Although he’s been one of Sydney’s go-to producers for years on end, there’s no denying Blessed more than holds his own as a solo artist…

After months of Instagram and TikTok teasing, Western Sydney/Eora OG BLESSED has returned to the limelight to release his new mixtape LOCKDOWN TAPES VOL. 1, and he doesn’t disappoint.

The new effort is still relatively fresh in the discography of the veteran producer, being recorded over the past three months of Sydney’s recent lockdown, hence the name LOCKDOWN TAPES.

Naturally, notions of isolation and quarantine are heavily embedded through the 12 track effort, from the lyrical themes of the various tracks to the cover art itself, with the multi-instrumentalist explaining “The cover art speaks to the forced self-quarantine happening all over Australia, while most of the world moves freely.

“The cracks in the walls represent the cracks in the system, while the hands in cuffs feature a tattoo of an ancient West African symbol (fawohodie) symbolising freedom and emancipation.”

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Consequently, the new offering is flush with the protest sentiments inherent to the hip hop soundscape, with injections of melodic hip hop and R&B interspersed throughout as he balances the two sides of his sound with the personal and political parts of his message. But don’t get it twisted, this is definitely an embrace of his hip hop roots, cuts like ‘I’m a Wolf’ and recent single ‘Not Sorry’ bursting with hard-hitting bars and frenetic flows, both traits peppered throughout LOCKDOWN TAPES‘ track-listing.

Other highlights include the two collabs on the record in ‘Situations’ with fellow Western Sydney rapper Jaecy along with ‘What’s The Reason’ featuring Chirine, all of which showcasing BLESSED’s talent at creating melodic ballads that stand on their own in terms of resonance and emotional weight. Jaecy and Chirine more than hold their own as well, Jaecy’s flow finding a nice synchronicity with the sonics while Chirine’s delicate vocals pierce through the textures while maintaining their sensitivity.

It’s definitely a worthy follow up to last year’s Music Is The Medicine, and much like the name of the 2020 effort, LOCKDOWN TAPES VOL. 1 has a healing quality to it that somehow eases the trauma of the past couple of months, all the while firing you up for the times to come. Check out the full mixtape below and be sure to buy/stream it here.