Fliptrix has released a vast catalogue over the years but Elevation feels bigger. Stretching to over an hour and packed with High Focus guest appearances, this project doesn’t just deliver bars but captures a full worldview.

The production is downbeat and earthy, rich with texture and soul rather than simple boom-bap, and beneath it all Fliptrix sounds more agitated than usual. He’s still thoughtful and composed, but clearly responding to a world slipping further into darkness despite his own steadfast commitment to growth and moral principles. As the record unfolds, a broad palette of breakbeats, grime and jungle gives the album variety without sacrificing cohesion, as Forest DLG’s warm and detailed production becomes far more immersive than simple loop-based hip-hop. General Levy injects a burst of full-system euphoria on Energy! Energy! Energy!, while Dangerous hands the mic to 19 MCS in a classic High Focus posse cut.

Whether exploring spirituality, conspiracies, or how to live with integrity in a world that’s increasingly hostile, Elevation is defined by a constant thread of reflection. The Divine Feminine stands out as a particularly sincere moment, offering a deeply felt perspective on women and respect that doesn’t feel at all performative. The sequencing throughout carries you from introspection through bursts of energy and back again, all with a sense of purpose and an acceptance of the world’s complexity met with compassion, awareness, and resilience.

Forest DLG’s production is absolutely central to the album’s identity, moving fluidly through jungle, grime, breakbeat and more soulful R&B-adjacent textures, all tied together by a deep, resonant low end and a strong sense of spatial depth. There’s a richness to the sound, with reverb used to open everything up, and the unpredictability of the tempos and styles keeps Elevation constantly engaging while still maintaining a clear sonic fingerprint. The more upbeat moments prevent the album from becoming overly introspective, and whilst Fliptrix’s voice may not have changed dramatically over the years, his presence feels more pointed with a venom in the sharpness of his observations.

He moves at speed, packing in ideas, references and reflections whilst constantly nudging the listener toward greater self-awareness. His message remains consistent that growth is internal, and living with integrity is both the challenge and the reward. As such when he performs with bravado it feels rooted in the genuine pride of what he’s built and how he’s chosen to live. Tears in the Eyes of Gaia blends spiritual awe with melancholy, trying to make sense of a complicated and overwhelming world, and by the time the record ends you feel thankful to have spent an hour with someone trying to genuinely offer something uplifting.

Elevation reinforces why Fliptrix remains such a compelling figure within UK hip-hop. Never chasing trends or reinventing himself, bur rather refining, deepening, and doubling down on the philosophy he’s always held, Fliptrix is a rare rapper that prioritises substance over surface, and Elevation stands as his most expansive statement yet.