Dr Lekta & Cross UK "Pay Homage" EP | Rap Nerd Reviews

Dr. Lekta & Cross UK’s Pay Homage is exactly what the title says it is — a salute to the golden era of hip hop. The production from Cross UK captures that raw 90’s boom bap feel really well without sounding forced or outdated. From the dusty drums to the soulful samples, the whole project feels authentic. The cover art was a creative touch too, symbolizing the heavy lifting hip hop pioneers had to endure to build this culture.

Lyrically, Dr. Lekta absolutely held his own across the entire EP. He clearly cares about the craft and makes it known he refuses to follow trends just to fit into today’s industry. There is a lot of “rapping about rapping” throughout the project, and a couple tracks felt slightly aimless, but overall the theme stayed consistent.

“You Know That” featuring Conway The Machine was one of the strongest lyrical moments on the project. Conway did his thing, but Dr. Lekta didn’t get overshadowed at all. “Singing Nobody’s Praises” stood out too with its dark drumless production and spoken word style flow touching on short attention spans and skepticism. “On A Mad Trip” with Styles P brought aggressive battle-mode energy and felt like the perfect production choice for Styles.

My favorite track was definitely the title track “Pay Homage.” The melodic piano loop sounded nostalgic and beautiful while Dr. Lekta reflected on how digital everything has become and how much more pure hip hop once felt. Some really clever writing on that record.

The closer “How It Ends” leaves the listener with dark reflections on corrupt politicians, social media brainwashing, and today’s rap culture. It’s a strong ending to a project that clearly came from a real love for hip hop culture.

Overall, Pay Homage feels genuine. It’s not trying to cosplay the 90’s — it feels like artists who truly respect the foundation while still bringing their own voice to it.

Final Score: 8/10

#RapNerdApproved

Derek “D-Sick” Moore

Rap Nerd Radio Program Director