‘GRANDMASTERSPLASH’
Hot off the back of his opus 1nce Upon A Time Called “NOW” and the psychedelic buckshot ANKGORWAT, al.divino strikes the iron again, smithing an honourable homage to hip-hop in its many stylings. GRANDMASTERSPLASH serves a smorgasbord of sounds that span the continuum of rap, all of which produced with proficiency and splashed on superlatively by divino, providing proof for the statement:
“I ain’t a rapper that makes beats, I’m a producer that’s fucking nice man” (‘BOGARD (UP EARLY)’)
With reference to the pioneer Grandmaster Flash, GRANDMASTERSPLASH, and Jackpot Records as a whole for that matter, harkens back to a time when the genre was predicated on DIY. In the 70s, hip-hop was a rebellious child, it was not yet adopted by the industry machine nor the radio robot, so, hip-hop relied on individual innovation to grow. The pioneers had to do it themselves, and a quick Google search will tell you that Grandmaster Flash is one of one.
I’d be remiss to not now point praise at the one showing respect to the greats, because al.divino is also one of one. A sadly rare appreciator of hip-hop in all its pillars. Art by divino. Production by divino. Raps by divino. All we’re missing is a mean headspin! And on top of that, al.divino keeps the mutinous motto going for the modern day.
On ‘IMMORTALITY (F*CK A SPOTIFY PLAYLIST)’, divino raps on a 20-car-pile-up with its gnarled, industrial sounds, chopped, alarming horns, and rattling, metallic percussion. Impending sonic violence incarnate which divino dissects immaculately. This isn’t for your algorithm, it’s for those with traditionally, non-traditional ears, to paraphrase Reggieknow. Slick turns of phrase are abundant like “Pai Mei mind games, the dimes chase us, every rhyme a blank check”, and my personal favourite, “luck a lie, I finagle”, but the content concerning the first part of the track title, ‘IMMORTALITY…’, is what I really want to focus on.
“Can’t buy trust, tryna get it, either get rich or die in the process, the prize: immortal life after death, hourglass already half-empty, time ticking, minute by minute”
Picking up where he left off on 1nce Upon A Time Called “NOW”, al.divino crashes into immortality head-on. Legacy: the ultimate reward for hard work, for a life’s work, and something divino has most certainly found. He has put in, and continues to put in, time towards a singular, classic vision; he’s followed the ‘TREASURE MAP’ and uncovered the life after death, the truest of treasures.
‘TREASURE MAP’ is yet another al.divino and Obijuan classic. By my maths, this is their 3rd collaboration and it does not disappoint. Keys overlap and ascend like one foot in front of another up the mountain top, moving from analogue to digital in tone with each step. A bright, enlightening journey plotted by al.divino: ‘TREASURE MAP’ transports you on the quest for gold. divino meditates on his story and what it took to get to the prize named on ‘IMMORTALITY’.
“Ain’t found yourself yet, ‘cuz you ain’t look, pain gave me more than it took”
And then arrives the ‘SLANGPIRATE’ with a bellowing from that mountain top, telling you where the treasure is buried. I’d be lying if I said I have not been screaming ‘RENDEZVOUS!’ every second hour since I first heard it. I think it’s only right at this point to show love to Rahiem Supreme and Estee Nack for their show-stopping features on ‘HEROIC DOSE’ and ‘GUNFU’ respectively. ‘HEROIC DOSE’ is a fever dream of snaking synths and disembodied vocals which Rahiem Supreme cuts through with his ever unique and dynamic delivery. And then we get ‘GUNFU’, a lyrical acrobatics masterclass from none other than Nackie Chan over glossy synths which bow to a true warrior at work.
Now, Obijuan isn’t the only one who can create earworms on GRANDMASTERSPLASH, divino didn’t come to play around either. On the grooving ‘100 WIVES’, divino’s refrain of, “Now my mic sound nice, salmon with the brown rice”, is ingeniously infectious with the way he rhymes the “oun” sound, manipulating “salmon” like a fishmonger to fit the scheme. But my favourite new lexicon addition would have to come from the track ‘MAFANGUL’ with the simple three-word phrase, “Mafangul, grabba gool”, in all its symmetrical-syllabic perfection. As well as being catchy, ‘MAFANGUL’ also serves as a paradigm of al.divino’s spiralling rhyme schemes and impeccable control. Atop idyllically chopped and arranged samples, divino spins heads and breaks neck with wit and skill, rhyming damn near every morpheme marvellously:
“No passes, I ain’t a hall monitor, Monica, honour the moniker, a day late, or a dollar short is intolerable, grow up, if I wanted to deal with toddler shit, bitch, I’da started a school”
The point of these write-ups is twofold: those in the know get to know more, and those who don’t know, get to. In contrast to 1nce Upon A Time Called “NOW” however, everyone knows something, that is, ‘OSAMA TEZUKA’. Released prior to GRANDMASTERSPLASH, ‘OSAMA TEZUKA’ pays tribute to the father of manga in name and with a “BLASTRO BOY”, not Astro Boy, type beat. Thumping percussion punches through ominous ambience and keys, creating a neo-Tokyo detective scene for a lyrical shootout. Suspect? Mighty Atom with a Tommy gun. Call me Gesicht because I got you on the breakdown.
“It’s game time, you know this, ain’t no hold ups, ain’t no chill, ain’t no do it tomorrow, everything we aim at, we hit, including the lotto, luck like we fixed the whole shit, do the impossible”
People always want to talk about “quality over quantity” as if it is always the case of one or the other. al.divino is one of the few who prove you can do both. It isn’t luck he can do both, it’s the product of hard work and an “ain’t no do it tomorrow” mentality, when the lottery of life isn’t always on your side. GRANDMASTERSPLASH is another jackpot on the record; but he got so many you’d swear he’s cheating. The rap game Osamu Tezuka.
“Parçel wool knit sweaters, dyed all kinda flavours, slime, we made it”
Keeping with the Japanese reference points, the line above reads to me the same way as if Nigo was chopping it up about BAPE on Ape Sounds. Parçel may be a relatively young brand, however, in that short time, the number of classic Ts and art-piece jackets that have been released, sold, and sold-out, is paramount to vision of the all-encompassing artistic vision of one, al.divino. And, I think I speak for all of us when I say I need a Parçel wool knit sweater.
GRANDMASTERSPLASH is a testament to one’s singular artistic vision and to the work it takes to achieve it. A canvas covering the span of divino’s career in all of its different sounds and styles, painted from a palette of experience and influence. The greats have their dues paid by al.divino, so it’s only right we pay our dues to the greats too: buy GRANDMASTERSPLASH on jackpotrecords.vip now!