Not to be confused with an enigmatic Scouse octet of the same name, this ‘Marlowe’ is a hip-hop duo combining the talents of producer L’Orange and rapper Solemn Brigham from North Carolina.
As the title indicates, this the third part of a trilogy of which L’Orange comments: “This album feels like a maturity to who we are as a group.”
Hip-Hop is not a genre I have much affinity with although as a 60 plus white guy I recognize that I am not among the target audience. Nevertheless, I can readily admire the linguistic verve of Brigham and the atmosphere created through L’Orange’s trip-hop backbeats. These work well with well-chosen samples of B-movie dialogue.
I also enjoyed the self-deprecating humour like on Eddy Appetite’s Bulletproof Steering Wheel and b>Rom Auditions. The latter features English actor and stand-up comedian Romesh Ranganathan trying the blag himself into the band.
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Other more serious guest spots go to US rappers Blu & Joell Ortiz (Royal) and Deniro Farrar (Godfist).
Marlowe’s tunes are catchy and have instant appeal, a fact that has been picked up in the past by advertisers: “Future Power Sources” from Marlowe2 was featured in Gatorade’s “Greatness Starts With G” campaign, and “Fred Sanford” from the first of the trilogy featured in a 7/11 commercial.
The crossover appeal is maintained on Marlowe 3 through a seamless flow of 18 tracks which fizz with a restless verve and energy.
Listen to Marlowe 3 at Bandcamp
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