The lethal UK duo Krept and Konan deliver as promised with their two-part mixtapes 7 Days and 7 Nights. They’ve been under the radar for most of 2017 but the Tim Westwood interview back in July let us know something was on the way. We then had a calm before the storm period and subsequent to that a roll out of the cover arts and two songs (Wo Wo Wo and For Me).
In terms of the mixtapes, 7 Days was sold as the go-to for hype with 7 Nights for the “Netflix and Chill” scenarios. With both mixtapes totaling 21 tracks and my current mood, I will review 7 Days. Allowing you guys to digest the more mellow second half without my exquisite commentary.
1. Champions League
The Champions League in football is the pinnacle for Europe’s biggest clubs. Konan and Krept are definitely in the Champions League of UK Rap and this onslaught solidifies it. There are slide tackles flying in from everywhere for the opposing players. Fire intro high energy throughout.
“Rain or the storms, I was tryna make a G SAP” – Krept
2. Told You
I hear you Konan, this is a ground-up anthem. It’s funny how their verses pretty much capture the narrative of Tory Lanez’s debut album even the attitude is the same. A decent filler for their next tune.
3. Wo Wo Wo*
It was unavoidable for me not to hear this song in some form(freestyles for days). A few criticisms I noted was the mention how it was too American. Listening to it in full now I can hear why people think this; with the pronunciation and the slang they use. For Me, this will be their big hit for a while. The hook, production, and verses all mesh into one big wave hence why the challenge went viral (Clue’s version is fire!!).
4. On My Life (Ft Skepta)
I’m hearing the It Aint Safe flow throughout the song from Krept and Konan. The haunting Halloween production fits Skepta vocals perfectly, it’s almost like this is his song. Listen out for the EMA line haha very cheeky from Konan.
“I bought my Dad a house that’s what ni**as do, Mum got jealous so I got her one too” – Skepta
5. Robbery (Remix) (Ft Abra Cadabra)
Not too sure why this isn’t available when you stream the album on Apple Music?. Anyway, I’ve heard it enough to know the impact it has. On my first listen way back when I thought wow, who is this angry yardie. I then went back and found Abra’s BL@CKBOX freestyle and realized why Krept wanted to remix the song in the first place. I’m still waiting on his debut project though!.
6. Khalas (Ft R.A.)
Khalas has to be one of the most overused words nowadays(ahem Mist). Not too keen on R.A to be fair, but the rapping before with Krept is ridiculous. This rally style reminds me of old-school savage Krept and Konan from 2010, the SBTV days.
7. Sauce
Nope, this is not for me man, the hook is alone is puts me off listening to it.
8. Cold Summer (Krept Freestyle)
Well, this is refreshing, something with a message from Krept. They always have demonstrated that they have this within them. He’s addressing some of the common misconceptions and issues in modern society with youth, conscious stuff.
“I put diamonds in my watch that’s black man timing”
9. Ask Flipz (Ft Stormzy)*
Who is the left to ask?, we have already had Carlos and now Flipz. Jokes aside, they both handle the grimey tempo with ease and flood our ears with punchlines. Nice touch how they remix parts of the flow of the person featured(and Chip) it’s the second time I’ve picked it up now.
10. Last Night in LA (Konan Freestyle)
This is up there with one of my top 10 UK freestyles hands down. Konan absolutely rips this to shreds with flow and wordplay. There’s a lot of hunger in his voice, which was probably aimed at those who doubted their rapping style following the successes of their singles(e.g. Freak Of The Week). No space for though? Last Night In Lagos, come on G!.
11. Get a Stack (Ft J Hus)*
A calming end to the project as expected.They’ve done very well with these features using the sounds which we are familiar with the featured artist. Sneakbo would kill this, its got the feel of Want From Me Remix.
As a Krept and Konan fan, I didn’t really like their album as I felt it sounded very Drake-ish(emotive, hook-driven and dark production) as Wiley highlighted back in 2015. Since then their remixes set the scene for a mixtape like this. 7 Days gave us a mix of US and UK styles which I don’t think anyone can complain about.The features also worked well with no one sounding out of place. I could’ve done without Sauce though.
I feel this 7 Nights will sound fully Drake / Tory-ish but will give it a listen with open ears. These tracks will definitely have enough weight to hold them over until their next album whenever that is.
Top 3 Tracks: Wo Wo Wo, Ask Flipz and Get a Stack
Rating: 8/10
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