Album Review
GRIND MODE

Mood Ruff - I Do My Own Stunts [Slo Coach Records/urbnet records]
By NA


Mood Ruff’s latest album, ‘I Do My Own Stunts’ sees the trio of Odario, Icqri and Spitz deliver a varied and enjoyable 15-track collection. From the reggae tinted introductory, ‘Walk Don’t Run’ it is clear that this Toronto outfit are not carbon-copy MCs despite obvious nods to Hip-Hop classics in their lyricism, but things switch up again for the 80s sounds of ‘Blow The Bins’ before Mood Ruff set about knocking down preconceptions as to what their ‘sound’ may be. While maintaining a definite Hip-Hop aesthetic throughout Mood Ruff bring a variety of influences to the table from the synth of ’On The J.O.B.,’ the breezy single ‘Rocketship,’ the pure Hip-Hop of ‘Pressure Content’ and the harder they come twisting ‘Slo Coach Train.’ That this all occurs within the first seven tracks should give an indication as to how diverse this set is.

However, ‘I Do My Own Stunts’ does not come across as a dis-jointed collection so much as a satisfyingly diverse set. Lyrically very few boundaries are broken down but then again the wordplay is of a fine enough standard to keep bumping. While some tracks, such as ‘Resident Mash Up The President,’ lag a little this is a generally laid back release with a distinct musicality expressed across it’s Hip-Hop roots making it worth investigating