Verbz & Mr Slipz – The Way FWD (Album Stream)

When you combine swift lyricism, heartfelt flows, and meaningful topics with rich, soulful, and authentic beats influenced by the original boom bap, you get acts like Verbz and Mr Slipz here that shine the brightest. As Preemo said in the outro of the “Royalty” track back in 1998: “while you keep on fakin’ the funk, we gonna keep on walkin’ through the darkness, carryin’ our torches” — these two fine artists from the UK are those who are keeping the true meaning of hip-hop alive with all of their might, holding their torches to give light to the underground. While many are brainwashed by the music industry and its mainstream, the duo carries real messages and nourishes the game we love so much.

After making their debut together in 2017 with the album “Lessons Of Adolescence”, the MC/producer duo got a fine amount of attention within the hip-hop community with their style based on quality and originality. In the following years, they continued dropping gems, earning a name for themselves, which eventually led them to a record deal with High Focus Records, only to drop the highly acclaimed LP “Radio Waves”, putting a stamp on the what and how of their music. And now comes “The Way FWD”, a 12-track-long masterpiece fueled by the streets of Croydon and Brighton, serving as a personal soundtrack illuminated by city lights.

Ever since I bumped into these two back in 2021, I’ve had them on my radar constantly and their music on neverending rotation. And there’s a really good reason for it, as such artists don’t come around every day. The thing is, every now and then, you learn about some phenomenal artists who you enjoy a lot, but not many touch your soul with deep lyrics and heartfelt beats the way this duo does. I know I’m more subjective with this article than I probably should be, but it’s been several years now the duo’s influence has been really impactful on me, and this album simply confirmed why I love their music so much. And I’m not the only one whose heart and ears they’ve won over in such a short period they’ve been working together, which says a lot.

As sophisticated as always, Verbz inks his papers with strong introspective points, which can serve as guidelines to many. People like him put “poetry” in rap, giving blessings to mics with each and every line he drops. He has always been a wonderful lyricist, but it’s evident he’s on the path of evolution, as his penmanship techniques are improving with every new release. Riding the waves of immersive wordplay, his finesse in rhyming gives a lot of listening pleasure, keeping the listener’s attention high throughout the whole album. Carefully chosen beats back up the whole thing, giving an enormous platform for Verbz to widen the norm of his already broad expression based on personal experience, introspection, and thorough observations.

What’s interesting about the instrumental part of “The Way FWD”, in accordance with the front cover, is that it mimics the analog quality of old VHS tapes. Actually, the whole aesthetic revolves around it, from avoiding digital methods of beat making to filming the music videos; noise, static, distorted colors, fisheye — the whole retro shabang — hence the album’s name. The beats, mostly based on melancholic samples of pianos and strings, go a long way, and the best part is that they aren’t even that much complex. Some are more uplifting, like “S.O.T.S.” or “Keep On”, and some are more mellow like “It’s Raining Again” or my absolute favorite “Mémoires De Perte”, but all of them are more or less in a similar BPM range. What holds them together is Mr Slipz‘s core of creativity, from being influenced by boom bap and having the same method of creation by pulling samples from records and doing his magic with MPCs and synthesizers. What I also love about this project is that it’s heavily influenced by 90s culture with its captivating ambience, but it’s not a 90s album. When you listen to it, you’ll know what I mean.

In short, I render this record a crowning jewel in their career, with improvement being evident in every way. Even its arrangement shows more efficiency, having all those marvelous instrumentals almost pouring into one another. It’s like a sonic river flowing flawlessly with no obstacles in the way, blending with the vocals, showing the impeccable chemistry Verbz and Mr Slipz share. With it, it’s completely opposite of the current state of the mainstream, as it defines art not many can mimic. If you think you’re a proper MC, give a listen to this project and think it over. Like some artists are constantly pushing the boundaries of the game, lifting the bar higher and higher, the UK duo is all about progress on levels that require a whole lot of effort to reach, even if at first you don’t think that’s the case.

Always movin’, always marching forward, always improvin’ – “The Way FWD” is a true gift to hip-hop. I can’t be any more proud for including some of its tunes in my “2025 Hip-Hop Selection” playlist and releasing it once we bid farewell to this year.

TRACKLIST:
01 • The Way FWD
02 • Seen a Lot Change feat. Cam Thomas
03 • Mémoires De Perte
04 • What You Reckon?
05 • Switch Lanes
06 • S.O.T.S.
07 • Each Hurdle feat. Cappo
08 • Keep On
09 • Got It Myself
10 • It’s Raining Again feat. India Shan
11 • Turn The Page
12 • Came Close feat. India Shan