Monster’s Ball By Benjamin A.D Review

South London alternative hip-hop artist Benjamin A.D returns with his new single ‘Monster’s Ball’, due for release on 20th April.

Benjamin announced his return by recording his second SB:TV Warm-Up Session, in which he calls out the state of UK rap as unimaginative and derivative – his follow-up in ‘Monster’s Ball’ is a collaboration with Toronto-based producer Junia T, who has recently worked with the likes of Little Simz.

Benjamin overhead Junia play the track’s cinematic string sample and was hooked. He asked the producer to build a pared-down beat around it, and the result is a focus on the rapper’s message: varying in delivery from soft contemplation to twists of tongue and turns of phrase – anything but the unimaginative flow he criticises in his Warm-Up Session.

‘Monster’s Ball’ deals primarily with Benjamin’s growth as a recording artist since the release of his much-acclaimed mixtape ‘Chapter 0.5’. There is a room to breathe in this new single which is refreshing, and Benjamin is careful to make sure there are no wasted syllables throughout. He puts this down to an influence of classic songwriting – an influence that can be heard not only in his delivery, but through Junia T’s choice of samples, and seen through the Film Noir style of the accompanying video.

Certainly ‘Monster’s Ball’ is a fantastic impression of the development of this exciting artist. Clearly not content to produce without progress, Benjamin A.D might just have what it takes to give the UK rap scene a real shake-up.