The IRS - The World is Theirs

If you like Hip Hop that really has something to say and is thought provoking and you haven't yet checked out The IRS then there is possibly a small compartment in your life which feels empty. If you like Roots Manuva but never really knew what he was on about but still loved his sound then you need to hear this. If you like Hip Hop with beats that are slightly leftfield, but not so much at that they aren't Hip Hop any more then get yourself a copy of 'The World Is Theirs' by London crew The IRS, out now on Merciless Records.

With a thought provoking variety of topics including laziness, the devil's negative impact on life, parenting, the love of money and hard times, your brain is well catered for. But so is your sense of humour. Droll observations, sarcasm and irony make light work of the heavy themes. The beats compliment the witty but serious lyrics. Ed Strong has carefully selected samples that provide The IRS with 'a sound' despite the differing genres that have been plundered - there is definitely something to be said for in-house producers.

Check out their video for 'Day with the devil'. It's a complementary-to-the-track stop-motion job with a message that can be quite powerful when listened to with the right frame of mind:

"Spent a day with Devil, saw him play, saw him fiddle//With our lives, realised all the ways that he meddles//He told me greed was, one of his greatest achievments//It's man's greatest weakness and the reason for most bereavements"

If you around the Leeds way on the 7th of December at 10pm then you can get yourself up to the Atrium to get down with The IRS for only a fiver. That's a bargain.

The IRS - Big Day In
The IRS - Windy Weathermen