Being signed to Duckdown…er…Ruckdown, the Kidz in the Hall seemed to have a certain amount of respect just due to who ran and or runs that label. And somehow, the duo that comprises the group, Naledge and Double O, received a decent amount of air time for an independent act over the last year or so. I, as dumb as it sounds, never got hip to it. But after coming across the Naledge mix tape due out at the end of the month, I went back and did a bit of reading. And the story as to how the duo met is almost as good as Chicago Picasso.

Coming from the South Side of Chicago, Naledge apparently was adept at not only athletics – he played baseball – but academics as well. It ended up with him going to Penn, which I think at least equals J Cole attending St. John’s. But when Naledge went for a visit to see what was what, he stumbled upon a talent show, took the mic and killed it – I guess. He was summarily introduced to the dude that ended up being the other half of KitH, who previously competed in the Olympics (no, that’s not a misprint). The two immediately struck a relationship and the rest is history, as it were.

So after two full lengths – and another on the way – why would Naledge want to go out and release a mix tape via the internets? To prove it’s not a fluke. And while he was the lyrical focus on the KitH discs, he was bolstered by the production acumen of a pretty talented dude. Without that safety net, when putting together Chicago Picasso, Naledge needed to harness all of the talent that Chicago had to offer. He did. The only name that’s plainly absent is that of Pugs, but he’s been kinda BUSY.

If one just glances at the folks that are listed here, it’s impressive without even hearing a single note, beat or line. Chip tha Ripper (CLEVELAND!), Jay Electronica, Bun B, Mickey Factz and Rhymefest are all there. It’d be pretty hard to make those different tracks that each performer appears on stink. They don’t.

The noticeable thing about this tape, and that list above (Bun B?), is that it tempers underground style productions with more current, radio friendly faire. The track that Chip goes in on – as well as “Cleveland Freestyle” - sounds ready for airplay with its synthesizer styled horns and revved up drums, whereas the track the sports Jay Electro, “Cool Relax,” is more lush and stoner ready.

The performances by Naledge aren’t overwhelming and don’t seem too detached from what KitH were able to summon – it’s just got his name on it. The funny thing is that, while this isn’t a low rent release, it easily surpasses the overly slick and Jay-Z backed J. Cole effort that was discussed here a few days ago. Not to be dully unfair to JC, I already commented upon his alma mater, but Chicago Picasso is again, another example of function overtaking form…partially ’cause that cover isn’t too spicy.