Music > Album Reviews
Bugzy Malone - Facing Time
07/06/16
When it comes to riding hype for personal gain, Bugzy Malone has proven himself a pro. He shot to the forefront of the Grime scene last year following bitter lyrical exchanges with veteran MC Chip, and hasn’t moved since. More recently twitter exploded with rumours that Bugzy had been arrested following an attempted robbery of a jewellers, and although it’s unconfirmed that he started the rumours himself, it’s a pretty safe bet to say that we’ve witnessed a masterclass in exploiting social media – how many people do you think went and Googled “Bugzy Malone facing time”? Throw in one of the best Fire in The Booths we’ve ever seen mid-way through May and you’ve got some serious levels of expectation.
Malone has done his beloved 0161 proud – that’s Manchester to me and you. The EP is a solid mix of hard-hitting biographical tracks which detail Malone’s harrowing experiences growing up in inner city Manchester, as well as high-energy bangers drenched in the self-confidence needed to maintain the status of a top Grime MC. Title track Facing Time falls into the first of these two categories, it’s dark, slick and excellently produced. In it Bugzy contrasts life before and after fame; before he was facing time in prison, but now he feels that fame is its own prison with its own constraints – pretty deep stuff from a 25 year old. Moving is in a similar vein, reflective of the journey from rags to riches, swimming background synths keeping the vibe sincere. But whereas some younger MC’s verge almost on corny when adopting too mature a tone in their bars, Malone only sounds authentic and his music is ever more uncompromising because of that.
Late Night in the 0161 picks up the pace and the lyrics fall more into the aggressively combative category, with some tongue-in-cheek jibes thrown in – I like “Now I need a bed like Wallace and Gromit // So I can slide out of the window onto the bonnet”. Mosh Pit Gang is sure to go off across festivals this summer. Songs created for the simple purpose of eliciting manic responses can sometimes fall flat – think back to Lethal Bizzle’s awful track The Drop – but although the song doesn’t match the standard of the rest of the album it will definitely be good fun live (if possibly slightly dangerous).
Similarly demonstrating that Bugzy can take whatever’s been done before and make it better is gritty and raging I Suggest with blaring rock guitars and a droning bass line. Many Grime artists have spotted that the raw aggression they want to channel is matched by that of a good electric guitar, but attempted collaborations between the two sounds can often feel forced and one-dimensional. Bugzy pulls it off though and the hook is infectious, again crafted well for the frenzied shows that feed the careers of MCs.
The constant throughout the album is Bugzy’s lyrical excellence and ingenuity, and the Mancunian accent lifts his tracks from a scene bloated with London artists. An album as effective in your headphones as it will be blaring out of festival speakers, Bugzy Malone has delivered another great album in Grime’s biggest year to date.
8/10