After a short hiatus, Capo Lee is back and sounding better than ever thanks to a helping hand from El Londo.
Following the two singles that Capo Lee and El Londo released last year, ‘Don’t Lose Yourself’ and ‘Dru Hill or Jodeci’, this week the dynamic duo dropped a full-length EP titled Cost Of Living. With features from some of the coldest in the underground right now, namely Ashbeck, ARZ and Bawo, Capo demonstrates his ability as a versatile rapper. Merging his punchy flows with El Londo’s polished beats, the project sets precedent for the calibre of music we want to be hearing from the scene this year.
Here are 5 things we learned from the EP, which is available to stream now.
Capo's pen game is clean, like really clean.
As he states in ‘Cost of Living’, “if it’s lyrics then put me first”. Every bar is spat with intention, holding its rightful place in the verse, with meaning and relevance. With It’s hard to narrow down the best bars but some of my favourite lyrics from the E.P are:
"Man gotta know this grind I’m grinding, thoughts in the dark this light was shining, came out of hell with the brightest diamond."(Drama or Karma)
"In my bag I’m bagging, I got swag I’m swagging. I’ve got fans that buss gun fingers and I’ve got fans that are laggin." (4 My Endeavour)
"Could never be trigged and Im facing tests, when the hating simmers, smoke and mirrors, man gotta stay on quest." (Smoke & Mirrors)
Grime is well and truly alive and it lives in Capo’s flows.
Even though this isn’t a grime EP, Capo exudes a myriad of flows inspired by his time in the genre. He brings his unique skillset, providing clarity, dexterous one-liners and punchy flows with plenty of switch-ups. Even on El Londo’s more laidback beats, Capo will have you throwing gun fingers and pulling your best stank face.
No one has catchier hooks.
What makes this project so re-playable is its memorable hooks. We’ll be keeping the project on repeat, until the summer, when those repeatable phrases inevitably hit differently. There’s no better time than the warmer months to be rapping the best lines off '4 My Endeavour’.
This EP is not only a place for Capo to show off his skillset but also his features too.
Ashbeck is the first feature, appearing on ‘Drama or Karma’ where the artists go verse for verse. Ashbeck shows off his pen game and versatile flow switch-up. Their voices complement each other, making the track smooth and seamless. On ‘Smoke & Mirrors’, Arz features with cold and collected bars. Each time he comes in, he holds his space on the beat. When I heard the bar, “And I’m legal, but the bud on me ain’t legal” executed in his relaxed but punchy style, I knew this track was of a different calibre. Finally, on ‘9 to 9’ Bawo takes the hook with his laidback vocals and gives another stimulating verse, articulating his wisdom in a polished flow. It’s the collaboration that I never knew I needed but am thankful for receiving it.
Capo is back with a vengeance.
After taking a break from making music, Capo is back and better than ever. As he says on the cost of living, "Step back and I took some time from the game, but now I ain't playin'”. With “Londo cooking”, this EP provides a perfect statement of his fresh new sound, which shows Capo evolving and still hitting those sweet spots every time.
Words @poppy__warren
Photo @purplecontrast