Croydon’s Hardy Caprio is a UK rapper that’s going to blow. We all know it. His trademark London flow over virtually any beat, regardless of genre, cements him as a multi faceted artist.
Caprio has spat over everything from Tinie Tempah’s “Wifey” to Big Sean’s “IDFWU” and brought his own style to this iconic tunes. It’s no wonder his fan base is so dedicated; hell man’s Mad About Bars freestyle is on Spotify with over 60,000 views, when else have you seen that happen?
So naturally when the Rated Awards nominee dropped his latest record The Hollywood EP, we had to get involved and go through the whole thing track by track. Read GRM Daily’s thoughts on the release, written as it was listened to, then check out the EP for yourself on all major platforms
“Big Poppa”
Okay opening track let’s go! Okay I think there might be a Nelly and Kelly Rowland “Dilemma” sample in this intro though I can’t be sure. Regardless it’s a good start. This flow is cold, it’s like old school Skepta vibes. Oh did my man just shout out the Adenuga name? Is he reading my mind? Shouting out Jorja Smith, referencing Notorious BIG in the title, these nods of recognition are actually sick.
“Together” featuring Not3s and Kenny Allstar
Kenny Allstar at the beginning there like I’m about to watch Mad About Bars, you know! Okay more of a dance centric beat to this one. This EP has a nice features list, an exclusive selection of names but not too many. Not3s on the hook is perfect for the vibe of this tune. The whole thing has got me on a Bonnie and Clyde flex.
“Selfish” Featuring Belly Squad
Here’s one about gyaldem, with an afrobeat influenced track. Belly Squad on the features is nice too, they’ve been doing some sick features recently. Woah, “she licks my face when I aint got a fade” is a bar. That’s love, you know. Again, shouts to Wiley and Kano, letting Hardy Caprio’s music knowledge slide into, and continue to shape, his own sound.
“Sisqo”
This beat is something else – it’s so erratic! I can imagine the boys bussing some serious moves to this one. “We put lightskin out of fashion” – there are some seriously Instagrammable lyrics on this release. Can we expect Caprio to start rocking the silver fade? The only downside to this one is it’s too short! I could listen to that heavy hitting flow for much longer.
“M&ms”
The gap at the beginning on this tune seems to signify a change in tone of the record. We’re half way through now and we’ve just had the intermission, time for part two. It’s almost a minute and a half into the track before Caprio comes in, which means when he does spit you immediately listen. This is the perfect slower track to break up the heavier beats. I’m zoned.
“Hollywood Take 1”
Yo! A Daniel Bedingfield sample are you mad!? This is sick! Obviously we’ve heard this one before, the first in the #Hollywood freestyle series, this freestyle was unleashed way back in August last year. Big up to Mischief on the beat.
“Hollywood Take 2”
Another classic garage sample on this one, this time it’s T2’s “Heartbroken”. This one also dropped a minute ago, with Caprio’s freestyle video making waves back in October. These #Hollywood freestyles are proving as the perfect tribute to old skool UK music whilst bringing it into the present day.
“Hollywood Take 3”
And another bassline classic makes the closing number of the #Hollywood freestyle trio and the Hollywood EP. 3 Of A Kind’s “Babycakes” is the backing to this third installation. Caprio keeps the flow calm and collected over the hectic beat, staying in control of the tune at all times. That’s a wrap!