In the forgotten corners of the metropolis, where streetlights flicker and die, producer Trust One unearths a soundscape of pure, uncut grit. This is the sonic backdrop for ‘If All Else Fails, Trust Nuse’, a stark and mesmerizing hip hop album that pairs Trust One’s dusty, cinematic, bold production with the razor-sharp lyricism of the enigmatic Nuse Tyrant. Each track is a self-contained narrative, a polaroid of urban decay and psychological warfare. From the territorial bleakness of ‘Blocks’ to the cult-like paranoia of ‘Children of The Corn’, Nuse Tyrant guides the listener through a labyrinth of coded rhymes and grim truths. This isn’t just music; it’s a survival manual for a world on the brink, a cryptic broadcast from the underground where the only rule is the one echoed in the title.
If All Else Fails, Trust Nuse is a masterclass in atmospheric, boom-bap authenticity. Producer Trust One acts as a sonic archaeologist, digging up haunting loops, obscure vocal snippets, and brittle, crackling drums that sound as if they were lifted from a cursed film reel. The beats are relentless and hypnotic, creating a dense fog of sound that is both menacing and intoxicatingly raw. The low-end is heavy, the samples are murky, and the mood is perpetually set to midnight.
Into this world steps lyricist Nuse Tyrant. His flow is a controlled demolition—intricate, multi-syllabic, and delivered with a chilling calm that belies the violence and complexity of his subject matter. He is less a rapper and more a philosopher chronicling the unwritten laws of his environment. On ‘Fatality’, he dissects the cold calculus and emotion of survival after a jewelry heist goes wrong. While on ‘Old Timers’, he channels the cautionary tales of those who came before and those who will continue to go.
The album explores a cohesive universe of dread and mystique. Tracks like ‘Swamp Thing’ with Self Jupiter is a powerful anthem for the unapologetic MC who thrives in the dark, fertile ground of thier own unique environment.
On ‘Space Architeck’ Nenjah Nycist rhymes righteous navigation through a world full of real and fake. ‘Mythological Creatures’ invites Apakalypse to delve into monstrous metaphors and primal fears, painting pictures of creatures—both real and imagined—that lurk in the shadows. Meanwhile, ‘taxman’ serves as a grim allegory for the inescapable debts one accrues in life, and ‘Tried and True’ stands as a defiant ode to loyalty and proven methods in a world of betrayal. If All Else Fails, Trust Nuse is an uncompromising and immersive experience, a relic of the underground designed for deep listening. Out now on M25.
Purchase Cassette: Nuse Tyrant X Trust One – If All Else Fails, Trust Nuse
Joyful Union Cassette Resource 