Kidz In The Hall : The In Crowd Album Review

The Who Image is everything in hip-hop. So when Naledge and Double-O, two ivy league graduates turned hip-hoppers, released their 2006 debut album, School Was My Hustle, it took some time to win fans over. Their clean cut, suburban image didn't exactly capture the imagination of hip-hop fans, but thankfully, their talent did. The fact the duo was inked to Rawkus Records, and co-signed by hip-hop producer, Just Blaze, didn't hurt either. Naledge and Double-O met at the University of Pennsylvania in 2000. Naledge is a Chicago, IL native who is not only a respected lyricist but an author as well, self-publishing his own book, The Straight Jab. Double-O's background is equally as impressive, as the Lakewood, NJ beat-maker ran track and field for Belize in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

The Buzz: School Was My Hustle was distributed through Rawkus Records and was received well by fans and critics alike. The group began to acquire an even bigger backing upon signing a new label deal with Duck Down Records, which will release their sophomore album, In The Crowd. The album's lead single, "Drivin' Down The Block," has acquired a solid buzz on hip-hop blogs and various message boards as well. The success of the single eventually lead to a remix, which features UGK's Bun B, Pusha T of The Clipse, and The Cool Kids.

The Verdict: The formula for a successful rap group used to be simple: A dope MC would join with a comparable producer/DJ, and, voila, you have the foundation that spawned legendary duos such as Eric B & Rakim, Gang Starr, and Kool G Rap & DJ Polo. As easy as it sounds, though, the art, or some would say, science, of putting together a group has changed with the times.

Kidz in the Hall follow in the tradition of the aforementioned groups in spirit. Naledge is certainly a talented lyricist, and Double-O is a proficient crate digger with a penchant for soulful samples. They are two talented individuals who share a passion for the hip-hop culture. This is evident throughout their sophomore LP, The In Crowd. The cocksure Naledge flaunts his complex rhyme scheme on "The Blackout," a brilliant early '90s derived boom bap track. The song is a throwback to the heyday of hip-hop, when dope rhymes and hard beats were all you needed. The duo also shows its diversity on "Inner Me," which finds an existential Naledge chronicling the trials and tribulations of an aspiring emcee.

While dope sonics and rhymes are Kidz in the Hall's trademark, that isn't enough to produce a great album. More than anything, The In Crowd highlights the duo's promise, as well as their inconsistency and inexperience. At this point in his career, Naledge is a raw talent. He's a great young lyricist, but he isn't the most charismatic or engaging individual. There's no real personal connection with the material on The In Crowd. It's merely a hodgepodge of songs with no consistent direction. The album's lead single, "Drivin' Down The Block," is a prime example. Throughout the song, Naledge hijacks contemporary southern slang, like "chuck a deuce," while referencing the "D's on his caddy," and spewing laughably bad lines such as, "My car's like a Shoprite, got cheese, got bread, yeah, yeah, I shop right." The song even features a Masta Ace vocal sample intended to mimic Houston's chopped-n-screwed aesthetic. Talk about clichè

Then, there is "Lucifer's Joyride," another trite effort that suffers from more overly simplistic lyrics, and, worst of all, an off-key hook that features a vocalizer. Can we please retire the vocalizer already! These two songs make you realize that Kidz in the Hall are constantly searching - for an image, a sound, and some direction. It's never clear who their intended audience is - one moment it's underground hip-hop fans on "The Blackout," and the next it's "chucking deuces" with Paul Wall's demographic. It's obvious Naledge and Double-O are still trying to find their place in hip-hop, and that's understandable. But for now, these Kidz still have some growing pains to overcome.

The Verdict give it: C

Official Kidz In The Hall "Driving Down The Block" Video