Well known to MC fans mainly across the Mersey waters in Liverpool, Dru-T has finally released the highly anticipated (yet unexpected) Volume 2 of the Mersey Life series. Less than 14 days after his last mixtape release (Volume 1), Dru-T, of 18 years, delivers one of the hottest mixtapes around in British hip-hop today. He’s not a rapper though; he’s an R.A.P.P.E.R (Rhythm Applied Poet Portraying Emotional Rhyme). After the unbelievable amount of positive feedback from Volume 1, Dru-T wrote AND recorded 21 brand new songs in 12 days. Because of this, the 2nd Volume was completely unexpected by most people as they all knew Dru-T was going to be locked up on 27th October 2006 for a crime he says he did not commit. After listening to it, it is also a striking reminder to everybody of how focused Dru-T is with succeeding in the music business. With twists and turns holding back everything Dru had wanted to do in his life, he’s come out fighting. Whether you want to listen to some hip-hop/R&B or straight street rap, this tape has got it all.

This time around, the mixtape contains 21 tracks with a fresher look on what can only be described as “Mersey Life”. From the very beginning with the opening track, “Dear God (Intro)”, religious controversy gets the better of Dru as he refers to God as the Devil and vice versa. The Intro challenges the way people perceive God – portraying him as a person who just rolls the dice in life and sits back and watches what happens, whether the outcome is good or bad. He goes on to blame God for the death of his brother (suicide) and even goes as far to say that the Devil is “really a nice person”.

After that “uplifting” intro, a fast and more elevating beat opens the door for us to continue listening to the tape. Track 2, “Believe Me (It’s Liverpool)”, shows that Dru isn’t just here to show off his strong verbal prowess, great flows, beats and inspiring music but to stay true to who he is and his home town.

The mixtape then sets free the 5th in a collection of ‘diss’ tracks that Dru has made towards local MC, MC Inferno, called “I’ll Get Your Chick Boi”. The track not only verbally dismantles Inferno, but also teaches him a lesson in flows and beats as well.

For people who think that the 2nd mixtape has nothing different to offer over Volume 1, then they would be completely wrong. With incredible tracks such as “Can’t Get Over You”, “More Than Friends” and his very own remix of the popular “Wifey Riddem”, it’s obvious to all that Dru has made progression in terms of musical talent. Bass-banging tracks such as “They Know My Name”, “Can’t You Feel Me?” and “Nowhere To Run” not only features himself, but also other neighbouring MCs such as Cain, Killah Kon, DyNamic and Renegade.

One of the better things about Volume One was that the tracks were emotional and personal. He’s done it again, only on a higher level. Not only is he able to express what’s going on in his mind, body and soul, but he’s able to channel it to make some outstanding music. This is best displayed on tracks such as “I Got You” (showing signs of personification whilst talking about his beloved microphone), “Never Fallin’” and my personal favourite “Will You Remember Me?” where Dru talks about his brother once again.

Dru even goes as far to create a track for the haters. In this “skit” he makes them sound like babies. Dru has created a character of his own which portrays his haters as they “go up to their bedrooms”, listen to their favourite “rap-gangster record”, “log onto their favourite forums” and insult Dru-T. The reason he makes them sound like they are babies is obvious to most people as they can only say it online, they’d never say it to his face. To help with the picture painting, the lyrics of the skit come from the mouth of the verbal aggressor in a high-pitched tone.

In his more upbeat tracks, Dru has made his flow more on point and the metaphors are turning more heads than ever.

Not only is Volume 2 an essential on any hip-hop fan’s MP3 player, but it’s also a massive achievement for Dru-T of which he should be very proud of. The tape is a lyrical masterpiece which makes up for the amateur beats due to him being unsigned and not being able to afford equipment. It gives off a more expressive vibe than Volume One and instead of displaying a mixture of styles, he can focus on delivering a more consistent and remarkable project from start to finish.

Pros

Lyrical masterpiece
Verbal dismantlement of opposition
Fresh lyrics and beats
Good use of amateur beats and flows

Cons

Amateur beats and flows

(Lyrics) Top 4 Tracks

Wil You Remember me?
They Know My Name
Nowhere To Run
I'll Get Your Chick Boi

(Beats/Flows) Top 4 Tracks

Believe Me (It's Liverpool)
They Know My Name
Nowhere To Run
be Ready To Die

My rating - 4.8/5