Let The Truth Be Told...
label: q-york

producers: t.h.e. menace, flavamatikz, konfushuz, sal e. whisperz.

guests: faia, chris delon bonjoc, goldie gloxx, medea, flavamatikz, didats, menace, santo the honduspitfire, lay-lo, cuchione, cocorote.
year of release: 2002
 
Knowa Lazarus wants to be a star, wants to be successful and goes lengths for that. He makes his music sound accordingly and as he's blatant about it, it makes him desperate, and gives him a vibe no one that is successful and a star has. Knowa records tracks like "Be A Star", where a kid sings "someday I'm gonna be a star". And while such childish wishes might be right for a kid of that age, it's not fitting for a sophisticated and grown up intelligent person. Well, you can argue that you can force your fifteen minutes of fame to appear, but maybe by doing so you voucher your rights for any extra minutes. Having said that, we maybe should also spend some words on understanding Knowa's determination, his eagerness and effort, his talent that would actually enable him to reach much he'd like to. Cause he's good enough to let success come to him, instead of letting his guard down by sounding like a kid that's after the lollypop, the first facial hair, the first reach under a girl's blouse.

tracklisting
1. A Mission Statement
2. I Be Knowa feat. Gaia
3. S.I.C.C. (Sometimes I Can't Cope)
4. Come And Get It
5. Alphabet Soup
6. Be A Star feat. Chris Delon Bonjoc
7. Just Escaped (Skit)
8. Blind Fury feat. Goldie Gloxx
9. Lee feat. Medea
10. Right Now
11. Be Careful What You Ask For
12. Shadiness feat. Gaia
13. The Q-York Senate (Skit)
14. Chitty Bang feat. Flavamatikz, Didats, Menace
15. Mami Can I Flavamatikz, Menace, Santo The Honduspitfire, Lay-Lo
16. Mic Man feat. Flavamatikz, Guchione, Didats, Cocorote
17. Bailalo feat. Cocorote
18. Real Love feat. Medea, Cocorote
Cause if you'd drop this album in the right hands, give it a marketing make over, this could get somewhere. Especially due to the songs where Knowa sticks to the rhyming or to telling a story. Like "I Be Knowa", that with a Gaia sung hook and the good braggadocios words, is cool. "Come And Get It" then goes a blatant LL Cool J route (and he does it again on the second chat up a lady tune "Mami Can I"), but Lazarus is pulling off this meeting girl, taking girl home, and 'oh my god' type tale, well. Even throwing in the sarcastic, but nevertheless meaningful message about what can happen when you take one gulp of alcohol too much. "S.I.C.C. (Sometimes I Can't Cope)" then says some worthwhile things, like "sick of those who judge me, especially those that look like me". But just like on most of the other tracks, the Flavamatikz beat is just too synthetic to be fully good.
The violent lyrical matter of "Blind Fury" featuring Goldie Gloxx should also appeal to some people. There's more relevance in a "Lee" though, that features Medea singing the hook, and a beat that's too similar to "Be A Star". But the content of this, with a story of coming about and appreciation, along with the daily tragedies, is just real. Also real is the topic of "Right Now", one of the best songs on here, with Lazarus talking about changing oneself for the better, "not now, but right now". Even though the tale of "Be Careful What You Ask For" is forcedly asking for a morale, Lazarus skilfully pulls off the story telling. Teaming up with Gaia again, Kno' spits some reflective words over a humble T.H.E. Menace beat. And with his intelligence, he goes beyond the obvious, but actually makes the need be understood. The almost electro boogie vibe of "Bailalo" then appreciatedly changes up the style of the music, and on "Real Love" Flavamatikz turns this into a interesting marching tune, with Medea completely taking control of the song. And if only those keyboard sounds could be tuned down more, we'd have one dope song right here.
Now when Knowa tries to do "Alphabet Soup" then the ones that haven't heard Gift Of Gap do "A2G", they will by impressed by this. As it's kinda good. But the "this kid's crazy" statement at the end, sound more like to convince themselves than out of the spur of the moment. The posse cut of "Chitty Bang" featuring Flavamatikz, Didats and Menace must have been fun to record, but is not much more than a bundle of friends spitting a bundle of solid bragging and boasting verses over a (at best) weak beat. The second tag team effort "Mic Man" is better, maybe only be due to the beat though. However Flavamatikz, Guchione, Didats and Cocorote sound better on here.
As you can tell, Lazarus would have many of the necessary flavours, styles and vibes to get what he so desperately wants. What only further makes it unnecessary to ask the audience in the inside of the CD to operate as his street team. That's not our job really. And while we'd be happy to support him, we'd even be thrilled to support him if some of the stuff we didn't like, and pointed out, could be prevented and changed the next time around. And if Knowa would settle with the flow rather than be so darn desperate, things might come quicker to him, unless he's too careful about what he asks for.
review: tadah
» back to top
: .   © 2000 - 2012.08 by urban smarts | contact