The Resurrection is the second studio album by British rapper Bugzy Malone, released independently through B. Somebody on 28 May 2021. It features guest appearances from Dermot Kennedy, Emeli Sandé, Chip, and Josh Berger.[1] It debuted at number seven on the UK Albums Chart.
Synopsis[]
Following his 2018 debut album B. Inspired, Manchester's Bugzy Malone became the poster boy for the independently powered rags-to-riches rap hustle. Championing the power of positive thinking, the newly crowned King of the North was holding the hidden weight of his burden. "I felt a bit lost, and that can happen when you transition through levels so quickly, coming from the bottom," he tells Apple Music. "I don't have a celebrity uncle, or any successful multimillionaire family members to give advice—on how to act, what to do—so you're finding your own way through." In March 2020, the rapper eventually lost his way in near-fatal circumstances. "If it's meant for you, then it's going to happen," he says of the motorcycle crash that left him fighting for his life. "And anything after that is all about how you deal with it. Now, I'm able to demonstrate my attitude, and my mentality towards life's trials. People have seen me, live in the flesh, get smashed to bits, come off a bike at 70 miles per hour, no helmet, fractured skull, and still keep on going." Recovery complications included recurring blood clots and a bleed on the brain, but the rapper steeled himself for this, his second album.
The Resurrection sees Bugzy dig deep. "When you're in a hospital bed, you can learn a lot about yourself," he says. The torture of his prolonged hospital stay is recounted with sobering veracity ("Don't Cry"), while his razor-sharp rhymes tackle the highs ("Bounce") and lows ("Cold Nights in the 61") and venture towards drill for the first time ("Salvador"). Proving there's nothing like a near-death experience to place things into perspective, there's also room to put to bed a long-standing feud with Tottenham MC Chip on "Notorious."
Critical reception[]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| NME |   |
| The Forty-Five | |
| The Observer | |
Caitlin O'Reilly of NME felt it not to be the grime artist's magnum opus, though conceded, "delivery may have changed with the times, but he still has an undeniable gravitas as an MC".[2] The Forty-Five's Kate French-Morris remarked of his autobiographical lyrics, "That realness sets him apart", and the cinematic production, which "softens a dark album".[3] The Observer called it a "starkly honest" record, praising, "this album's bleakest lows are probably its loftiest highs". They noted, "As predictable as some of these productions are—those strings, operatics—some of this music catches you off guard with its excellence".[4]
Track listing[]
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Resurrection" | 5:15 |
| 2. | "M.E.N III" | 3:43 |
| 3. | "Don't Cry" (featuring Dermot Kennedy) | 2:47 |
| 4. | "Cold Nights in the 61" | 4:15 |
| 5. | "Welcome to the Hood" (featuring Emeli Sandé) | 4:24 |
| 6. | "The Masters (Interlude)" | 1:53 |
| 7. | "Van Gogh Effect" | 3:57 |
| 8. | "Salvador" | 2:56 |
| 9. | "Ride Out" | 3:14 |
| 10. | "Bounce" | 3:44 |
| 11. | "Notorious" (featuring Chip) | 3:20 |
| 12. | "The Immortals (Interlude)" (featuring Josh Berger) | 2:07 |
| 13. | "Gods" | 3:45 |
| 14. | "Angels" | 3:07 |
| 15. | "Skeletons" | 3:49 |
| Total length: | 52:16 | |
References[]
- ↑ Powell, Jon (2 June 2021). "Bugzy Malone Is Officially Back with 'The Resurrection'". Revolt.
- ↑ O'Reilly, Caitlin (26 May 2021). "Bugzy Malone – 'The Resurrection' Review: Cinematic Sounds and Confessional Rhymes". NME.
- ↑ French-Morris (28 May 2021). "Bugzy Malone – 'The Resurrection' Review: Not Your Average Near-Death Memoir – but Still an Open Book". The Forty-Five.
- ↑ Empire, Kitty (22 May 2021). "The Resurrection: Bugzy Malone Review – Highs and Lows That Catch You Off Guard". The Guardian.
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