Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
K BANGER'S WHOLE VIBE IS 1994. The "Golden Era" of hip hop. An era of peace, creativity and substance. You could catch The Wu on T.V., and A Tribe Called Quest on the radio without it being the old school hour. Sadly the era of peace, creativity and substance ended a long time ago. Attempting to reverse such trends K Banger has released an EP which emits earth tones, hard lyrics, and crisp production from speakers.
K Banger's all over the place nature could earn him the very first "Neo Hip Hop" title. Leave it to him though and the description you'll receive is "Just left of the mainstream wit a name brand style". Releasing an EP instead of a full length album has worked to his advantage and disadvantage. Truth be Told (Shaman Work Recording) is a brief introduction for a new artist tryin to find his place in this fickle game but, he spreads himself too thin. It seems like he's on a mission to showcase a wide range of musical diversity in the least amount of tracks as possible.
Sounding like a political Pete Rock he maintains his subject matter throughout but, his approach often changes and it can get confusing for the listener to hear the same message in different forms. "All I Need" sounds like spoken word poetry at first. It's very evident the he doesn't fit into any typical rap stereotypes but he doesn't fit in anywhere else much either. Two very obvious aspects of his artistry is heavy Jazz influence and a genuine love of Hip Hop. He pays tribute to the B-Boys "Uprock", and gives it up to James Brown ( the "Godfather of Soul" and the "Grandfather of Hip Hop" ) over a dope loop on "Without Soul". "Freedom March" is reminiscent of Public Enemy (simulation Shocklee wall of sound included) complete with words from Mumia Abu Jamal at the end. After screaming "Fuck the police" and, "Fuck these fake gangsters" on the hook, son goes in breaking down society's ills.
"K banger with a death wish/revenge is a dish best served cold / With a twist // Spittin that hot shit / I put on the news / I know reporters is just doin they job / But still I don't know what the truth is / Check the radio station / So called hip hop personalities / Just ain't relaying information / The PD wanna see more beef / And dumb shit of the like / Just to create controversy / The controversy they creatin is translated into ratings / To me it's just satan / Dumb bitches write books to further expose their groupie lifestyles / This is our future in the making".
As an employee of BET, he is on the payroll of one of the biggest media outlets in America who help perpetuate many of these problems. With a front row seat for the mockery that the culture has become one can only respect the attempt, but how long can he play both sides of the fence? It's a catch 22 that can earn you a spot on the blacklist or drive you crazy. "Fluid Enhancement" is unnecessary. It even looks awkward on the track list, it stands out as a lame attempt to appeal to a female audience with an R&B hook but, when rhyming about the apocalypse the lyrics don't match up. A song like this is gonna lose the shorties after the hook and the hood is gonna skip it from the jump. On a different beat this verse would be incredible. The flow is stupid and K is spittin but such is the case of a lost opportunity when your blinded by a need to please everybody.
Overall, the complaints are going to come. Truth Be Told is the reflection of an artist attempting to wear too many hats. A jack of all trades and a master of none. His music and/or image is lacking solidarity. In this game how you represent yourself in and out of the booth is not just a bulk of your career, it is your career. With this release he has thrown his name into the ranks of many artist who have shunned the public image in an attempt to get the most from their music. While very commendable there aren't too many soloist who have worked that angle successfully and lived long enough to explain how it works. Hip Hop history is known to repeat itself. With the sons, brothers and sisters of the golden age creating their own renaissance there may be a place for K Banger after all if he can only figure out just exactly who he wants to be.
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