Brand new studio LP & the 8th overall from Slough, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Joker Starr. Dropping his debut mixtape Raw Spittage in 2011, he would go on to follow it up with all 7 of his previous full-lengths as well as 3 extended plays & a beat tape. My personal favorite being G.A.W.D. (God And Wisdom Driven) mostly produced by Micall Parknsun & Gawd Status’ debut Firmamentum. Both of which came out in 2019, coming off his Boot Records debut Sidenote conceived when the COVID-19 pandemic was going on to drop a sequel.
“Chivalry” kicks things off with this groovy boom bap intro talking about the entire idea of gallantry whereas “Runaway” featuring Genesis Elijah finds the pair getting conscious in the midst of embracing a gospel vibe instrumentally. “Build Your Spirit” turns up the soulfulness to discuss the concept of leading into “Get the Cash Money” featuring Cosm hooking up an organ-woven boom bap beat so they talk about stacking your chips up.
Micall Parknsun gets behind the boards during the jazzy yet dusty “Let’s Go” encouraging the audience to jump around while “Chill Bro” retains the traditional boom bap sound talking about simply calming down. “London’s Chard” featuring Micall Parknsun himself eventually brings both of them mic on the mic cautioning people to stay sharp just before “B.I.G. (Black Is God)” produced by Giallo Point begins the 2nd half making a powerful ode to Afrocentrism.
“My Love” featuring Anyway tha God joins forces so they can let their exes know exactly how much they’ll miss ‘em & after “Stoic” featuring Verb T incorporates more sampling techniques to make way for them getting in their battle rap bags lyrically whether it’s been the latter holding it down for 2 decades or Joker for 17 years, “Black Messiah” featuring Micall Parknsun runs it back 1 last time although this one’s way more psychedelic than “London’s Chard” stylistically.
The tropical “Speaker Rude Boys” winds down the album’s last leg talking about running them speakers up honoring his Jamaican heritage while “Coke & Mirrors” combines elements of orchestral & rock explaining that anyone who isn’t apart of the evolution is already finished, asking if anyone wants better for themselves. Move On” spends the last couple minutes of Sidenote 2 talking about the feeling he has of wanting to breathe the success in.
I can appreciate Sidenote 2 having spots where Joker Starr’s performing by himself especially since it’s predecessor 13 months ago had Anyway tha God on half of it, but I still prefer the original Sidenote in terms of production & would consider this successor to be almost on the same level his Boot debut reached last fall. That being said: There’s no denying his passion deeply rooted in the love of the craft instead of chasing trends or forcing ideas.
Score: 7/10