Positive thinking in hip hop is not new, but it is still pretty different as compared to your everyday storytelling and conceptual rhymes in hip hop music. Conscious emcees also engage in progressive-thinking and emit positive vibes through their music, and rapper Shane Kidd is no different. His Learn to Live EP is a fresh, upbeat, energizing style of mindful rap music and Shane Kidd does well at providing positive messages, thought-provoking ideas and cleansing words, all while displaying a well-chisled rhyming skill over swanky production.
Feeling let down? Feeling discouraged, beaten, bruised, deflated? Well don’t; pop in Shane Kidd’s Learn to Live EP and realize your full potential and regain that optimistic mentality you might’ve lost by listening to the words of a thoughtful emcee.
“It’s your time to shine, it’s your time to fly. Stay on your grind, don’t waste your time…”
Lucius sings on the hook of the soulful-sounding lead-single, “Still Shining.” Even when the beats enter a more commercial-friendly arena on songs like “Dream On (feat. Erica Cumbo),” the words still stay meaningful. Doing your best, staying positive and chasing your dreams amongst all odds are just a select few of the large amount of encouraging messages Shane Kidd delivers on this EP.
The production on the album is pretty soulful and showy. Don’t expect grungy beats layered with gritty samples and dusty vinyl static for these instrumentals stay up to par with the contemporary style of Shane Kidd, as well as the upbeat mood that Kidd instills on the listener through his conscious words. Modern-day sounds and effects are added to these soulful, R&B-infused instrumentals. The ones that stand out are usually featured on Kidd’s more lyrically powerful tracks, “Not Alone (feat. Lucius)” for example. Clean sample chops, warm, fat horns and filtered electronic ambiance all cover the multiple tracks in very unique manners.
Learn to Live EP is obviously a reflection of the modern-day, hip hop educational movement. Forward-thinking, verbally encouraging and sonically inspiring artists like Shane Kidd and his fellow collaborators do something good for hip hop – they bring a light to it that you can’t find when listening to some of hip hop’s rawer, darker music. If you want a cleaner sound, a more positive sound, then tune in to Shane Kidd, because this dude is doing it right.
7/10
