There has been a backlash of late in terms of hip-hop albums either going in the direction of party dirge, women-hating and money-making or back to the way things used to be: Just the simplicity of layered production and heartfelt rhymes from talented, hungry rhymers that warm the soul, nod the head and give hope for a real resurgence of Golden Age hip-hop. The stuff that passes for hip-hop these days is ulcer-inducing, and brings shame on the history of the great rappers and great albums of times past.

So, it takes a small but beautifully formed outfit like Ill Adrenaline to co-sign one of this year’s, end of year, highlights. 

New Yorker rhymer Rashad and Boston beat-maker Confidence just exude the type of nostalgia discerning music audiences have been searching for. 

From the opening D.I.TC sounding intro, we’re taken into ‘Brand New’- a lovely marriage of beats and rhymes, with just the right measure of Nice & Smooth, Nas and Rakim vocal sample(s), sax and flute combo and a little one, two scratches. The city of New York is vividly rendered on ‘The City’, as a cautionary tale of hustling, surrounded by crime and urban decay, trying to live in the prime example of an urban jungle. ‘Understand’ reflects the struggle of the rap game and how, unless you’re in the game itself, it’s very difficult to make sense of the constant difficulties to make a name for yourself.

‘Rumors of War’ is the duo at their most political. This isn’t some trite thesis on the state of the U.S, but analysis from the heart about the political landscape and how it affects generation Z. Again, the boom-bap, sax sample, with vocal refrain, is a beautiful marriage of beats and rhymes. Older heads will scrutinise every word of the reminisces on ‘Days of My Youth,’ which name checks cassette tapes, Marley Marl and Pete Rock’s groundbreaking Hot 97 show, ‘Future Flavors’ and Helly Hansen (when they were worn by almost every homeboy in the early 1990s in New York City). 

‘Pen on Display’ is a guitar lick, sax-spitting four-minute boast, wrapped around that distinct 1990s Showbiz and A.G/Lord Finesse production homage. It’s simplicity of the most pleasurable kind for listeners’ of a certain age. ‘Shining’ is the slowest but possibly the most intricate song on the album. Reflective, inducing a slow head nod, but with an extra kick, chopping up Bob James’ seminal sample cut ‘Nautilus’, but using bits of the distinct track not used before in quite the same way. ‘Pass Me By’ is an upbeat, jazzy number about the rap game hustle, concluding that timing is everything if success is to be achieved. 

In essence, ‘The Element of Surprise’ isn’t that surprising, but that’s not to detract from how enjoyable and pleasurable it is as an album paying homage (as the album cover does, to Lord Finesse’s classic freshman album from 1990, ‘Funky Technician’). This isn’t to suggest that Rashad and Confidence aren’t able players in the rap game on their own terms. They just believe that the authentic hip-hop is something they aspire to, and those of a certain vintage will certainly salute the return to the antecedents’ of what got a lot of people into hip-hop in the first place. 

Keeping it real and other such abused phrases continue to dog hip-hop. The current crop of hip-hopping, chart toppers, are a heart-sinking, eye-rolling disgrace to many. So for those that continue to bemoan about the present and want to bask in the glow of an era of album after album of brilliance, then Rashad and Confidence have made an album just for you. I have hopes that clued-up youngsters will be scooped up and schooled on this small masterpiece and support it, to the hilt.