(6 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
Loading...This past October the unceasing soap opera that is the life of the Kottonmouth Kings made another dramatic turn with the exit of Johnny Richter, leaving fans and spectators alike to make and accept assumptions about the decisions and motives of both parties involved. It’s an exciting thing for the cave-people that watch TMZ but for the rest of us it’s as disheartening as it is disappointing. On one side we have allegations of drug abuse coming from people who make a living running their own stoner shtick into the ground. Hard. The other we have a newly solo artist with contractual obligations to fill and a name to further carve for himself outside of the Kings. So far after canvasing fans and non fans alike, support seems to be leaning in favor of Richter both morally and musically. Brad Daddy X isn’t as lucky, some might say he suffers from over-exposure, but I’m talking about to the public, not a tanning bed. This review isn’t about Brad though, it’s about Johnny Richter and what he’s got in his bag o’ flows. Lest we forget this is about the music.
FreeKING Out
Naturally the EP is opened with a declaration of his independence, expressing his one time frustration with being the head in the KMK hydra without a voice in the production process. He flows over tickled ivories and a hard kick/snare, the style and voice still very much drenched in the Kings. Some lines are delivered as awkwardly as they were written but for the most part they’re functional and whether or not it was the goal this serves better as an intro track than it does an individual single. He’s got things to say that deserve an ear but I probably wont play it at a party.(2.5/5)
Richter’s Back
A battle beat wraps this rap to the public to recognize his abilities, ones that he delivers with a perfectly executed hook as evidence. The problem I have is how much time he spends talking about what he’s capable of, that music is his passion (with a side of ass) but I’m not one of the people that that kind of thing appeals to. I’m the kind of person who tries my best to live by “don’t talk about it, just do it”. Those two and half minutes probably could have gone to better use hammering out a style separate of his former group and he’s made it half way already simply by not talking about weed exclusively in the first two track. There’s got to be a fundamental change though, something that people can easily point out as “post-kmk richter” without knowing the track name or album. That being said he still flowed well, he was on beat and I was completely on board for the chorus.(3/5)
Let Me Win ft. Mina Fedora
Easily already one of the best tracks on the EP, almost completely on account of Mina Fedora’s somber but powerful vocal efforts in the opening that really help draw you into the beat and Richter’s equally strong beginning bars. The puke sample always goes far. Not being sarcastic. Unsurprisingly this track also deals some in the KMK split, quitting smoking bud as well, as a way of really hammering home his resignation I guess.(4/5)
Won’t Break
I have to pause after he says “Dirty South Trap Music Shit” before his bars start to see if I’m really ready for this. For many people Trap is considered the successor to dubstep in the club music scene and when I say that I mean everybody is doing it to death. A lot of times people that ride a trend will only operate with a basic aesthetic knowledge of the genre(some employed by Sub Noize). Dubstep went crazy with the wobble bass and mid-range screeches when it was originally made to have a solid soulful bass lines more in relation to it’s reggae influences. Trap is a genre completely born of hip-hop and is characterized by stripped down beats with heavy kicks and rolling high hats. It’s been around for a lot longer than it’s been popular, since the nerds got their hands on it and made it a strong stand alone in the EDM scene(see Flosstradamus, RL Grime, Hucci). That being said, the high hats in this sound like a sample of a tazer. Boo. If I said Richter doesn’t completely save the song I would be lying to you. For all the curmudgeony music snob shit I had swirling in my head about the beat I still found myself saying “cuz I won’t break” over other people’s beats instinctively. An anthem for his own sense of resilience and easily anyone else’s, this song marches hard. Definitely will play this again, with people in the room even!(4/5)
Talk About It ft. Mina Fedora
The EP ends on a nice bouncing piece with piano and organs that makes Ms. Fedora’s voice sound like it’s chanting down cathedral halls. Some 8 bit jabs too, which is pretty interesting. I bet you can’t guess what this one’s about. It rhymes with Rotten Couch Rings. Lovely visual. Anyway, we get a few more minutes of JR hashing out the incredible amounts of drama and personal frustration through the very public issues he’s been facing. The flow was okay but there wasn’t anything for me on it, just more of the same perspective.(3/5)
As I’m writing this something was released from KMK’s camp over Facebook to further exemplify Johnny Richter’s drug problem and it was taken down after fans made it clear how low a shot it was. At this point in the narrative it’s safe to say that nobody is going to look the same as when they started. Passive well wishes sandwich stinging potshots as if they didn’t know that everything being said is being documented on multiple outlets and mediums: be it Audio, Video, or Text. Supposedly Brad X is heavily invested in Sub Noize but that doesn’t make sense. Somebody so personally connected with their business would know that an excruciatingly public finger-pointing session doesn’t reek of consumer confidence. From now on I’d put my money on fans being a bit more skeptical of his jaunty positive message on stage. Fortunately for Johnny Richter, he’s found himself in a good place with this release. The EP has exactly zero filler and definitely has what fans of Richter need to hold them over *insert tasteless heroin joke here*. I would love to hear what he has next so long as it has nothing to do with KMK. Any negative attention that this pseudo-scandal brings will as it always has, just end up helping his record sales. Good thing Brad X is so heavily invested in Sub Noize.
Favorite Tracks:
- Let Me Win, Won't Break
Length:
- 16 Minutes 3 Seconds
Record Label:
- Suburban Noize
Release Date:
- 12/17/2013
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