Since their inception a couple years ago, Group BraCil have been pushing the boundaries of hiphop through a multiplicity of genre-bending projects. Releases from Verbz and Old Paradice have particularly grabbed the attention of boom-bap fanatics, but this collaborative tape accentuates everything the label has come to be.
Happiness, We’re All In This Together could not have come at a more fitting time. Whether this narrative was purposeful, or even predicted the pandemic, is irrelevant but shows the supportive spirit each artist brings to the LP and their collective. Such an expansive roster of rappers and producers makes no two tracks the same, as elements of soul, funk and jazz creep into the record’s hiphop lineage.
Violet Springs and Illuzual’s Suspicious Eyes especially exonerates just how versatile this project is. Submerging Springs’ velvety vocals in an assortment of echoing drums and harp strings, the track possesses a distinctive mellowness in comparison to others. However, the record’s haziness is apparent from start to finish.
The LP’s vast soundscape keeps you on your toes and sonically intrigued throughout its entirety. Chuck Enzo’s Schweet remix, taken originally from Verbz’ Pathways album, is a spectral highlight that brings out a completely different vibe from the original. CARLA adds some more scintillating vocals to the record on Days Like This. Oozing with nostalgic instrumentation, by Chuck Enzo once more, it’s definitely another one of our picks from the 14-track arrangement.
Concluding with ArthUrr’s remix of Morriarchi’s undeniable production, as well as bars from Old Paradise and Confucius MC, Wake Up evaporates the album’s lucid tones and leaves you wanting more. With such a group of artists, we hopefully won’t have to wait long for another project, but in the mean time check out this one. 10% of all its physical sales goes to The U.K’s Food Aid Network, so support the cause.