On March 26th, Kansas City duo CES Cru preps their full-length debut album with Constant Energy Struggles. First signed by Tech N9ne in early 2012, CES Cru impressed audiences with their high-energy performances and the successful release of their EP, 13.
With Constant Energy Struggles, the duo of Godemis and Ubiquitous hope to revive the golden age of rap for a new audience.
“Constant Energy Struggles sort of encapsulates the experience that we’re going through right now as we ascend at a very quick pace into the rap game,” says Ubiquitous. “There’s a lot going on. There’s a lot of energy struggles and you only get what you ask for, not necessarily what you’re worth.
I think hip hop fans are going to love it. Any four element based hip hop head is probably really going to feel this shit and feel like, ‘Oh thank God, somebody finally filled this lane!’ I think they’ll really dig it.”
Constant Energy Struggles will feature Tech N9ne along with JL of B. Hood, Liz Suwandi, and long-time collaborator Info Gates.
Kansas City's Ces Cru spit rapidly for the sport with a hint of friendly competition, making "Constant Energy Struggles" a solid first outing on a bigger stage.
After sharing tracks with indie-favorite Tech N9ne, Kansas City’s Ces Cru received the ultimate co-sign by the indie top dog via a deal with his label, Strange Music. A little over a year later, the duo comprised of Ubiquidous and Godemis drop their first album on the imprint in the form of Constant Energy Struggles. But does the relatively unknown group bring any value to an equation that includes underground heroes like Brotha Lynch Hung and one of the most brutal emcees to touch the mic, label boss Tech N9ne himself?
One thing that’s immediately apparent is that these guys can rap. And they enjoy doing it. Their first singles (“Lotus,” “When Worlds Collide,” and “Juice”) reflect that. There’s a Bad Meets Evil quality to it, not in the sense that it's another black and white rapper pairing, but it’s two emcees spitting rapidly for the sport with a hint of friendly competition in it.
But Bad Meets Evil, they are not.
Many of the punchlines are well put-together rhythmically, but they fail to excite. At worst, they end up sounding something like battle rhymes from Rap message boards in the early days of Hip Hop on the Internet. But even a verse littered with jabs is permissible as long as you have that occasional uppercut, haymaker, something. If an artist lacks the K.O. in his bars, there’s got to be a hook that ties it all together. But the choruses on songs like “Shake It Up,” “Radiate,” and “Get That,” just don’t pack the punch. Such an approach will appeal to a some fans, but utimately lacks a broader appeal.
It’s a shame because these guys have skill. Peep Ubiquidous’ effortless flow on “Skip” and his melodic rhyming on “Smoke.” Godemis has one of the most commanding deliveries on solo track “Wavy” and can be replayed endlessly. He even gives Tech N9ne a run for his money on “Juice.” References to Duke Nukem are appreciated too. We also have to mention third member of the “cru,” Seven, who provides them with some solid production throughout. Fans might compare them to mainstream so-and-so who can’t form proper sentences, but these are emcees who are striving for greatness and at times their rhymes just aren’t there yet. They’ve graduated from the school of rhyming “lyrical-spiritual-miracle,” but there are moments where it feels as if they’re still having ciphers in the parking lot. It’s a very solid first outing on a bigger stage.
HipHopDX cred c-a început să angajeze niggeri analfabeţi din prea multă corectitudine politică, altfel nu-mi explic cum pot să dea 3 stele unui aşa album. Bun, ştiam deja că te poţi căca pe părerile lor, că-n fond parcă tot ei au zis că Tech e un MC mediocru şi că liricile lui n-au sens... Poate au ceva cu Strange Music, dunno.
Revenind, albumul mi se pare mai super-pizdă decât Superwoman. Juice, Skip, Shake it Up, When Worlds Collide şi Radiate mi se pare cele mai bune deocamdată, dar l-am ascultat doar de 2 ori şi deja mi-am schimbat preferinţele, că mai toate piesele au potenţial de hit. A, voiam să mai zic că, deşi Godemis e un MC foarte bun, mi se pare că totuşi Ubi e cu o clasă peste, uneori diferenţa de calitate între versuri pe aceleaşi piese e cam mare.
PS. Strofa lui Mac Lethal m-a distrat rău. Omul e tare, much too underrated.
oamenii dinozauri care inca asculta hepatita aia de rap care te adoarme
