Hip Hop has made a major resurgence in the past few years, rooted in New York City with the likes of A$AP Rocky, it’s no surprise that it’s recently received a huge following in the UK. While Joey Bada$$ and others are sourcing inspiration from bars of the 90’s, many wonder where it leaves Flatbush Zombies. The trio however, have sculpted their own take on Hip Hop, creating a fresh, psychedelic sound which can’t be rivaled.

Performing at KOKO, with the crowd already warmed up by the appearance of East London rapper Yxng Bane; A$AP Twelvy set the bar high and laid the foundations for Flatbush Zombies to flourish. The three rappers of the group clearly played to their strengths, Darko instantaneously increased the energy to an unmatched level with his signature gravel-based vocals. Zombie Juice let his tight wordplay do all the work whilst Erick the Architect pulled it all together with ‘Beast Coast’ influenced production. All in all the chemistry of the trio and immersive dream-like sounds undoubtedly intoxicated the crowd in a haze of kaleidoscope beats.

Jumping into moshpits and onto speakers whilst performing their entire album, 3001: A Laced Odyssey (released early this year) - the audience clearly got their money’s worth. And judging by the audience’s reaction: it showed, most knew every lyric providing a clear example of the group’s extensive impact on the UK’s Hip Hop scene.

Although some could show indifference to the group due to the hints Drug culture embedded within the trio’s lyrics, positive vibes was unarguably the central theme during the night. Flatbush Zombies’ ability of blending of sounds of all genre’s to craft a dreamscaped atmosphere though both record and live performance is one that simply cannot be recreated.

Felixe Forde