New York emcee/producer Bishop Nehru self-producing his 3rd LP. Starting out dropping a couple beat tapes before emerging in the underground off the solid debut mixtape Nehruvia, he profile would only begin to increase in 2014 by signing to Mass Appeal Records & form the duo NehruvianDOOM alongside the late MF DOOM & putting out an overlooked self-titled effort together that same fall. Bishy would leave Mass Appeal a couple years later to drop 2 full-lengths Elevators & My Disregarded Thoughts on his own, both of which I look at as some of the best shit he’s ever done. He would also drop 7 EPs & 5 more mixtapes, the most recent being Kult Life: From Pain to Paintings. To start November though, Nehru’s finding Solace in Shadows.

“Seeking Solace” is a heavy sample-driven opener talking about Bishy Chulo searching for comfort whereas “I Don’t Know” soulfully promises to make everything all his despite if he doesn’t know if the vision’s seen. “Been So Cold” takes the boom bap route instrumentally flexing how long he’s been in the game killing shit leading into “Defying Odds” keeping the kicks & snares in tact making it to the stages after days in the hallways.

Meanwhile on “Vanilla Frosting”, we have Nehru sampling a woodwind taking a break from the mic for 135 seconds so he demonstrate his sampling skills flipping a prominent woodwind prior to the “Breaking the Rules” talking about tryna take it to the next level over a bagpipe & later the hardcore “Rap Leonardo da Vinci (So Please)” flexing his artistry. “I Don’t Care” boasts him taking the unclear road, but then the crooning “Good Thing I Know” promises you won’t come back if you cross him.

“Mr. Pessimistic” starts the encore of Solace in Shadows admitting that life’s been crazier than a Tesla in the fast lane while the orchestral boom bap hybrid “Look Within” telling you how you can change outside. “Mind over Matters” takes it further down the basement explaining the only thing that really matters while “All in the Plan” soulfully reassures that this God’s plan. “The Best Me” ends by talking about giving y’all the best version of himself.

I did enjoy the first entry of the Kult Life series of EP & several months later, Bishop has outdone himself by putting out an album that lives up to both of it’s predecessors. The production that he cooked up all by himself is a step above the previously mentioned EP that we got from him early into 2024 & conceptually, he’s taking us through the experiences of him finding comfort within the shadows.

Score: 8/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com