'The Unknown' is what you get when you mix together one of the country's most revered old skool MC's and one of the country's most venerated nu skool beatsmen.
Actually, it's a slight departure for both talents as Mark's beats become less laid back to accommodate Blade's more rapid flows, and the latter's often confrontational flow (think 'Lyrical Maniac') becoming more subdued.
From the off though you can almost smell the quality and diversity on this album. 'From The Word Lab' sees Blade bigging themselves up over a quietly hype headnod. 'Building a Rep' steps up the funk factor to become a real party jam cut.
The title track is one of the sharpest cuts here as both Blade and Mark go all out to make a totally fresh sounding cut for Blade's scathing look at the shallow machinations of the music industry. 'Ya Don't Feel The Signs' steps ruffer with some fantastic production from Mark and Blade keeps up the storytelling tradition in the shape of 'Hostile Take-over' which relates the tale of the pair taking over Radio One to get their demo to Tim Westwood (who liked the idea so much he lent his voice to the track) and 'Bad Day', a humorous recounting of a disastrous day.
'Back In The Days' is a sleazy, funk rock break from Mark over which Blade gets nostalgic about the good old days of rap. As UK hip hop albums go, this is really the ultimate, showing a diversity of production and lyrical subjects. With guests like Rodney P, Lewis Parker, Skinnyman and Al Tariq (of Missing Lynx fame) the emphasis is on good, solid rap music, sticking a proud finger up to vacuous jiggy wackness.
by Paul Sullivan