01. Predormitum (Prologue) (4.5/5)
02. Darkness (Dream On) (4.5/5)
03. Phantasmata (Interlude) (4.25/5)
04. Hard As They Come (Act I) (5/5)
05. Murder (Act II) (5/5)
06. My Habit (I Haven’t Changed) (Interlude) (4.5/5)
07. Get Ignorant (5/5)
08. Shattered Dreams (4.25/5)
09. Stars Shine Brightest (In The Darkest Of Night) (4.75/5)
10. So As Not To Wake You (Interlude)
11. Enemies With Benefits (4.5/5)
12. Looking Back (5/5)
13. Dreams (4/5)
14. Hypnopomp (Epilogue) (Interlude)
15. Embers (4.5/5)
Mmmkay, so we already know Cunnin's one of the pioneering groups representing our genre, at least for those in the know. They return with an album about dreams. Kinda. It's a weird concept to grasp, and maybe it'll flesh in more over time. Excluding the interludes, some samples, and a few tracks, there's few explicit references to a cohesive story or concept here. So, at this point, the concept *seems* half-baked (that can change - and I'm sure the QN5 forums are already ripe with ideas). But the music itself clearly isn't. Once again, Kno creates uses his knockout (if formulaic and, quite frankly, getting long in the tooth) production techniques (i.e., his same drum) to create dramatic, layered beats that are worth the price of admission alone. To quote one of my least favorite rappers of all time, this goes hard in the paint. It would be nice to see Kno change his style up a little bit, as it's become a bit familiar over the past few years, but he's working with perfection at this point, and it shows. Now to the rapping aspects. Natti & Deac hold the album together really well. They've developed a chemistry and an affinity for Kno's beats that puts many groups (past and present) to shame. While I thought Kno was (somewhat shockingly) good on Death is Silent, he's less amazing here. His verses tend to get drowned out in the midst of guest features (Gibbs, Tonedeff & K.R.I.T. murder their respective tracks) and his own beats. Specifically, his verse on "Enemies with Benefits" is just...I hope he was trying to Tonedeff shine all the more, 'cause damn Kno slipped. Atmospheric, brooding, ethereal, and the continuation of a great year for hip-hop. CATM anybody?
Sample Tracks
"Murder (Act II)"
"Get Ignorant"
"Looking Back"
Best tracks: Most...
Not-so-great: "Dreams"
Beats & Production: 9/10
Rhymes & Lyricism: 9/10
Originality & Creativity: 9/10
Overall Grade: 90%
Download
5 comments:
this album is crazy.
I love this album, but like you, I'm getting tired of the whole "depressing loops" Kno style. I miss the sound they had in WRFF and Southernunderground (not just the beats part though, I miss their fun/battle rapping).
Still, the beats are technically perfect, I was really amazed by them.
Dreams not so good? wtf
Not really that it's not so good, I might remove that. Kinda misleading. More just my least favorite of the bunch still good though
best album all around ive heard in a while. i play this for my friends who dont even like rap and their mesmorized
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