From Leicester, Leicestershire, UK, the International Hip Hop duo Taoreta is going hard at the end of 2021 with a work of rare beauty named Lyrical Samurai. Dj Icon and Loaneski are two talents way ahead of their time who merge spirituality and Pop culture in a union of Boom Bap music and elegant cinematography on their latest release. “We were inspired by the rich history of the samurai and how the code of ‘Bushido’ dictates their lifestyle. There are 7 virtues of Bushido: Integrity, Respect, Heroic Courage, Honour, Compassion, Honesty and Sincerity, Duty and Loyalty. Sonically, we wanted to create a piece of music that was both delicate and aggressive, which is why we opted for the sounds of the Guzheng instrument. And we made sure the song was relevant through the Pop culture references as well as the use of Japanese language,” share the two creatives exclusively for Blue Rhymez Entertainment.
After an entire minute beaming with power and drama, Lyrical Samurai marvelously handles the sudden and multi-layered arrival of the guzheng. The curt transitory sequence leads to Loaneski rapping with an apposite roar and energetic cadence: “My lyrical pounce never in doubt, as I flip out on riddims/ The ground shakes sending earthquakes to your Dojo/ Regards to your Sensei, move like a Ronin with no master/ Answer to no one, never been a Ninja.” 4 bars in and it already seems like Lyrical Warrior is the apotheosis of martial arts transcending from movies to music. Subsequently, imagining a real-life fighter enter the ring on this song is almost the default imagery coming to mind had it not been for the music video. However, seeing Loaneski with a whole lot of hair this time makes Lyrical Warrior land with a tad of pleasing shock.
The perspicacious lyricist finds just the subtlety and art of branding while rapping: “Sharper than Katanas piercing your armor/ Rocksteady Be-Bopping to Hip-Hop/ Furious Shredder, humble Master Splinter/ Chi flow mega, talk about scales? You man are minor g/ Prepare for a thousand cuts, Taoreta!” Loaneski’s flow is mighty unpredictable cutting and elongating when you least expect it making it hard for the listener to rap along but rewarding enough in exchange to keep you tuned in.
Shortly after declaring war, “Draw swords with no time to pause, hardcore, full force, martial arts at your front door,” Lyrical Samurai delves into the hook flaunting the same overall feel of unadorned Boom Bap with the fine guzheng completing the acoustic picture: “Lyrical Samurai defenders of the culture/ Heroes in practice, honor over pride/ Not just music, A way of life/ Survive with dignity, overcome the tide.” Now honor and dignity are something that’s missing from the tables of those ruling the world in 2021 prioritizing profits over safety. Any type of safety for that matter.
Wow! The second verse brings some spice to the mix: “Tear through your Hakama bare disrespect/ I came here to conquer, STAND DOWN!/ Walk away with your life or lose a limb and bleed out/ With a flick of the wrist, got you heavily breathing.” We don’t recall ever hearing Loaneski get so graphic with his intentions. With a cool arrogant ease, the type that makes you respect the artist, the Hip Hop head ferociously applies pressure on the matter: “You’re timid, you’re scared, might as well commit Harakiri/ My technique cuts pieces Sushi, stop wasting my time Senpai, I am no longer your Gakusei/ Die hard Bruce Willis for my beliefs and you can never ever take that away from me/ Treat life like a western, Clint Eastwood.” It would appear Loaneski wanted to pack the most Pop references towards the end as to keep the X factor in line with the preceding lyrics. It was great when it started, it is great when it’s ending.
Lyrical Samurai concludes its artistry on a consciously radical note essentially inviting the audience in the spot of being a Taoreta equal: “The good, the Bad and the ugly/ In the line of fire better paint your wagon absolute power/ Sudden impact when I hang’em high with a tightrope/ Do I feel lucky? Well, do you punk?”
Taoreta is the gift of indie Hip Hop that keeps on giving. Loaneski and Dj Icon constantly spring up to action via their lyrics, visuals, dynamism. Lyrical Samurai is a most expressive form of Boom Bap art taking on Chinese instrument tinges and claiming its current position in today’s world through modern allegories. And while reserving their rigid seriousness, the duo does deliver high amounts of theatrical performances and movie-worthy plots.
Song Credits: Humzah Loane (Loaneski) – Artist, Songwriter; Simon Testatonda (DJ Icon) – Music Producer, Composer; Bhavik Solanki (Abeo) – Recording Engineer; Adam Lewis (Adam Lewis Mixing) – Sound Engineer.
Make sure you add Lyrical Samurai to your playlist on Amazon Music HERE, on Tidal HERE, on YouTube Music HERE, on Apple Music HERE, on Deezer HERE, and on Spotify below:
Written by Mariana Berdianu
Blue Rhymez Entertainment ©2021
Blue Rhymez Entertainment 