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Review: Joell Ortiz & KXNG Crooked first met in the same year that they each picked up XXL's much vaunted Freshmen of the Year Award. They are both legends in the rap game and Ortiz went on to sign with Dr Dre's Aftermath label before moving onto Shady Records with his cohorts Joe Budden, Royce da 5'9 and KXNG Crooked as Super group Slaughterhouse. He has also featured on Eminem's latest record while KXNG Crooked was signed to Virgin Records at just 17 before joining Death Row Records. They are finally working together on this hard new project which delivers raw raps, soulful joints and dark beats along the course of its eight cuts.

Review: On Signature, Joell Ortiz's raw lyrical prowess converges with L’Orange's time-honed production chops, resulting in a pure collaborative bombshell. L'Orange crafts beats exuding an undeniable vintage charm, which mesh delectably with Ortiz’s frank flows and delivery; most notable among these fusions is ‘In My Feelings’, detailing Ortiz’s upbringing as a young Brooklynite in search of purpose, then reflecting on his self-actualisation since those day ones. Not all is peachy, though: ‘Masked Up’ draws compelling metaphorical parallels between music industry rejection and harder street hustling, and L’Orange’s hazed-out stomper of a beat wickedly complements these harder-than-nails travails.

Review: Brooklyn don Joell Ortiz is back with one of his most potent partnerships to date. L'Orange is the kind of hip-hop producer who knows how to bridge the gap between sample-rooted nostalgia and head-twisting innovation, and so we're gifted with a full suite of beats that shock on first listen before burrowing their way into your subconscious before the second bar is finished. It's the perfect backdrop for Ortiz to lay down his crystal clear street tales, delivered with the perfect blend of venom, humour, sensitivity and stubbornness - gifts hard won on his rise to the top of the rap pile and deployed to devastating effect on this album.