Donnie Numeric – devizine.com

Ah, now the hook on this is immediately snappy, with that repetitive ghostly dope beat, The Scribes demanding you Focus, and like any good boom bap, the lyrics take too much untwining to define appropriately, but I know what I like. I’m trying to stay focussed, guys, straight up, but this captivating loop pounds your head, and the effect of this method lyrically the Scribes play off from each other is mesmerising….

The single is from long-awaited The Scribes X Vice Beats – The Totem Trilogy Part 2 EP, the first part of which we reviewed here back in 2020, and since we’ve been on a journey to find anyone half as good as the Scribes on the UK hip hop scene, but only so far come up with the ensemble who happened to have worked with the Scribes! This time around they’ve turned my attention onto smooth and dynamic, in a Rodney P manner, London-based rapper Donnie Numeric, who fits like a glove into this troop.

They rocked Devizes last November at the Muck & Dundar, they’re coming to Salisbury’s Winchester Gate soon, where they’re welcomed regulars, and the launch of this single sees them party at The Exchange in Bristol, the night this nugget drops; Friday 25th August. If I link the video to Focus below, you won’t be able to preview it until tomorrow when it goes live, that’s where I’m the lucky one, but honestly, the wait is worth it. The video was filmed by Lloyd Ashman Media, and it functions as a visual cue to the skill of this tongue-twisting talented trio, and makes you shiver somewhat at how this rolls.

With a progressive disc of annihilating hip hop this fresh, it is easy to see how The Scribes have been centre of attention recently, as Exposure Music Awards Best UK Urban Act, and the EatMusic Radio Awards Best Live Act too. They’ve provided original music for BBC and Channel 4 television, and are featured regularly on both national and local radio and media including BBC 1Xtra, BBC Radio 1 Introducing and BBC Radio 6 Music. But through all this, there’s no pretentiousness when you meet them, no chip on a shoulder stereotypical of the scene, just fete perusal of where they’re heading, added with a healthy slice of banter. The Scribes are the real McCoy, and this is just another shining example of why.