10 February 2023 - 0 Comments

Following his 2020 critically acclaimed album The Beast and The Beauty, London born Pakistani hip-hop artist Scalper brings his 5th solo album to light, The Shine, recorded in his West Auckland studio. The former album was emotional and intimate, as Scalper was processing the recent loss of his mother. The Shine is him breathing and considering life again, seeking balance within the confusion. It is about love, learning, society, and self-understanding. The Shine is an uplifting and thought provoking LP with a slowcore hip-hop style that you won’t hear anywhere else.

Within this self-produced hip-hop album, Scalper brings new musical and lyrical perspectives, both philosophical and highly intimate. He uses metaphors, repetition and alliteration to deliver social commentary, question the nature of existence, and the brutality of us. He has not stepped aside from his minimalist beat sound which suits his voice so well, but in this album he also plays with pop music, simple melodies and even a children’s choir on the track Toxicity Toxifies. Bismillah sets the tone by welcoming the listener to the album with a greeting, and the album ends with the haunting I’m Life, featuring Sufi Qawwali singer Nawazish Ali Khan. Throughout the album, the breadth and diversity of Scalper’s production skills are on full display.

Scalper’s baritone flow is something like an inner voice coming from above or beyond, which carries both comfort and some kind of truth for yourself. His poetry is revealing and crystal clear. The Shine is nourishment for our troubled times.

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