HOOLIGAN: HOOLIGINALI
December 2006
Three years ago, Hooligan launched himself locally with his much
talked-about Originali Bhali debut. Though considered a milestone in
Maltese music because if its integration of the Maltese language with
the hip-hop genre, there was room for improvement, and Hooligan seems to
have taken note of all the criticism while working on his sophomore
offering. From the get-go, it is obvious that this time around, more
detail has been given to presentation and more importantly, content,
with Hooligan applying himself to singing (erm..rapping, actually!) in
English as well as in Maltese.
In the process, Hooligan has absorbed several factors into his music, as
much from his live performances as from his (old and) new influences and
his musical collaborations. The result is evident in practically every
one of this record’s 50 minutes. His opening salvo on the title track -
bubbling with traditional hip-hop machismo – is highly entertaining, but
the album’s Maltese language highlights have to be the lyrically potent
8 Darbiet (Remix) and the evocative Meta l-Qanpiena Ddoqq. Both songs
carry strong messages and musically, they also portray the depth of
Hooligan’s musical vision and resilience. Another outstanding number is
the duet with Julie Zahra, Hoolistyle, which replaces the raw with the
refined; a rare venture into R’nB territory. A special mention has to go
to Music, which features Pen-Demonium, Dizzy D and Sick, easily among
Malta’s rap royalty. A highly volatile number, Music’s vibrant ring may
well be the way forward for this talented artist if he decides to
explore opportunities beyond our island’s confines!
Recommended weblink:
www.hoolistyle.com
