Stik Figa is an obscure rapper according to his Instagram bio. And admittedly I hadn’t heard of him until a few weeks ago, despite him having well over a decade of releases in his back catalogue. It was a feature from Solemn Brigham of hip-hop duo, Marlowe, which brought him to my attention. And features are a good place to start here as they mark some of the album’s best moments.
The most memorable beats here are saved for the guest spots, like the smooth soul of Uknowhut? to the psychedelic exploits on Zambezi Zinger. It’s really like the red carpet has been laid out for the various guests, they’re not just treated as ‘my turn, your turn’ verses. The beats seem to have been specifically crafted to twist to the strengths of the guests.
On Uknowwhut? the smooth soul completely drops out, signalling a change of mood for the entrance of underground veteran, Blu, adding an extra gravitas to his verse. On The Green Monster, Brigham works as a contrast to Stik Figa’s laidback flow, with the beat subtly rising with Brigham as he picks up the pace. And some Run The Jewels style bombast is served up for Chicago rapper, Defcee on Service, with him sounding like an El-P/Killer Mike amalgamation over the top of it.
Don’t let my talk of guest spots overshadow the contributions of Stik Figa himself though. The Kansas native (aka John Westbrook, Jr.) exudes easy-going charm, almost reminiscent of early De La Soul; he’s a likeable and even calming presence throughout. His raps are thoughtful and often introspective, he can reflect on his relative obscurity, as he does on Lonely Planet, with a sense of self-awareness that avoids any potential sense of bitterness.
While Stik Figa may take centre stage, this is as much a showcase for Dublin-based producer, The Expert. His beats here are almost uniformly excellent, taking you off in all sorts of different directions. There’s a piano interlude, eastern psychedelia, loungey soft jazz, amongst much more; and all these different styles seem to come together perfectly. On Cost Of Business he blends a Wu Tang-esque beat with an old-school boom bap “it’s like this and like that” chorus, creating something fresh sounding from what is essentially an early-90s throwback.
There is a slight misdirection as the opener begins with Stik Figa deadpan giving thanks for thoughts and prayers, and going on to deliver a reflection on the contradictions of the black American experience. That suggests there may be more of a political note to the album, but somewhat disappointingly the stakes never really get higher than that. On the other hand, that plays into one of the album’s strengths. While he does get deep and touch on the likes of depression, the album is a really light and easy listen, which breezes by at 35 minutes. And there’s an underlying message of positivity, with a theme of making the best of what you’ve got; summed up best on closer The Forgotten, which pulls off epic vibes in just two and a half minutes.
This has went straight in as one of my favourite hip-hop releases of 2023. On this evidence, it’s time for Stik Figa (and The Expert) to step out of obscurity.
Rating:
Best tunes: Uknowhut?, The Green Monster, Zambezi Zinger, Service
Note – this review was originally published in July 2023 as part of a new music roundup post. It has been re-published separately here for archiving purposes.
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