By Gary Suarez in FARR — Dec 6, 2024

Friday Afternoon Rap Roundup: Kid Acne

Sheffield's finest reteams with Spectacular Diagnostics, plus the week's new rap album recommendations

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New Release Highlight of the Week:

**Kid Acne, TOTEMIC TEMPLATE (Edna and Friends Vol. 1) (buy it / stream it**)

Even the dopest of emcees needs suitably strong beats in order to thrive. Time and time again, throughout hip-hop history, we've witnessed the cringeworthy results of rapper-production mismatches–Raekwon's wooden Immobilarity, Mobb Deep's uncharacteristically high-gloss G-Unit outing Blood Money, roughly 42% of Nas' discography–that disappoint fans and sully the pen. But when the right duo forms, be it in person at the studio or virtually via the miracles of modern technology, the entire genre benefits from their synergies. Boldy James never sounds better than when he's rapping over Nicholas Craven instrumentals–same goes for Tha God Fahim. Freddie Gibbs did it with both Alchemist and Madlib, and the clearly curatorial billy woods has made masterful albums with Blockhead, Kenny Segal, Messiah Muzak, and Preservation. For Sheffield rapper Kid Acne, he of Lex Records nobility, the producer that consistently gets him towards greatness is Spectacular Diagnostics. Since 2019's Have A Word, the erstwhile Earmint has bestowed upon this graffiti art rapscallion fresh foundations for the spitting of South Yorkshire knowledge darts. Last December's Hauntology Codes marked the peak of their combined powers, making the Bandcamp Friday drop of TOTEMIC TEMPLATE one year later such a delight.

Billed as the first volume in an apparent Edna & Friends series, this 12 track buffet ladles out old school reverent rhymes over moderately muted yet meaty grooves with a rotating set of super fly transnational guests including CABBAGES faves Cise Greeny and Sonnyjim. Disquieting echoes and liminal rhythms suit both Acne and Fatboi Sharif on "MIND IN MOTION," the former's devoutly formal delivery a starched-crisp contrast with the latter's gruesomely gooey poesy. The dummy thicc "BABA GANOUSH" greedily scrapes the bottom of the container for every last savory spreadable, the rapper's quick-witted wordplay bolstered by tasty lyrical licks from UK acts Vandal Savage and Junior Disprol. An early Xmas gift for yours truly, he deftly devises a whole-arsed New Kingdom reunion with standout "GOONGALA," with Nosaj folding Big Pun and Geto Boys into this fluffy rap omelette and Sebastian Laws finishing the plate with a liberal squirt of secret sauce. (Can you tell I skipped breakfast today?) He trades verses with Cappo on the Wallace Shawn-inspired "INCONCEIVABLE," casually breadcrumbing Del the Funky Homosapien, Outkast, and *checks notes* The Beloved in genuine homage.

The beauty of Spectacular Diagnostics' work here is how he makes ample space for all these vocalists without sonically suppressing his own affable headphone quirks. The subtle Eastern twang of "BUGGIN' IN THE NIGHT" ferments the funky vibe, while exceptional boom bap variants "I'M RIGHT HERE" and "THOSE ONES" make the most out of recipe restraint. It all comes together beautifully in the end, as King Kashmere, Mike Ladd, and Juice Aleem go interplanetary gangbusters on the sci-fi skittering closer "MUTANT CRATE."