Thanks to Amazon Music, Bugzy Malone & Emeli Sandé groundbreaking single "Welcome To The Hood" has been given a deserved new lease of life with a reconstructed orchestral version, recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios. The two legends of the UK music scene have teamed up for this song and to significant effect.
The single taken from Bugzy Malone's latest album, "The Resurrection", sees the Manchester MC enlighten the listener about the UK's sombre realities of working-class struggles. And all the debilitating issues that occur with that, from mental health, crime, violence, class, and social warfare, amongst many others. All poignantly real problems currently facing a fractured nation. "Welcome to the Hood" also empowers a welcome new matured, musical direction from Bugzy Malone's away from his typical light-hearted drill or grime songs, with a compelling emotional journey.
This track is a genuinely virtuoso social commentary from Malone, as he expertly critiques and analyzes the societal and community mentality that has defined his experiences and life. In this stunning display of stream of consciousness, it feels like Malone is effortlessly releasing all his concealed thoughts of the world around him. Even with a subtle shout-out to one of the greatest social-conscious speakers of them all, Tupac Shakur. With the line, 'Cause Pac said there ain't no heaven for a thug' (a reference to 2Pac's song 'Thugz Mansion').
The orchestral arrangement and live choir on this reworked version, alongside Emeli Sandé's exquisite voice, work fantastically against the candid, gritty bars and lyrical content from Bugzy Malone, a potent combination. It gives the track a new grandiose dimension, an added vulnerability, and passion for accompanying Malone's emotionally layered lyrics. The beautiful juxtaposition between Malone's contemporary, hard-hitting, dextrous grime-rapping flow and the tradition and elegance of the string section is a stunningly gorgeous contrast yet work together so well. This sentiment is further compounded by Sandé's delicious soprano voice, acting as a suitable foil for Bugzy Malone's gritty persona. They both perform facing each other in this live performance, as you can see the undeniable chemistry and rapport flow between the duo. The revised version also allows the animated warmth of live instrumentation to empower the emotive and dynamic nature of the song, more than any electronic production ever could. This is definitely a performance you won't forget in a hurry!
You can watch "Welcome To The Hood" (Orchestrated Version) by Amazon Original below