This week is sort of the calm before the storm in terms of new releases. In the next few weeks we’ll be seeing new releases from: The White Mandingos, Run the Jewels (El-P & Killer Mike), J. Cole, Statik Selectah, Kanye West, Wale, Dessa and probably a few others. I was struggling to find an album worthy of HHSE’s Album of the Week stamp of approval. Then I remembered I got an email from British emcee K.I.N.E.T.I.K. yesterday about a new release.
HHSE loyalists may remember K.I.N.E.T.I.K. from one of our favorite blokes/beatsmiths FlamesYall’s latest project – Oh Yeah! The Drift of the World. K.I.N.E.T.I.K. linked up with California-based producer Kuroisoul for the semi-biographical concept album Hip Hop is Forever. The two first met online in 2009 and have collaborated since then by exchanging emails.
Hip Hop is Forever tells the story of a struggling emcee getting an invite to join his online collaborator in California to create an album. At first he is unsure whether he wants to take the risk of “moving a thousands miles away from (his family),” but after talking with his girl he goes across the pond to experience the warm, energized “California Nights.”
K.I.N.E.T.I.K. does a nice job of balancing sticking to the narrative of the album and writing songs that could be enjoyed outside of the context of the whole record. He flexes his battle rap skills on “Dead Rappers” over a nostalgic, horn-driven beat. And he touches on interracial relationships on “People Don’t Understand.” K.I.N.E.T.I.K. has a stronger than most British rappers that I’ve heard; he’s closer to Slick Rick than he is Mike Skinner (of The Streets).
Kuroisoul’s production is top notch from top to bottom. His beats are infused with that warm Cali sound and will keep your head nodding throughout the record’s 10 cuts. Kuroisoul’s style reminds me of The Pharcyde’s and Souls of Mischief‘s production. And while it has that 90s influence with the chopped samples and use of horns, the production never sounds dated.
Hip Hop is Forever is sharp and concise – in 10 tracks Kuroisoul and K.I.N.E.T.I.K. don’t waste a bar on the whole project. Following the steps of countless emcee/producer duos before them, K.I.N.E.T.I.K. and Kuroisoul have a phenomenal chemistry and have created a fully realized, cohesive product.
8/10
Tracklisting:
1) Chemistry Perfected
2) London Mornings (feat. Tone Richardson)
3) California Nights (feat. Tone Richardson)
4) Dead Rappers
5) What I See
6) People Don’t Understand (feat. Tone Richardson)
7) Boom Bap Babies
8) Knee High (feat. Joanne Francis)
9) What Will They Say (feat. Ileen Mitchell)
10) As Long As I Live (feat. Tone Richardson & Joanne Francis)
***Notable Mentions:
4th Pyramid: The Sky Belongs to the Stars EP
SciFi Stu: Reflectionz
