Review Summary: This album is a emotional roller coaster that tries to tackle each and every human emotion. From the dark & depressing to the solid positive messages that contribute on this album, Second Hand King is an artist that people must hear.
Virtually unknown emcee, Second Hand King, comes seemingly out of no where hailing from the seldom thought of as "Hip-Hop" city of Kansas City, looks to make a statement with the release of "The Lower Depths". A quite unique album to say the least, Second Hand King releases over an hour of music in his debut of "The Lower Depths" with an unrecognizable delivery & feel for a hip-hop track that can only distinct as his own. I've seen some places describe his sound as Doo Wop & upon further research of Second Hand King, the title of his own website states, "Life, Sound, & Doo Wop", so there must be somewhat of a Doo Wop influence on the Kansas City "emcee". I put quotations near emcee because I'm not quite sure this album fits along the lines of tried and true hip-hop and rap. The main reason this album caught my attention, was after hearing "Talk Strange" & seeing barely to any, press on the rapper but after listening completely to the album, a couple things come to mind after hearing his work but the adjective I can call him most is original. There is no other Second Hand King sound & that is what directly intrigued me into his music.
The Lower Depths opens with a quote from "Pursuit of Happiness", which I thought was cheesy, & unneeded. I believe Second Hand King is setting the tone for the album in that he's been trying to find his own way which gets utilized as a constant theme throughout this album but I could of very well done without these little skits that show up through out the album. Although I love how he used the Peanuts quote and then followed with maybe his most pop-sounding track of the album, Stand Up Guy. The lyrical content that Second Hand King displays on this album is different and unique on it's own. He tackles such topics as love lost, then follows with a track describing fame & fortune and his lack of understanding such topics to alienation, then near the end of the track he seemingly jumps off the deep end to create a delusional crazy person in such songs as PTSD, Rock Bottom, The Perps Got Em, Aimless, & Run. There's a bit of paranoia on this album mixed in with love songs. One of the key moments in this album is when Second Hand King channels a sweet melody in "A Million Miles". It starts off with a beautiful, but long piano followed by Second Hand King describing a girl who I assume, he himself once dated & the hauntingly fresh details of a love song gone wrong. There is pain and vengeance along the details as he goes into describe her STD & how it's affected their relationship. Throughout this album there is a touch of women shown through in a somewhat negative light that seemingly Second Hand King cannot seem to shake.
The song Stand Up Guy brings maybe, the happiest song on the album. Trying to trophy himself on the track, the Doo Wop sound does resonate here. One of my favorite tracks on the album is a depressing but not completely depressed track called "Talk Strange". A track where Second Hand King tries to describe his alienation underneath a Bjork sample of "Unraveled". The hooks for this album are superb & surprisingly the only vocals contributed to this album other than samples & skits are all Second Hand King's. During one track, Second Hand King almost saves the track by the talented hook making abilities, in Robot 23-40. A track about a robot hitman sent to kill a red headed woman who apparently has committed adultery. Tracks like that seem out of place on this album and due to the length of this work, 23 tracks, one has to wonder if he really needed to add such tracks. The dark and classical beat do add such an element of environment to the work, it does somewhat make me glad he decided to add such tracks to the album.
This is not an album everyone is going to resonate with. Second Hand King stays for the most part on one course with his music and style. He takes some musical risks & sometimes tries to pull of a certain style of singing that can only be described as singing without singing. We've let such artists as Eminem, Kendrick, and others in the hip-hop world I think we can give Second Hand King a pass on this. Sometimes his hooks build so well that it's hard not to go along with what he is saying despite the lack of a classically trained voice.
The thing that stood out to me the most though was the lyrics. That's where I think Second Hand King starts to create his own lane and define his style.
"Life will always waver
Between reality and fantasy and here's your savior
On a small wooden stick saying "This is it.."
Life can't be fixed but it doesn't need to be your crucifix"
There is a touch of religious angst in this album but he never comes forthright and says it.
The song Be Yourself adds in a somewhat cheesy message in, just be yourself but at the same time he ties it into a push forward and throws it into a unique light.
I think to me the highlight of the album was the final track, "The Legend of The S.S. Mary".
"Hell -- is holding onto the moments
Heaven is letting is all go when your heart becomes golden"
"My life is more then I missed"
He describes a young sailor who finds a boat that capsizes as he sinks lower and lower to The Lower Depths & it describes him letting go of life and appreciating life before he dies. This to me, shows Second Hand King's unique ability in storytelling and depth withing his story. With one of the most elegant beats in hip-hop I have ever heard.
I think in the end, this album does have it's flaws. Second Hand King's over ambition in this album shines through and pushes on the daunting tasks for an hour & 23 tracks worth of music with only his vocals. Sometimes he follows a pretty basic rhyme scheme that makes it easy to follow but sometimes the vagueness leaves a little bit to grasp, he writes on more of a song style then he does a hip-hop track. The beats he uses are pretty strong but I don't believe he produced any. The styles sometimes clash in that he only finds a few producers making repeat appearances on this album. With all that said, Second Hand King creates a completely unique sound that I stand by. Although this as a whole work is somewhat depressing and dark, he does find a way to find a point and a meaning behind what he is saying. In the end, he tells a message of hope and understanding. This is an album for those who want to experience alternative hip-hop, but really for anyone who enjoys music. He doesn't constrain himself to hip-hop but somewhat stays true to the art. Second Hand King seems to have every way of making this album arise out from The Lower Depths and someday it might.
