Flatbush Zombies - now, more than ever EP Review

With slick rapping and an entrancing emotionality to their music it’s hard to see why Flatbush Zombies don’t have a broader appeal.

I’ve been neglecting Flatbush Zombies for a while now. Their new EP ‘now, more than ever’ is an incredible take on modern life and their experiences and perspectives of NYC, Brooklyn, and the NYPD to name a few. The album was produced by Linden Jay & Erick the Architect and is a much-needed release in the hip-hop community. It’s been two years since their last major project so it is nice to hear how far their sound has developed in two short years.

‘herb’ opens with quite a fun (obvious stoner vibes) mantra from Zombie Juice that recurs throughout the song. It leads into a thick beat and some exploration of the members’ psyches. Lyrically there are so many incredible parts of this song, Meechy Darko’s third verse is especially killer. Darko writes ‘My lyrics bleed through the paper, dodgin' bullets, Runnin’ from agents, this ain't The Matrix’ Referencing the philosophical sci-fi classic whilst comparing agents to police officers. ‘iamlegend’ is definitely a more serious track when compared to the opener. I’m loving the filmic references Flatbush Zombies employ throughout the EP with Meechy Darko stating ‘Destruction is a form of creation, says Donnie But I’m a different Darko, and this a different story’. Throughout the track, Darko speaks of his distaste towards the NYPD and explores how this clashes with his simultaneous love for NYC. 

‘Quicksand’ is a powerful track with a real emotionality in the lyrics, chanting ‘I just wanna run away’. There’s a reflective tone here lyrically: ’I’m sinking, I’m drowning’ — speaking of their own burdens coping with distrust and judgement. The title of track is a blatant metaphor for Darko trying to get out of his problems but inevitably sinking into them. ‘dirty elevator music’ starts with some twinkling pianos and what sounds like some reversed strings recording. In terms of production, this track is really incredible with the piano being the focal point of instrumentation, accentuated by the interplay of beautiful melodies with one another as they alternate left to right.

‘blessings’ opens on acoustic guitar with a 90s R&B vibe to it. On this track you can really feel Erick and Juice ponder the brevity of life, emphasising that you should cherish the better moments in your life. Towards the end of the track the beat slows in such a great way before it fizzles out. ‘when i’m gone (feat. Sophie Faith)’ is the last track on this EP, and definitely one of the most contemplative pieces on the record, where the Zombies talk about their subjective experiences of problems in NYC and the streets as a whole. The song also talks about the legacy of death with reference to Mac Miller at one point.

There’s a real density and complexity to the instrumentation, arrangement and production on the EP. But that’s not all this EP has to offer. With slick rapping and an entrancing emotionality to their music it’s hard to see why Flatbush Zombies don’t have a broader appeal.