Hip-hop meets dub? Where did I hear that before? Oh yeah – the mid-nineties when hip-hop fragmented and trip-hop was born. In the further reaches of said world, you might have come across Earthling – lesser-known Bristol-based contemporaries of Massive Attack and Portishead but the only one of the three with a full-time rapper (Mau) on board and the monkey’s favourite of the three to boot. Fast forward thirty years to 2025 and along comes Canadian emcee Odario with new single The Situation featuring a beat produced by UK dub legend Mad Professor and graced with additional soul vocals by Yolanda Sargeant and the vibe is not dissimilar. Mad Pro’s beat is a skeletal bass-heavy skank laced with trippy sax, Odario’s bars hit hard and Sargeant’s voice gets the full echo treatment. Boom! A full LP from Odario follows later in the year.
(Out now on Round Hill)
