WERD (S.O.S) "UNTITLED SCOT" | ALBUM REVIEW
by Marc McAllister

This is one of many Scottish Hip-Hop albums I have reviewed recently, which means one thing; the people are starting to take notice. Werd (S.O.S) A.K.A. Drew Devine, has been one of the key players in the process of putting the Scotch-Hop scene on the map. Werd has quite possibly one of the most distinctive voices in the game and has put a lot of work in to get that voice heard. The Edinburgh based rapper has released a great number of EPs and mix-tapes through the SOS label, collaborated with top artists on the circuit and participated in youth workshops that teach kids beat boxing, rapping and many other hip-hop orientated skills.

In 2009, Werd teamed up with the Leith Agency to create a short rap LP aimed at kids to teach them the dangers of knife crime. The aptly named Anti-Knife Crime EP was a collaboration of Werd, Wardie Burns, UV Beatz and Powercut Productions Producer, Steg G. Edinburgh City Council helped backed the EP and it was successfully circulated around youth projects and schools in the hope of making a difference. In 2011 Werd won the Urban Recording of the Year Award at the Scottish New Music Awards for his EP 'Vagabonds In Space' which again featured Wardie Burns as well as Mog and Zambian Astronaut. After winning the award at last year's S.N.M.A the time was finally right for Werd to take it that one step further.

On this, his debut album 'Untitled Scot' he steps up his game from the first track entitled 'Find My-Sell' which grabs your attention with a gritty beat and infectious opening lyrics "This album has no set style, it's just me trying to find myself". The cool gritty hip-hop continues from 'SOS All Day' all the way though to 'Lost Focus' and then the pace has a pleasant change to a melodic wee tune known as 'My State Of Mind'. This song features a sample from Jose Gonzalez's 'Down the Line' which accompanied by Werd's vocals make for a fantastic song. The album continues to impress with the very grimy 'Irreplaceable' featuring Madhat and Riddlah, nice tune! Other standout tracks on the album include 'History in Disguise', 'No Romeo' and 'Forever Endeavour' but my favourite has to be 'DruNk StoRy'. I think I favour this track because I can really relate to the lyrics, which probably should be a sign for me to address aspects of my life style, even without the relatable vocals the back beat is hauntingly beautiful.

The album features collaborations with some great musical talents including artists such as Deeko, Conscious Route, Riddlah, Mog, Nitty Gritz, Jordan Butler Madhat McGore and of course Wardie Burns. To sum the album up, it's like Deltron 3030's self titled album thrown into a blender with Cypress Hill's 'Temples of Boom' but with some original gritty Scottish attitude, add a sprinkle of electro and grime just for the flavor. Great debut, one small step for Werd and one giant leap for Scottish hip-hop.

Untitled Scot was released on 31st July 2012 on Sons of Scotland (SOS)

Available on ITunes, Amazon and all other good digital sites, stream on Spotify or Bandcamp.

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