Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Kokayi's Robots and Dinosaurs


If Trademark Da Skydiver's rhymes stark and dark blasts of gritty realism, then Kokayi's raps are more like midi-fueled nerdy rays of sunshine. His album, Robots & Dinosaurs, is a geeky sounding, looking, and feeling record that has more in common with a Pac Man machine than drive by's and big cars. Sure all the usual topics are covered but what helps set Kokayi apart is the intelligence, subtlety, and flair for taking a completely different path than everyone else and somehow sounding like he's having the time of his life while doing all this.

Robots & Dinosaurs is a fantastic record that refuses to be narrowed down, fenced in, or categorized with ease. Kokayi is so brilliant at creating intelligent rhymes, creative beats, and having a laugh at it all that he will leave the average hip hop fan in awe. One listen to his rock and roll, indie, metal tribute tune, "Roxtar," shows an affection for more bands than most people could ever hope to name and more importantly it shows that Kokayi, has a completely open mind towards everything.

I love the fact that Robots & Dinosaurs effortlessly mixes midi riffs, metal guitars, fantastic flow, serious topics, funny lines, kids talking about dinosaurs, and lord only knows what else. Kokayi, in the span of fourteen songs (and a disc of instrumentals) has proven himself to be one of the most diverse and entertaining hip hop artists in the scene today. He's flawless at dropping quality rhymes, his productions are crystal clear and shinier than a pile of diamonds, and his open mindedness constantly keeps things interesting. I love the fact that Robots & Dinosaurs looks nerdy, sounds good, and comes with vocal and instrumental versions. This is the sort of record that's precedent setting and raises the bar for the genre. Robots & Dinosaurs is a brilliant record that embraces everything around and absorbs it all. More hip hop needs to be like this, period, end of story.

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