It’s a rare achievement to make an album as thoughtful and transparent as this; you need real lyrical talent to do so.
Cinematic in scope, movingly honest, with a phalanx of big-name guests, Justin Clarke’s major-label debut is a dazzling piece of storytelling.
On his major label debut, Conflict Of Interest, the decorated East London wordsmith refines the winning formula of his past long-players, getting up close and personal while still finding room for a plethora of A-listers including Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and Skepta.
That backwards glance has helped deliver his strongest album to date, and one of grime’s true classics.
Conflict of Interest feels like the work of an artist who’s in it for the long haul rather than short-term rewards.
Though Conflict of Interest remains sympathetically steeped in criminal experience, it also holds out a hand to pull free.
The record’s expansive soundscape and storytelling deserve several long listens, yet its fresh outlook hints at an exciting future for grime.
This is slow-moving, sophisticated fare befitting of an elder statesman.
Ultimately, the high points more than make up for any shortcomings; this an at-times-stunning album that balances bangers and heart in an endearing and enduring fashion.
Conflict Of Interest has some fantastic highlights and is solid all around, but it is just too long and has too many ok moments to reach it's full potential.
I had never really heard of Ghetts, but I saw the tracklist for the album and saw many prominent UK artists such as Skepta, Stormzy, Dave, Giggs, Pa Salieu, and even Ed Sheeran. This had me really intrigued, and while I did walk away with some great tracks, it just feels so long overall. Many songs on here just go on for too long and ... read more
Ghetts has been a name within the UK grime scene that I've been familiar with for a little bit now. While I hadn't heard a full project from him before, I had heard a few songs here and there and it was about time that I had heard an album from him as he had interested me with his explosive delivery and dynamic flows like on the track artillery. I was looking forward to hear more of what ghetts could 9ffer but unfortunately this was a really underwhelming project.
Content wise, ghetts leans ... read more
One of the best and fulfilled projects UK hip-hop or maybe even the UK in general has even seen, with features which match the vibe of the track, Ghetts' witty and infectious bars and rhymes over greatly accompaning insturmentals. Overall, this album has aged tremendously and I come back to it often. With the newest album being released, I finally decided to rate and review it. Great album.
1 | Fine Wine 4:56 | 72 |
2 | Mozambique 4:50 feat. Jaykae, Moonchild Sanelly | 78 |
3 | Fire and Brimstone 3:10 | 70 |
4 | Hop Out 2:58 | 68 |
5 | IC3 3:48 feat. Skepta | 76 |
6 | Autobiography 6:50 | 68 |
7 | Good Hearts 3:09 feat. Aida Lae | 68 |
8 | Dead To Me 3:48 | 79 |
9 | 10,000 Tears 4:34 feat. Ed Sheeran | 63 |
10 | Sonya 4:38 feat. Emeli Sandé | 77 |
11 | Proud Family 5:26 | 62 |
12 | Skengman 4:32 feat. Stormzy | 69 |
13 | No Mercy 3:25 feat. Pa Salieu, BackRoad Gee | 42 |
14 | Crud 5:31 feat. Giggs | 66 |
15 | Squeeze 2:42 feat. Miraa May | 67 |
16 | Little Bo Peep 6:32 | 78 |
#4 | / | Complex UK |
#4 | / | Crack Magazine |
#4 | / | Dummy |
#9 | / | The Line of Best Fit |
#11 | / | The Independent |
#13 | / | Clash |
#13 | / | NME |
#20 | / | The Sunday Times |
#21 | / | Loud and Quiet |
#34 | / | The Forty-Five |