man’sbestfriend

The New Human is Illegal

(Morr Music, 2004)

This isn’t the future of hip-hop. It already was the future. I believe that new things cease being new after a time. This is the case with Sole, who happens to also be man’sbestfriend. He still well may be the most important emcee in the country, founding Anticon and creating Bottle of Humans. Each new release of his does not need to be heralded as the new water-mark by which hip-hop be judged. He does continues to lead the way, regardless of the way being the path that he has already tread upon. He blurts out, “Pain is life,” on “Idol Victim”, and that one line probably best explains not only this release, but a general outlook expressed on every release by this man. The lyrics on this slab tend to begin examining a sprawling topic, but end in personal exploration. The track titles on The New Human is Illegal portray an already well-documented opposition to the general consensus of the country (“Ode to Clean Air”, “How to be Rich and Powerful”, “Dream about Afghanistan or Oakland”). The production too comes across as subversive, but in another way. The lo-fi smashed down sound that helped initially set Sole apart from the masses is accentuated on this release. The listener expects a certain amount of underground sound, but Sole further refines his tunes (“Numb”). The slab is solid. And if you already own everything else this man has released, there’s no good reason not snag this one. Maybe this isn’t the best way to familiarize yourself with him, but it’s still better than ninety-seven percent of the music out there.

CX Kidtronik

Krak Attack

(Sound Ink Records, 2006)

This former DJ for Anti-Pop Consortium and Saul Williams collaborator loves krak. Not the crack that you smoke, loose your teeth and friends, makes you a bad person and then kills you, but the krak that is attached to a lady. The beats, after learning that CX worked with Anti-Pop, make sense, but only vaguely. They’re frequently electronic in nature, but serve to bolster a number of guest rappers on the 32 track release. At other times there are some southern sounding tracks. Frankly this was difficult to listen to. Mixes end up being completely engrossing (like RJD2’s “Your Face or Your Kneecaps”) or confusing and in this case it’s the later. Without question CX Kidtronik is a talented producer and DJ; he’ll continue touring the world backing up famous emcee’s, selling mixes, but most likely his journey will leave him just a bit out of the spotlight.