Review Summary: I don't really talk too much.
The internet and it's possibilities destroyed a lot of ways to stand out today. No matter what you do, there is always someone being more extreme with it, taking it further than you ever can. This puts a lot of pressure on artists to be exceptionally good and unique at the same time, especially in a genre as overflooded as hip-hop. And while doing all of this, you should also be able to „keep it real“, a phrase which lost it's meaning years ago and is now mostly used to discredit artists people have a gripe with. But still, it is always nice to find someone sounding like every single word they say has a deep connection with them.
Enter a young Kieron Boothe from London, 22 years old, and ready to take the world by storm, even though it doesn't really seem like it at first. His slick flows and jazzy, laid-back production-choices give off a very laid-back, introspective feel. But deeply embedded in this atmosphere is a feeling of strong ambitions and big visions for the future. The song 2AM embodies all these features of his perfectly, expertly juggling arrogance, introspection, hopefulness and self-awareness over a faded, jazzy background with diverse flows and adequate rhyme-schemes.
These attributes are all evenly split on this project, from the hazy When I Die, over the beautiful, soulful hooks of Right Now and Real, which are co-handled by Latir, to the strummed guitar on Tea And A Zoot and the vocal chops on Goin' In. The only songs sticking out sound-wise, are the hectic, bassy Roll Up and the freestyle over The Games 100. The record is very expertly sequenced, though, and no change in pace or switch-up in style feels unnatural, making it very cohesive.
Kieron himself has lots of charisma on this project, spitting his lyrics with exceptional ease and complex flows. He also never presents just one side of himself, always giving a very well-rounded and descriptive view on him as a person riddled with sadness and hopefulness, arrogance and shyness, ambition and possibilities. All in all, he is very human in his lyrics, and very relatable, making him a very accessible MC as well.
In conclusion, this is a very concise and cohesive project by a very charismatic young MC from London, that most fans of jazzy-beats and modern rap should enjoy, which makes it all the more weird, that he is still such a low-key and unknown performer.
