Advertising The Invisible

The young label Evil Genius has finally released their first full-length recording, and they couldn't have picked a better project to help launch them into the British hip-hop limelight. Advertising the Invisible is Brad Baloo of the Nextmen and graffiti artist Cept148, taking their turn at strictly instrumental hip-hop that ranges from gorgeous to hard-hitting, but always on point. Hiding in the Spotlight follows hot in the footsteps of the recently released Exotic Logic EP, a vinyl-only treat containing nothing but solid hip-hop beats - something that Advertising the Invisible has been dropping for the past couple of years. So it's fitting that Hiding in the Spotlight is a compilation of Baloo and Cept's past EPs together as one and mixed with some snippets of harder to find tracks. Along with Dom, Baloo has always been known for his banging production with the Nextmen, so there's no shortage of beautiful beats on Hiding in the Spotlight. Similar to the Herbaliser and Dynamic Syncopation, Advertising the Invisible creates a lush cinematic soundtrack full or funky hip-hop breaks that tend to be joined with fierce horn sections or soft strings. "Night Walker" is a sinister jam with deep bass licks and wah-wah guitar, reminiscent of a classic blaxploitation flick, but then the pair can easily flip things the following track to a soft-tempo soundtrack or a straight-up hip-hop jam. Advertising the Invisible joints are not easy to come by so having a package like this is very much welcomed and an excellent introduction to some of the finest beats coming out of England.