(From Days With Dr. Yen Lo album; 2015)
This Days With Dr. Len Yo album by Ka & some producer by the name of Preservation is the point where Ka's artistic vision and my taste in rap music align. The rapper I'd dismissed as the most annoying member of Natural Elements doing coffeeshop Roc Marciano until You Know It's About caught my ear has just dropped an album that's less of the Marcberg-lite of his previous full-lengths and more akin to a bizarro world fantasy pairing of Max B and Madlib: Maxvillain/Madaveli, if you like.
*Jim Jones voice* I think I like it! Call this album the backpack Barter 6 if you need a snappy tagline for Twitter, but there's an important lesson to be learned from Days With Dr. Yen Lo for all rappers attempting to make music with the faintest scatterings of percussion who ain't tryna come off like a parody of Jay ElecScouseHouse at his most self-indulgent: make sure you sound like you've got balls of steel when you let your metaphorical nuts hang over near-drumless tracks.
(From Days With Dr. Yen Lo album; 2015)
KA and Roc Marc are two of the only NYC rappers who represent everything I loved about 90's NYC rap without sounding to throwback and never having to use the phrase "Real Hip Hop".
ReplyDeleteThis is sum spooky shit.
ReplyDeletething I like about how theyre throwback, not their beats, which isnt 100%, or flow/song structure, which def isnt, but the impression theyre more into words & writing for writings sake than making songs. like more sitting w pad forever trying to iron out details, condense everything, than trying to style on everyone or go off vibe. Rakim rather than KRS. early LL vs later LL. Pos vs Puba, Kurupt vs Snoop
ReplyDeleteprob not articulating this right, Im trying not say "craft" rn
Whoah.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of this guy before but these vids make me wanna investigate him.
@d that's a pretty good way to sum up there music u really have to listen to catch what there saying
ReplyDeleteA Butta being the most annoying Natural Elements dude IMO, especially his latest efforts ("Vaudeville Spit" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSNhZaJqHsY)...
ReplyDelete@ d: that's pretty much my impression.
ReplyDeletethe original post, I don't get really get it. seems to me just like throwing a short catch phrases.
Album is dope.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know André Ayew could rap.
ReplyDeleteKa is a big Max B fan
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/BrownsvilleKa/status/571148485942231040
https://twitter.com/BrownsvilleKa/status/563819457189912576
@Anonymous the reason I brought up the "Real Hip Hop" thing was because a good majority of these rappers who do that throwback 90's style rap don't rap about shit except how they make "Real Hip Hop", Roc Marc and KA aren't guilty of that.
ReplyDeleteSo, I'm not just being cute for cute's sake here - I really do hear a big Max influence with his flow/more confident delivery on this album.
ReplyDeleteAfter years of ignorning Ka, the notion of a backpack Max B finally won me over. Nice call.
ReplyDeleteI'm taking full credit for hipping you to 'You Know I'm About.' I'll take payment is Zippyshare credits.
ReplyDeleteMore like you repaying me for putting you onto Max B.
ReplyDeleteNotice the uncredited Roc verse on this album? (Day 81) Or maybe it's credited on the CD?
Yeah he's uncredited.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes KA backpack
ReplyDeleteIf you were a member of Natural Elements then you're pretty much Backpack royalty.
ReplyDeleteBackpack doesn't have to be a bad thing, but it certainly is a thing.