There Is No Alltta-ernative To This Stunning Album
The Upper Hand
Alltta
I love finding fresh music and artists that I have not come across before and Alltta are one of those artists. What does Alltta mean? Well apparently the name is an acronym for A Little Lower Than The Angels. So who are Alltta? Well they are Mr. J Medeiros and 20syl. Beats and production are provided by French producer 20syl and words and rap are courtesy of Mr J Medeiros from Los Angeles and probably not related to Glenn Medeiros. Attlla have just sent their fine new album ‘The Upper Hand’ into the world and I believe the world will take to it in their droves.
Medeiros is a very talented rapper who really has rhythm in his voice and knows how to master cyphers and couplets. Meanwhile 20syl has incredible musical talent. The electro sound that backs these tunes is top notch. If you like clever rap, perfect production, great electro beats and banging tunes then you will definitely love this record. There are a few tracks on here that made me want to dig out the first couple of Kanye West albums, in particular the first track “Attlla”, “Touch Down” and “That Good Ship”. The rapping is fresh and not clichéd the beats are special the vocal effects are right in line with early Kanye.
I have listened to the whole album three times this week on headphones while chained to my desk at work and it got me through a few ‘bad days at the office’. So much on ‘The Upper Hand’ leaves me feeling happy and upbeat “Calling Crows” and "Million Dreams" especially. I think this is 20syl’s and Mr J Medeiros’ first collaboration and that is probably what gives it such a deeply penetrating clarity and freshness. 20syl is undoubtedly a classy DJ who obviously is a turntable king, having won a number of turntablist awards, and that talent is highly apparent on this recording. Mr J Medeiros just doesn’t know how to coast and attacks each tune like a multi-talented rapmeister. 20syl has remixed many artists including Kendrick Lamar and Ed Sheeran. Both members of Attlla have impeccable hip hop cvs 20syl with Hocus Pocus and Medeiros with KNIVES.
“Kinsmen” evokes a kind of Gil Scott Heron vibe for me and I’m not sure why. This album grows on me with each listen and I am sure I will go back to it often. It is not exclusively for hip hop and dance fans either. Whether you are an indie kid, an old punk, r & b aficionado, funk freak or a pop fan it should work for you. Buy it, stream it, steal it but whatever you do make sure that you listen to it!
