Two for the Ride

Kidz In The Hall Detention

While I've heard of the Kidz before, I'd never actually given them a listen. I should have known better because I haven't heard a wack dude from the Chi yet. Never hearing Naledge before, I was impressed with the tape; he's got substance and sounds comfortable on the mic. So... I already call myself a fan. He reminded me of Pusha T on " Detention" but maybe its because of the beat. I had this in rotation for a good week about a month ago. Although the tape was a pleasant surprise for me, his range as an MC wears thin towards the end and some of his bars are questionable, i.e. they're too simplistic; he's still got more work to do. Detetion is definitely worth more than one listen with tracks like " Never Forget", " Clothes, Hoes & Liqour" and " Work To Do" delivering vibe and head bobs (no homo) and it should hold you over until Kidz in the Hall's second album out next spring.


Big Sean Finally Famous

Ye's newbie from Detroit sounds a little too similar to his boss: witty/dumbass (the latter) remarks, over-enunciation and Ye breaks (just listen to his rhyme pattern/flow). I don't know how far his likeness to Ye can carry him because it seemingly works for Ye, barely, and it made me wince more than a few times on the first listen. Not to say Big Sean is a bad listen though. Sensing the effort put in this tape, it sounds more like an intro/fun tape rather than putting his life on wax. While I wasn't blown away with his rhymes, he sounds talented enough to develop or give us some seriousness in time. "A Millon Dollars" shows his enticing flow and is goofy bars that work. And ditto on "Streetz on Lock". But I'm not hating on the Biggie rip on "Story to Tell", I mean he do have a condo! Finally Famous should be heard and it will be used as a measure of how much (or how little) Big Sean has grown when he comes again. Given that he has a start, connects and well, Ye at his disposal, I could see him coming better.