No Favours is a masterclass in old-school grime, Alex Thompson looks at how MC Footsie constructs a sense of mid-noughties nostalgia while still managing to keep it fresh
Having been out for just over a month, you’d be forgiven for wondering why the latest album from grime MC Footsie is this week’s Album of the Week. In all honesty, it’s because I was a bit late to the party, I listened to a few singles but it wasn’t until early this week when I sat down and listened to No Favours in full. It’s also an album that I’m not seeing as much noise about as I’d expected, and one that deserves some more love.
Whatever it is, this is a review of the latest album from Footsie.
Back To The Old School
No Favours is the grime MC’s industry debut, but unlike most debut albums it comes after the best part of two decades as an artist. Footsie was making noise back in the mid-noughties grime scene and spent the years afterwards making waves with the legendary MC and Ikea voiceover artist D Double E as the Newham Generals, becoming a staple of the scene. This old-school grime pedigree feeds into the album’s strongest suit, it’s unapologetic throwback nature.
When you listen to modern grime, it has a different character to its predecessor. It might be more slickly produced and pop-orientated like Stormzy, it might be more genre bending like Skepta or it might be whatever Slowthai is doing. No Favours is different. From the gritty bounce and Jme feature of ‘Pepper Stew’ to the brilliantly noisy instrumental on ‘Music Money’, this album feels rooted in the world of mid-noughties grime. It’s an album that owes more to the pioneers of grime like Kano, Wiley and Dizzee than it does its contemporaries. Listening to No Favours is timeless in tone, not pandering to a new audience nor playing off of a current wave of mid-noughties nostalgia.
'Organised Chaos': Beats, Bars and Production
A large part of this comes from the very distinctive flow of Footsie, who’s machine gun flows carry that same East London bite and snarl as D Double. It’s cutting, brilliantly nasal and fierce, puncturing through the noisiest and most chaotic beats where lesser rappers would flounder. Just listen to his vocals punch through the gritty instrumental and pounding drums of ‘Restless Jack’ where Footsie really flexes his credentials as a veteran MC.
The instrumentals themselves also feel very old school, rattling 140bpm affairs with skittering hi-hats, warped pianos and thudding basslines dance around sampled horns, glitchy electronics and the occasional glass break sound effect. A quick look at the production credits and these brilliantly produced instrumentals should be no surprise. No Favours features appearances from Skream, Kwes Darko and even a Chase and Status cut. This comes together to make a brilliant mix of old and new school aesthetics, offering a punchy and colourful backdrop for Footsie and Co create organised chaos.
In much the same way, the features list couldn’t be better chosen. Footsie trades verses with some of the titans of the genre, from D Double and Jme to CASISDEAD and BBK’s Jammer. Each choice seems to compliment Footsie’s style and offer a different flavour to a track, whether it be the wit and humour of Jme or the brilliantly frenetic bars of D Double.
In terms of lyrics, Footsie isn’t doing anything new, rather playing off of the old grime tropes but to great effect. Footballers, ketamine and Mini Metro’s are laced into the mix on ‘Pepper Stew’. Money and wealth take centre stage on ‘Music Money’. These ideas might not be new, but they never feel out of place and suit the old school style No Favours revels in.
'Looking Backwards': Grime Nostalgia And Final Thoughts
From the brilliantly noisy instrumentals to the punchy hooks and old school sensibilities, this is an album that feels engineered to be played at a grime rave, paying homage to the culture and music that defined London in the mid 2000s. And that’s this album’s strongest suit, that it is a proper grime album and that’s refreshing in an era when UK hip hop is constantly pushing boundaries, but few people are looking backwards.
Of course, this album is not without its flaws. There’s the occasional flat track (‘Frank Bruno’, ‘Easy For You’ etc.), naff sample (‘Hills Of Zion’) and often I’d find myself wanting Footsie to try something new, rather than sticking to the same tried and tested formula. Despite this, No Favours is a lot of fun. Whether you’re a casual hip hop fan or die hard grime devotee, there’s a lot to love in this album and I can’t help but love it’s brilliantly chaotic, and brilliantly old school, aesthetic. Production is gritty and punchy, lyrics packed with punchlines and there’s a manic energy to the whole thing that is going to make it a houseparty essential when lockdown is over.
Best Tracks: ‘Pepper Stew’, ‘Finesse’, ‘Restless Jack’, ‘Spread Love’, ‘Music Money’,
Worst Tracks: ‘Hills Of Zion’, ‘Frank Bruno’, ‘Easy For You’
Rating: 7/10
Alex Thompson
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