MoStack delivers a catchy project but ends up lacking the quality of hits he’s already put out.
At a short half-an-hour, High Street Kid concisely showcases what MoStack does best. He borderlines pop by focusing on memorable hooks, beats and melodies. Along with that comes his unique selling point of humorous one-liners, which there’s an abundance of. “I left my manners in the place I left my hairline”, “She think my real name is Mohammed”, “She think I don’t know her body count’s three numbers” and “Bum so big I had to pat the mandem / She made my bottom lip drop” are just a few examples of the unique lyrical scenarios that MoStack presents throughout High Street Kid.
From front to back High Street Kid relies on its bubbly and upbeat pop-dancehall production to be the driving force in creating the sort of summery vibes that we experienced on J Hus’ “Did You See”. “Ussy Ussy” remains as solid as when it first dropped. The MIST collaboration “Screw & Brew” involves the two trading bars over signature Steel Banglez production, and despite it sounding like every single MIST song out there the formula is still successful in making an enjoyable track.
Despite the bangers present on High Street Kid it is missing the commanding presence of tracks like “Liar Liar”, “Block Popping” and “Let It Ring” which are more memorable than songs such as “Sorry Mama”, which flips lyrics from Eminem’s “Cleanin’ Out My Closet”.
One flaw of the formula is that it results into some tracks sounding too similar, specifically the three opening tracks “High Street Kid”, “Dealers & Robbers” and “I Like It”. The same sounds are repeated, making it hard to differentiate between some of the songs and knowing the individual melodies off the top of your head. In comparison, “The Friend” stands out sonically for its acoustic-driven beat and melancholy tone.
As a result of the consistent sound, High Street Kid is best experienced as a casual listen while it plays in the background, finding yourself chipping in to repeat some of the most noteworthy one-liners. The absent songs like “Liar Liar” provide a base in comparing the potential of songs that were left off and songs that managed to make their way on. By replacing some of the less memorable songs with the absent songs, High Street Kid could have reached its best potential.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Best tracks: “Ussy Ussy”, “Screw & Brew”, “Pon the Endz”
Mic Cheque 