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Album Reviews
Album Review: Ty – Special Kind Of Fool (BBE Records)
By Paul Vig | Published on Thursday 6 May 2010
To be honest, hip hop isn’t my favoured genre, but when someone personally recommends a CD I always try to make an effort to have a listen. And in this case, I am very glad I did. Ty is Vauxhall-based Ben Chijioke, who returns with an album on BBE after a stint on Big Dada. An incredibly talented rapper, he distils a cerebral social commentary throughout.
From the poppy aspects of ‘Heart Is Breaking’ to the beatsy ‘Get To The Sky’, with vocals from Terri Walker and Vula Malinga (who also appears on the swingbeat inflections of ‘I’m Leaving’), Ty carries it off superbly. The highlight is the funky little roller ‘Me’, which talks about the music industry, and Ty trying to be himself; political and beatsy, it’s simply infectious. Elsewhere, there’s a nod to Marvin Gaye with ‘Get Up’, a more minimal pitched cut, but with crisp lyrics precisely delivered, and the title track itself is catchy too, with its throwback swing-based track.
In fact, there are no bad tracks on here, and there’s an interesting variation of backdrops and melodies. A really impressive album then: Ty demonstrates himself to be a considerable UK hip hop talent. PV
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