Nostalgic hip-hop heads yearn for the music of its golden era: the late ’80s and early ’90s. Back then, many say hip-hop was eclectic and pure and truly represented their neglected generation. The jazzy beats and introspective rhymes of A Tribe Called Quest, Souls of Mischief, Rakim, De La Soul and Black Moon pumped out of boom-box speakers on street corners across the country. To some fans, no one new can measure up to these artists.
But on its second album, the duo Kidz in the Hall stacks its records high enough to reach the peak hip-hop hit 15 years ago. The In Crowd is a well-sewn tapestry of funk, soul, boom-bap and jazz beats made by DJ/producer Double-O that perfectly wraps around rapper Naledge’s melodic flow and clever wordplay. With record scratches, Masta Ace vocal samples, big-band horns, braggadocio punch lines and honest stories about relationships, being a struggling artist and overcoming inner demons, the album encompasses all that hip-hop fans have loved in the past, yet it is like nothing they’ve ever heard before.
Kidz in the Hall’s sophomore effort is much more mature and accessible than its inconsistent and somewhat pretentious debut, School Was My Hustle. The title is a nod to the duo’s Ivy League education at the University of Pennsylvania, where the two met. Although it was clear the group had potential, the album was littered with bitten beats, uninspiring lyrics and an overall style some may criticize as hipster rap.
But in two years, Kidz in the Hall has ditched its gimmick, perfected its sound and left us with nothing less than refreshing hip-hop everyone from prep-school student to college dropout can relate to. The In Crowd should bring Kidz in the Hall industry respect as well as crossover fame.
The album is jamming from its jump-off – “The Blackout” is a wild collage of samples fit for a Kool Herc block party. Naledge, an accomplished rapper with metaphors and insight reminiscent of Lupe Fiasco and Phonte from Little Brother, spits entertaining boasts, such as “I’m nice ’round mics like I was Scott Pippen” and “On stage with hands up like bomb threats/ I make n—-s straight go nuts like ‘Nam vets.”
Two songs on The In Crowd are guaranteed hit singles: “Drivin’ Down The Block” and “Love Hangover.” The former is an uncomplicated, yet quality, track about stunting in a fly whip. It can make any head nod. The beat is reminiscent of The Clipse’s smash “Grindin,'” southern slow with a screwed-and-chopped hook meets New York-style boom bap. Everyone can rock with this song. The latter may also rule the radio and club with its mesh of R&B, dance and house grooves. Naledge caresses the beat with catchy rhymes about infatuation for a neglectful girlfriend.
Every track on The In Crowd is exciting. Whether Naledge is discussing the destructive lengths girls will go “To be in the crowd and never be left out” on “The In Crowd,” the title track, or repping his hometown of Chicago with crowd-pleasing raps such as “Windy city bandit/ Finesse on the beat like Picasso to the canvas/ Big man on campus” on “Middle of the Map,” Double-O always backs him up with a banging beat.
There are also plenty of worthy guest artists to keep listeners entertained. Camp Lo, favorites of the 1990s Bronx hip-hop scene, bring their Dada- and retro blaxploitation flick-inspired slang to the funky horns of “Snob Hop,” which borrows the chorus from H-Town’s “Fever for the Flavor.” Their Duck Down labelmates, gritty Brooklyn rappers Sean Price and Buckshot, drop knowledge on “The Pledge,” a track about their determination to make a career out in the fickle hip-hop world. Naledge and friends declare “You ain’t heard it like this in a long time” and “A lot of n—-s sell records, but they can’t rhyme.” He’s right, and hopefully The In Crowd will expose pop listeners to grade-A hip-hop.
Though there are some serious tracks, including the philosophical “Inner Me,” The In Crowd is one of the most fun hip-hop albums released this year. Naledge and Double-O throw it back to an innocent era of summertime cookouts, basement parties and street-corner rap battles while still being progressive and bringing some brand-new flavor. With this album, Naledge and Double-O are definitely part of The In Crowd.
arush@umd.edu
Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
