‘The Old Estate’ crashes on to the scene after a year-long wait for more from drill’s most unconventional duo.
It also time stamps a busy year for M24 as he continues to showcase the ridiculous work rate that has thrust him into the scene’s spotlight. This is also Pete and Bas’ first collaboration with a serious artist in UK rap, imploring us to view their continued presence as far more than simply jokes or clicks.
The track brings you into M24’s verse with a vocal intro about the pair’s murky reputation in the drug game, curtesy of Pete. This simmers nicely over a beat that distorts a high-pitched vocal along with a classic bass line. The producers use high-hats that crescendo in a drop that packs a real punch. The track is produced by Prod R.F.P & 91shots.
As we have become accustomed to, M24 jumps on the beat with aggressive delivery and even harder lyrics.
Are you widdit or not I did it, skidded I’m off In the trap making prof off charlie Now I’m in the booth like Charlie Sloth (fire in the booth)
Putting extra conviction into the delivery of every 8th beat makes for familiar listening on an M24 verse, but it possibly blends even better with Bas and Pete’s punchy flows in the verses proceeding it. A solid first verse which I feel is intentionally short so as not to overshadow the rest of the record. M24 is the first recognised player in the UK scene to take the plunge onto a track with the pair. I had anticipated Giggs to be a natural first fit, but the Brixton born rapper more than slots in sonically.
Verse 2 sees Pete grab the mic and come out swinging about their own credentials in the past and even throws shade at Frank & Maury, who have been described by many as the US equivalent to Pete and Bas.
Couple yanks tried biting the UK style but that’s fine, it’s blessed
I can’t dodge no bullets, I wrap my chest in a Kevlar vest (yeah)
Got an arsenal down in south, got a pig farm out in west
So just drop one text, fly down the M25 no stress
Yeah you know me son, you know my face, you know my status (you know my status)
So just shut your mouth before I put your face on the front of the papers (yeah)
There is no doubt that Pete is about the life he’s pushing to us. He effortlessly delivers bar after bar which come packaged with their own sinister kick. Merging new lingo with old turns of phrases he continues to point out that he knows the game played it harder than any man could now. His delivery is slick enough that you don’t question what he’s telling you to be true and don’t bat an eyelid about what looks absurd from a distance.
Moving to Verse 3, Bas slows the tempo down somewhat, spitting simplistic statements about who he is what he can do. Bas casts bass-fuelled delivery and swaps Pete’s aggression with charisma. The verse gets progressively faster in pace as he spits impeccably about what happens when he is disrespected in his line of business.
I’m moving reckless
Grab that man by the necklace
Phone got robbed for the line
(Hello)
Texting his number, like look call this one next time
I came from dirt and it all got dirty
30s 2 2s and 4 4s
Make cash in a burnt out box in Brixton
And I made big but I still want more
More time on the roadside meant more moolah
The record culminates with an echoed repetition of the intro.
Yeah you know me son
You know my face, you know my name
I came from nothing
Now the whip's got custom plates
The packs got sold
And I got more than paid
Still living on the old estate
Had to lie low to avoid them jakes
The records released by Pete and Bas have somewhat been repetitive in message, but that doesn’t take away from their impact. They still live and work in the same estate that they came up on and aren’t apologetic about their own image or style. Bas and Pete are highlighting the fact that they have already lived a lifestyle that other rappers brag about.
I think at this point, UK drill needs to treat Pete and Bas for what they are, serious MCs. Having a look through their back-catalogue of work since they burst on the scene in the summer of 2018, they are yet to drop a serious dud. The sound engineer’s that work with the pair bring their geezer-flow and unorthodox voices to a different dimension. However, the pace with which they rap and the punch-line delivery is as good as anything in drill right now. The motivation behind Pete and Bas’ rise to notoriety remains murky but if nothing else the two gents show impressive vocal dexterity for their age.
Pete and Bas, if there was any doubt in our minds, are to be taken seriously from this point forward. Tour dates at 12 venues have been released in the UK and if they go ahead as scheduled, I only see the South London duo going from strength to strength. Socials have been flooded with reaction videos from London and the US as rap heads try to get their head around the unquestionable appeal of Pete and Bas.
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