This is an extended solo debut from British producer and disc jockey DJ Sam Seed from London, England. In the past few years, someone has caught my eye working on the “Chardikala (Chardi Color)” interlude from Chino XL’s sixth album Darkness & Other Colors in November 2024, and “Rafiki Books” from Vinnie Paz’s ninth album God Sent Vengeance nearly seven months later. Last summer he signed with Croydon underground label Hidden Hobby Records and wrote The Unaligned as a way of properly introducing himself.
Blade and Kool Keith’s “Live on the Road” opens with the two emcees over a rap-rock beat explaining that they each know who they are, while Eskar and Ill Bill’s “Digging My Grave” finds the two talking about doing things their way. Kurious and Only1OnlySon’s “Whole New Chapter” is built with a soul sample so they can show off their lyrical fluidity, leading up to Ill Sykes, Lord Goat and Ruste Juxx’s “Freedom or Death,” advisable not to waste your breath as those are our only two options.
Ghostface Killah joins bood and Montener the Menace for my personal favorite song, “Wu Who?” Before Cymarshall Law’s “Drive You Insane,” Farma G and Hypnopottomas blend hardcore and industrial hip-hop to continue sampling the troubles and pain plaguing our world. Lord Goat and Scorzayzee’s “False Narrative” skipped the piano to boast about their respective scientific verses, before AFRO and Jr. Disprol had them set to “Mic on Fire” to end it all.
Noting that rappers from the UK and US remain largely at odds even if they share the same artistic ideals, and that many of the local producers around DJ Sam Seed are still landing on the international scene to this day, he has assembled a list of veterans from both countries who prioritize integrity over fame, paying homage to an older generation of hip-hop icons and established talent from the current underground scene, while showcasing young emerging artists who have hitherto not been given a platform. Unaligned stands for unity, a decades-long enduring voice in the global hip-hop underground, and a symbol of what those who are not aligned with mainstream groups can achieve when they unite for the greater good.
Rating: 7/10
