Post by Admin on Aug 13, 2016 0:48:54 GMT
OCTOBER TO NOW. by KING KoLEtis™
I don’t whether the new KING KoLEtis™ release OCTOBER TO NOW. is a retrospective or a compilation - ultimately it doesn’t matter. OCTOBER TO NOW. is another complete and near-perfect “album” by the Richmond Va artist.
Is it better than CLOZAPINE, its stunning predecessor? That’s a question that shouldn’t be asked. Each is a complete work that stands on its own. 'OCTOBER' and 'CLOZAPINE' represent an Artist dedicated intensely to both process and output. The KING’s work is complex enough to be compelling, yet accessible to open minds that are eager to be enlightened and challenged.
The real issue is that KING KoLEtis™ is so damned consistent at creating art that feels so authentic, so rooted in the real heart of hip hop culture -- its humanity, and the real and vivid way hip hop, more than any other current form, describes/documents the hard-fought struggle to survive in a world that worships cruelty and mediocrity.
OCTOBER TO NOW., as the punctuated title suggests, is KING KoLEtis™ aiming for the higher level, i.e., “art.” He’s succeeded, and then some. It’s the sound of an Artist being experimental in both style and structure. Even the ‘shape’ of the track listing departs from convention: OCTOBER closes with 2 tracks by another artist (acclaimed producer/rapper
2 SMUVE), and there’s an intro midway through the set.
“Some To Prove” at first glance seems to be the star of the show. Its aggressive sexuality might be the flipside of The KING’s classic study in raw eating (“Anti Social”). It is clearly a favorite among KING KoLEtis™ female fans.
'Fire In My Heart' is like an updated 'Wild N**z', punchy and raw. 'P.L.L.D' is almost a mix of 'Big Dreams' with 'Good Enough'. KING KoLEtis™ is spitting above and beyond everybody else, turning 'P.L.L.D' into candid poetry.
‘P.L.L.D’, if i had to choose, is quite possibly THE KING’s most eloquent piece of writing. 'Good Enough' is still top-shelf, it will always be a major part of my soundtrack of 2015. Of the two, ‘P.L.L.D’ feels more urgent. In both songs, the narrative allows KING KoLEtis™ the resolve to call on his inner strength - as in ‘Good Enough’ where he famously declared: “fuck opinions, I’m The King, it’s on everything”.
In 'Good Enough', his royal nature was true with or without his acknowledgement. The defiance and risk are bigger in 'P.L.L.D', as The KING wants to live “cuz we never lived before.” Willing oneself to live requires a person to willingly suffer (probably), and face new obstacles head-on; it's the flipside of ‘Good Enough’, maybe?
During a recent polling of fans the KING asked us to name our favorite KING KoLEtis™ song. Sheepishly i admitted that i cannot choose the “best” of the KING’s work, it’s a useless exercise. There are just as many reasons to listen to an endless loop of say, ‘Fire in my Heart’’ or ‘Wild N**z’ as there are to put ‘Anti Social’, ‘My Own’ or ‘Big Dreams’ on repeat. Choosing between CLOZAPINE and OCTOBER TO NOW. doesn’t even make sense to me.
by Najee Mugabe Aribot
I don’t whether the new KING KoLEtis™ release OCTOBER TO NOW. is a retrospective or a compilation - ultimately it doesn’t matter. OCTOBER TO NOW. is another complete and near-perfect “album” by the Richmond Va artist.
Is it better than CLOZAPINE, its stunning predecessor? That’s a question that shouldn’t be asked. Each is a complete work that stands on its own. 'OCTOBER' and 'CLOZAPINE' represent an Artist dedicated intensely to both process and output. The KING’s work is complex enough to be compelling, yet accessible to open minds that are eager to be enlightened and challenged.
The real issue is that KING KoLEtis™ is so damned consistent at creating art that feels so authentic, so rooted in the real heart of hip hop culture -- its humanity, and the real and vivid way hip hop, more than any other current form, describes/documents the hard-fought struggle to survive in a world that worships cruelty and mediocrity.
OCTOBER TO NOW., as the punctuated title suggests, is KING KoLEtis™ aiming for the higher level, i.e., “art.” He’s succeeded, and then some. It’s the sound of an Artist being experimental in both style and structure. Even the ‘shape’ of the track listing departs from convention: OCTOBER closes with 2 tracks by another artist (acclaimed producer/rapper
2 SMUVE), and there’s an intro midway through the set.
“Some To Prove” at first glance seems to be the star of the show. Its aggressive sexuality might be the flipside of The KING’s classic study in raw eating (“Anti Social”). It is clearly a favorite among KING KoLEtis™ female fans.
'Fire In My Heart' is like an updated 'Wild N**z', punchy and raw. 'P.L.L.D' is almost a mix of 'Big Dreams' with 'Good Enough'. KING KoLEtis™ is spitting above and beyond everybody else, turning 'P.L.L.D' into candid poetry.
‘P.L.L.D’, if i had to choose, is quite possibly THE KING’s most eloquent piece of writing. 'Good Enough' is still top-shelf, it will always be a major part of my soundtrack of 2015. Of the two, ‘P.L.L.D’ feels more urgent. In both songs, the narrative allows KING KoLEtis™ the resolve to call on his inner strength - as in ‘Good Enough’ where he famously declared: “fuck opinions, I’m The King, it’s on everything”.
In 'Good Enough', his royal nature was true with or without his acknowledgement. The defiance and risk are bigger in 'P.L.L.D', as The KING wants to live “cuz we never lived before.” Willing oneself to live requires a person to willingly suffer (probably), and face new obstacles head-on; it's the flipside of ‘Good Enough’, maybe?
During a recent polling of fans the KING asked us to name our favorite KING KoLEtis™ song. Sheepishly i admitted that i cannot choose the “best” of the KING’s work, it’s a useless exercise. There are just as many reasons to listen to an endless loop of say, ‘Fire in my Heart’’ or ‘Wild N**z’ as there are to put ‘Anti Social’, ‘My Own’ or ‘Big Dreams’ on repeat. Choosing between CLOZAPINE and OCTOBER TO NOW. doesn’t even make sense to me.