Ransom & Nicholas Craven's "Deleted Scenes 2" EP Review

Ransom and Nicholas Craven’s Deleted Scenes 2 is an EP with track titles sharing their name with movie titles. No samples from the respective movies appear on the songs on this project. However, a snippet from The Shining’s opening scene with the character Jack Torrance does play at the end of the opening track, “American Made.” In this project, Ransom combines creative bars with motivational truths from his own life. He drops punchlines and references with ease, never forcing the listener to dwell on them long because he’s already moved on to the next one. Lyrics like, "Look, they ain't support your flight, shouldn't mean they stop you from soaring,” combine motivational advice with creative imagery. Less complex but equally effective bars like, “You struggle for pennies and still you won't change,” frequently appear, too. Ransom’s direct delivery ensures their efficiency.

In Deleted Scenes 2, Ransom's verses blend well with all of Nicholas Craven’s production. However, the display is somewhat formulaic and sticks out because of the short length of the project. Every beat is either a pitched up or down soul sample loop. This method is part of Nicholas Craven’s signature style but can get repetitious here. The loop on "American Made" mirrors Ransom's lyrics which was an effective creative decision. “Arrival" offers some pleasant strings and piano keys, while "Homefront" has a dusty guitar loop. However, Craven’s production doesn’t have the same impact as it has had on other projects. His ability to find, chop, and loop the samples is still commendable, but it is not quite as dynamic as expected on this. It's not bad - but he has done better.

Deleted Scenes 2 brings two popular names in the underground together. Nicholas Craven is a producer from Canada. He’s known for his work with underground artists such as Tha God Fahim, Boldy James, Mach-Hommy, and, of course, Ransom. He’s also done several songs with fellow Canadian artist CHUNG. Craven creates ominous, elegant, or smooth soundscapes - and everything in between - for the artists he works with. Meanwhile, Ransom is an underground artist who has worked with Conway The Machine, Che Noir, 38 Spesh, and others in the gritty underground scene. However, he has made quite a name in the same space, despite the falling out of his group with Hitchcock and Joe Budden called The A-Team.

Deleted Scenes 2 offers listeners who like clever bars, long but strong hooks and soul chops something to enjoy. At just under 15 minutes, those who support these techniques may restart it from the beginning after the final song ends. Ransom effectively uses his time by dropping short but impactful verses, and Craven’s production complements it despite its issues. With the featureless project, listeners get a glimpse of how well Ransom can hold down a song on his own, and he does a good job at it. The project serves as another entry in the ever-growing catalog of underground music and would be a decent point for anyone curious about this world of rap.

Tracklist

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