“Will Rap for Food” Cunninlynguists album review by Michael Lu
“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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