass, Skyzoo, The Bad Seed, Wais P…. these are some electric spitters and Team Demo serve up a sweet score, on a platter, for these emcees to eat.

What better way to announce your arrival with an album, than by dropping a rugged, boom bap-centric BANGER like ‘Quest Love Bounce‘ featuring Skyzoo, Planet Asia and Wais P. It’s grimy, it’s triumphant, it is one hell of a track and sets the tone for the rest of the album. There is a significant fire warning. The keys on ‘Extras in the Pot‘ are delightfully dark, which is exactly the kind of melodic, moody score that artists like Rome Streetz are born to slay. This street anthem also features Wais P and has a completely different vibe to track one, showing the versatility of sound Team Demo Bring. It’s a more mellow vibe when Hus KingPin and Che Noir control the mic on the synth / soulful joint ‘5% Tint‘ which cruises through the speakers with an airy satisfaction. The bars are hardbody too so don’t sleep.

‘Camera Flash‘ is so gritty and menacing, your mean-mugging and nodding the noggin before you even realise it. This is the kind of joint that people could commit violent acts to (Raw Side Hip Hop do not condone violence of any sort, unless it’s slaying mics and bullying beats!!!) and is pure, street hop. Illa Ghee, Wais P and Method Man deliver the energy of this nefarious track to perfection. ‘Creep‘ is that West Coast inspired, road cruising joint that completely changes the mood when play is pressed but then ‘Odee‘ featuring Termanology and Wais P completely flips the script, bringing another odious vibe to the project, that needs an almost instant repeat!

Team Demo bring the BOUNCE with ‘Poli with the Plug‘ featuring Vado & Kingpen Slim. This joint has a really good energy, the keys are dancing all over the place and the bars are equally infectious as the beat! It’s back to that gritty, grimy, concrete cracking sound on ‘Do You Believe?‘ which suits Wais P and Sauce Money to perfection. Their bars are as crisp as some new Timbs, and the beat should come with a neck brace. The penultimate track has some SERIOUS BDE with Nems and Lil Fame double teaming the menacing production of ‘What You Don’t See‘. This is hardbody hip hop at its finest. Finally, the album closes with the religious experience that is ‘Hallelujah‘ featuring The Bad Seed, Planet Asia and Ras Kass, three of underground hip hops GOD tier emcees. It’s a moving joint, from the vocal / choral hook to the precise delivery of intelligent wordplay.

Bangers: Camera Flash, Quest Love Bounce, Hallelujah, Do You Believe?

Score: 10 / 10. What a wild ride! Team Demo have delivered one of the most interesting and diverse hip hop albums of the year. The features are incredible – it’s as though everyone was in the studio at the same time and steel was sharpening steel! No one wanted to have a wack verse on this album – so every 16 is flames. The production is impeccable – ranging from bouncy to bullish, funky to ferocious but it all fits together like a delightful musical gumbo. Team Demo have just put the game on notice. There have been a lot of dope producer albums over the last 12 months, but it’s time to step yo games up!

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About The Author

Brutus Maximus

Founder of Raw Side Hip Hop. Been rocking with the hip hop culture for over 30 years. Love the creativity, authenticity of the art and the culture as a whole. Shout out to the real ones making and supporting true hip hip and the artists who make it!