Review Summary: Best Hip-Hop debut of 2008, hands down.
Hurricane Katrina created an unbelievable amount of hardship for a huge demographic. Lives were lost, homes were destroyed, and families were torn apart. Family was the only thing people had left to turn to in the end, the only thing that kept them going. He government was unable to help , so many were left to their own devices. A duo of MCs, who also happen to be brothers, persevered through Hurricane Katrina, sticking together, and becoming more serious in their craft. The Knux, comprised of brothers Rah Almillio and Krispy Kream, came out of Hurricane Katrina with a hunger to make something of themselves. Since then they have signed to a major label, have been seen on Rolling Stone’s top 50 albums of 2008, and have appeared on Jimmy Kimmel and were even seen on an episode of Entourage. The amount of hype around these brothers has been at full power in many magazines and, as a result, the expectations are high. Could they possibly live up to said hype? The answer is yes, very much so.
The Hip-Hop created on this album uses many instruments, such as a guitar prominence not seen very often and also a smattering of bass and also video game sounds (as evidenced in
Cappuccino.) The production on the record is impeccable, capturing the elements of throwback hip hop of the early nineties while simultaneously sounding new and fresh. Imagine a mix of Outkast and The Strokes, the drawl of Big Boi with First Impressions of Earth in the background. Sound intriguing doesn’t it?
Songs like
Bang Bang and
Powder Room are the most infectious songs on the record, mixing a head bouncing beat with interesting rhymes and a catchy delivery. Both brothers delivery is on the deeper side, but display surprising range, being able to rap higher in the choruses. The lack of monotony in the vocals is perfect as it keeps the album from becoming stale or repetitive. The guitar lines are never in danger of repeating themselves either, as each song has a unique riff that is able to sync with the vocals and simultaneously set the right mood for the song, possibly best evidenced in
Hush.
That being said, a few tracks tend to miss the mark.
Daddy’s Little Girl sounds like a rejected Black Eyed Peas song, with the flow in the verse even conjuring memories of
My Humps. which should be subjected upon no one.
Wake The *** Up is just plain annoying, and should have been left off the album. There is also a throwaway skit, as are just about all skits on rap albums.
What comes together is a very, very strong Hip-Hop debut by brothers who have a strong foundation to grow on.
Remind Me In Three Days… breathes new life into mainstream Hip-Hop, which needed shaking up. This is the strongest debut this year of any rapper or group of rappers, and is in the running for top Hip-Hop album of the year. Any fan of nineties or modern rap will surely become fans of The Knux.
