Five years since their last album, the south London rap duo return on their own Play Dirty label after a decade in partnership with a major. This is a sort-of sequel to their legend-minting 2013 mixtape Young Kingz, although II’s luxury beats and plutocrat obsessions are some distance from its gritty, grimy vibe. Still, Krept & Konan haven’t sat on their fortunes as if they’re dragon eggs. Their Crepes & Cones restaurant has closed but they’ve recently set up a foundation for at-risk kids, a mental health charity and Saveways, Britain’s largest supermarket for black and Asian communities.
As always, their verses address family, cash and sex with a candour and filthy wit that few can match. Krept’s Nala’s Song (to his daughter) and Konan’s Delroy’s Son (for his late dad) are twin emotional peaks in the album’s middle; elsewhere, their flair for memorable metaphors and parochial references remains undimmed. Freestyles and features abound, most notably Ghetts on Rage, or guest Oxlade’s angelic tone blessing Kilimanjaro. There’s nothing as brutally exciting as 2023 posse cut Dat Way (Remix), but it’s pure pleasure to hear the pair wielding their axe-shaped pens in anger again.
