REVIEW: The Chase

The last month has seen a few EP's come out and a few mummers about a possible new Forthwrite Mixtape but the biggest release in the last month must surely be Illy's The Chase. After sampling the tracks on his official site in the 14 days leading up to the albums release Illy built up a fair bit of hype around his new album.

Its pretty widely accepted that sophomore albums are the hardest to do and tend to get hit for six when it comes to reviews. The Chase is proving no different, with opinion pretty strongly divided over whether this album is a natural progression in Illy's career or an album that sells out to the mainstream, for what its worth I sit somewhere in the middle.

Illy has put together a great selection of beats but many of his lyrics seem to lack the maturity that set him apart on his Long Story Short album. 'Cigarettes' has an interesting vibe and for me was the stand out track of the album. 'Feel something' summed up the album with a beat that was promising and different  from what we have heard in the past few years but the lyrics (which I have deducted are describing a trip) lack the punchy individuality which Illy used to make everyone stand up and take notice with his debut solo album.

This album was never going to be one for the underground kids and its not really targeted at the "graffa" scene either but its not a bad release. Sure it wont go down as the best album of the year but based on a few things I heard recently it certainly wont make the worst list either. And that's the problem with this album it lies in nothing territory, its just too Beiber for the Hilla Toppers and to Hilla Toppa for the Beibians. Worth a listen once or twice but probably wont be on your playlist in 12 months time.

Verdict: 5.5/10