Phoenix Da Icefire & The Strange Neighbour – Cinematic

An album nearly a decade in the making, Cinematic is a collaboration between Revorg Records founder The Strange Neighbour and Triple Darkness lyricist Phoenix Da Icefire. As the title suggests, there is a cinematic theme running throughout the release with each track paying tribute to a different genre of film. The production carries the energy of each cinematic style, whether the claustrophobic tension of a Psychological Thriller or the lavish grandeur on Monarch. Phoenix is joined by an incredible supporting cast of rappers, most notably on the action-packed Expendables, which sees a heavyweight line-up akin to the action-star vehicle of the same name. This who’s who of the UK scene brings together the biggest names from all sides of the rap scene, with High Focus, People’s Army, Triple Darkness and Terra Firma all represented. Some of the top Underground US acts also make their presence felt, with features from Copywrite and, perhaps most notably, the Wisemen’s Kevlaar 7 who contributed an incredible verse shortly before his untimely passing in 2014. Even during the early stages of the album’s recording, there was a lot of interest and offers from established labels. It was, in the end, a major factor in the formation of Revorg records as a way to give the album the release it deserved. While it has been a slightly longer journey than initially imagined to get to this point, the album feels very much of it’s time and will no doubt be seen as a very important release for UK Hip Hop in general