University of San Diego Student Radio

“Knowledge be the key/To unlock your brain/And set your mindstate free”.

Before Florida MC, Mr. SOS joined the group in 2002 and departed in 2004, followed by the addition of Natti in 2004, the Cunninlynguists was composed of the tandem of Deacon the Villian and DJ Kno. Hailing from Lexington, Kentucky, the Cunninlynguists have become one of the upcoming groups gaining nationwide attention throughout the hip-hop/rap community. They are in a long line of successful acts from the south including Outkast and the self-proclaimed king of the south, T.I. Their debut album, Will Rap for Food speaks for itself with the different intercuts that focus around Deacon and Kno rapping in exchange for them asking people for money to purchase food.

They have become one of my favorite groups, even when I’ve been severely critical of southern hip-hop music. Both the hyphy movement in the bay area and southern hip-hop have not always sat well with me because I’ve always believed in the adage, quality over quantity. They don’t have a hidden agenda and the material on this album in particular will swallow you whole. Each of their songs have subtle messages that listeners can relate to and take away from, which only a few groups and individual emcees are able to relay across.

My favorite tracks on the album include: “Mindstate” and “Family Ties”. Personal experiences are seen throughout this album by both artists, most notably Deacon the Villian, who raps about losing his sister and changing his ways in order to help support his family and provide an example and leadership for his younger sister. The cuts produced by Kno on this album combine hip-hop with classical and jazz beats. He has also been praised for his remix of Jay-Z’s Black Album, the White Al-bu-lum. Not only have they opened themselves up to hip-hop/rap with this album, they’ve also introduced newcomers who have used their album as an outlet to display their skills, including: Mr. SOS, Tondeff, Cashmere the Pro, Braille, Celph Titled, and etc.

Although this might seem like a stretch, I truly feel that the music that the Cunninlynguists have been releasing for the past 5 or 6 years is really reminiscent of old school Outkast, pre-2004. If you haven’t already heard or checked out an album by them, I heavily emphasize that you should do so immediately. Even though the south has ruled the hip-hop/rap world for quite some time now, the Cunninlynguists stand out on their own because of their continuous efforts to touch upon issues that aren’t one dimensional, something more artists should be more conscious of.

Track: “Mindstate”

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When looking for albums to review for this week, I was torn between Flo Rida and CunninLynguists. Just kidding, if I hear “Right Round” by Flo Rida one more time I’m going to be googling “bridges in San Diego.”

Anyways, CunninLynguists are a Southern hip hop group consisting of rappers Deacon the Villain, Natti and Kno. Veritable vets of the underground hip hop game, they’ve shared the stage with artists as varied as People Under the Stairs to Kanye West to The Strokes.

With a general disregard for the word “genre,” CunninLynguists have gained acclaim by sampling from a wide variety of genres while also maintaining a wit not seen commonly in the genre. With lyrics covering topics ranging from Google Earth to marijuana, CunninLynguists have a sound that just feels good, that has been described by some as “too white for BET, too black for MTV2.”

Though they are underground, their production is anything but. Members of the CunninLynguists have produced for artists such as KRS-One, Ruff Ryders, Devin the Dude, D-12 and Immortal Technique, among others. The production and overall style are similar to the artist Rhymefest, a Chicago-based rapper who has also done work with Kanye West. There are also similarities to Atmosphere in the lyrical style.

Though “Strange Journey Volume One” only contains two new songs, with the rest being remixes and a single live track, it still manages to be a good example of recycling (like recycled paper that isn’t dirty looking). The tracks, even the remixes, manage to be fresh and play in with the album. Rather than a compilation or a mixtape, the album manages to have an original vibe.

The first single, “Never Come Down (The Brownie Song),” was released in February and can be found on their MySpace, myspace.com/cunninlynguists. Standout tracks include “Hypnotized” and “Don’t Leave,” the latter track featuring Slug of Atmosphere.

If you haven’t heard of CunninLynguists before this review, I wouldn’t recommend using this album as your first exposure to the group. If you’re interested in checking them out, take a look at or pick up “Dirty Aces,” which they released in 2007 to critical acclaim. For long-time fans, Strange Journey Volume One is definitely worth picking up, regardless of the “mixtape-ish” nature of the album.

Seriously though, how can anyone stand that “Right Round” song? Only Adam Sandler can sing that song.