Y Society

Hip-hop is the only genre that frowns upon artists being heavily influenced by those before them. To release an album soaked in the golden age of hip-hop seems dated and some people would rather hear modern garbage than a solid throwback. Travel At Your Own Pace is rich in vocal samples from classic jams from the early ’90s, using MC deliveries from Nice & Smooth to A Tribe Called Quest to create pretty much every chorus on Y Society’s debut. Jazz samples and that early East Coast snare cover the production, making for a nice listen, but you have to admit that things wind up flat, with this formula running thin midway, the listener realising there’s no punch. Y Society sound nice on the mic, the production is top notch and the flows smooth but with no advanced sound this release isn’t as engaging as it could have been. As someone with so much love for the golden age, it’s hard to dismiss a record that reminds you of Mecca and the Soul Brother but with so many artists out there drawing up new blueprints for hip-hop, it’s hard to get excited over boom bap, even if it’s done incredibly well.