MiC K!NG & Chum: Flavor Ade

Underground hip hop has become so serious nowadays. Many artists yet to hit mainstream are rapping about their financial struggles, street life, or the (in their opinion) wack state of the hip hop game. Is this a problem? No. It can make for great music, but it becomes a little monotonous at times when your iPod is on shuffle. Insert Cool-Aide, composed of MiC K!NG (emcee) and Chum (producer), who in their album Flavor Ade, make fun music, and sound like they’ re having a good time doing it. Cool-Aide shows their party side, as well as their traditional hip hop talent, with an 11 track LP full of hits and misses.

The duo shows that they can hold their own on this album. On “Gimme Some Sugar” (Because nothings worse than Kool-aide with not enough sugar) MiC K!NG flows over the laid back & smooth instrumental that Chum provides: “So what you good at? / Got a dream be cooking and such /yea you could ride with me that’s if your woman enough ha/ you think you’re so damn cute/ girl you can’t upgrade me I’ll reprogram you” The album is unadulterated braggadocio; it’s a “you can’t touch this, I’m the best” kind of album and it works at times. MiC K!NG’s witty wordplay and flow are a highlight of the album, keeping the listener attached. “About Time” is a great track, and is an example of what sets this album apart from others. Chum laces the track with a funky beat, one that has the listener thinking of MiC K!NG as the rap Jimi Hendrix.

The standout track on the album is, “I Am So Cool”. With a Redman and Kanye West sample, along with a refreshing baseline, MiC K!NG coasts over the track effortlessly: “Twice as arrogant as Kanye West is/ who wanna test this?/ fuck ya’ll you don’t impress me/ you can’t out dress me/ an MC so fly I got planes trying to catch me”. “Word Perfect” may be the best display of lyricism on the album. A guest feature by arguably the best rapper out right now, Elzhi, doesn’t hurt. Behind the triumphant strings and horns both MCs go in on the track. First MiC K!NG boasts: “Cause’ muthafucker I’m the man/ you like work and don’t hold weight like a hologram /autograph your death warrant/ turn over your revenue /cause’ I made down right up start like pausing a special move” and Elzhi responds with: “A yo I get my clothes custom made/ from a stylist/ talk with the big boys ya’ll niggas is childish/ half weight half asses don’t use half the brain mass/ I’m in the building like the 9/11 plane crash”

Cool-aide tends to stray away from the traditional boom-bap sound, and there are times where this doesn’t connect. They have cuts on this album that would suffice at a house party or somewhere to dance such as “Take Steps” and “I’m the Best Mayne”. There is nothing wrong with party music, however this formula does not add up for Cool-Aide. “Take Steps” has a Texas trademark screwed hook, and quite frankly it’s pretty corny: “Put your heart in to it and just walk with me /walk walk with me/ put your heart in to it/ take steps steps steps steps”. There’s a reason why this is the shortest song on the album. “I’m The Best Mayne” also has a screwed up hook, as well as the auto tune effect going for it. They have the clashing of two trends in this song, which is very unpleasant to the listener’s ears and creating one of the worst songs on the record.

However, in “Neo Jack Swing” the upbeat tempo and lyrics make for a great record. Behind an Ice Cube sample, and the clashing of drums and symbol strokes, it’s almost impossible to not bounce to this “party” track. MiC K!NG compares his crew to “the modern day Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff” in the track and the comparison is accurate. At their best, Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff had the world kicking back and enjoying the sounds of “Summertime”. On the other hand, when you think of him as an MC, Big Willie Style and wack are some of things that come to mind. They had their ups and downs, as do Cool-Aide on this album. Having a good time isn’t looked down upon, but there’s a certain balance that must be maintained. The bottom line is some of the tracks on the album just do not sound good.

Cool-Aide attempts to liven things up a little bit and they do. MiC K!NG shows that he is fully capable of handling the solo MC task. He can spit; his flow and one-liners are something that the listener can appreciate on the album. There are times that the boasting lyrics over the high tempo breaks do get tired, and may have you taking a break from the LP. But, there are also instances that this hits homes with the listener, and has the crowd jumping. The feel of this album really all depends on what kind of mood you are in; if you are in an upbeat, party type of mood, then you will really enjoy this album. However, if you are at your computer listening through your headphones like any other album, Flavor-Ade may have a little too much sugar for your taste buds.

7.0/10

I Am So Cool

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Word Perfect (feat Elzhi)

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Neo Jack Swing

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