Album Review: Serengeti ‘Kenny Dennis LP’
The fact that Serengeti is still releasing music as his wildly inventive alter ego, Kenny Dennis, years after his original Kenny Dennis project Dennehy dropped is an achievement. But when you realize he’s more committed to the Kenny Dennis narrative than ever before, his creative brilliance really begins to reveal itself on his new Kenny Dennis LP. Geti goes fully down the KD rabbit hole, adding a new character in Workaholics’ Anders Holm who pops up on 4 excellent skits and adds a few wrinkles to the KD mythology. Although this album sounds nothing like Serengeti’s emotional album of the year contender Saal, they share a creative spirit that makes them hard to put in a box. In both cases, they feel like work Serengeti has been building towards.
A narrative centered on an appearance by Kenny Dennis on American Gladiators back in the day (Kenny’s 53 now) is a central theme on the LP. On “Crush Em” Kenny raps about how he crushed Nitro into the wall in Powerball on American Gladiators. Later, on “Kenny and Jueles” he describes returning home to the silent treatment from his wife Jueles after winning the Eliminator on American Gladiators and even turning down an opportunity to become a gladiator (“that’s called love and devotion and sacrifice”). Jueles explains that she was so proud of his exploits that she couldn’t speak, and then the couple makes up. The song is another great chapter in the Kenny and Jueles story that started back on Dennehy.
The four skits featuring ‘Ders are key to the album as well. ‘Ders takes us through first meeting Kenny at a Sharper Image as a kid, to becoming Kenny’s biggest fan when Kenny was a member of Tha Grimm Teachaz, to flying Kenny out to LA for Kenny’s 50th birthday after his Workaholics success. The last skit “50th Birthday” ends badly when, after hanging in LA for a while, Kenny is introduced to ‘Ders’s friend Steve. After finding out Kenny rapped, Steve made the mistake of asking Kenny if he learned to rap from ‘Ders and his TV friends rap group ‘The Wizards.’ This insult, coupled with the fact Steve was wearing a Shaq O’Neal jersey (Kenny’s mortal enemy), was enough to make Kenny abruptly leave his birthday dinner at Ruth’s Chris and not speak to ‘Ders for years. All these details might seem absurd in the context of a rap album, but that’s why any comparisons you choose to make for Serengeti albums fall flat. At this point in his career Serengeti is like a director with amazing stories to tell who absolutely refuses to compromise his vision in the slightest in order to give casual viewers a chance to catch up.
Serengeti has also used the last couple of Kenny Dennis albums to show off his ability to riff on early 90 rap styles (which matches perfectly with Kenny’s back story as a member of Tha Grimm Teachaz). The opening track “Bang Em” features a classic boom-bap beat from Odd Nosdam and Kenny’s throwback choppy, stream of consciousness flow (“Miles, Davis/ Potatoes, Carrots/ Eyes strengthen/ O’Neal retired, Kenny drinkin’”). Little touches like Kenny riffing at the end of the track about the life metaphor that the phrase ‘bang em‘ implies are gold, and the crux of the appeal of the Kenny Dennis albums. It’s not really comedy rap, because if you’re a Kenny Dennis newbie listening for the first time, you’re probably more confused than amused. But if you’ve followed the storyline, it’s the heart and quirky detail that Serengeti injects into Kenny’s character that makes these albums hilarious even when Kenny is angry or playing it straight.
The closing track “Flows” starts with Kenny stating “I gotta get serious” and the song is indeed Kenny’s attempt to drop some jewels on his listeners. Kenny’s basic messages are to think before acting, to be hospitable, and help each other. He seems confounded that people don’t do these things, even showing disgust that the mayor doesn’t get the snow plowed so buses can get the kids to school. Everything is simple in the world of Kenny Dennis and while it’s easy to laugh at, it’s this moral backbone Geti provides Kenny that keeps him grounded and helps make him relatable. “Directions” is another attempt by Kenny to offer guidance (he literally gives directions for the entire 2nd half of the song) and “Punks” finds KD venting by rambling on about different ‘punks’ that he encounters daily over Odd Nosdam’s bluesy, infectious beat.
Just when you think Serengeti has stretched the Kenny Dennis character to the limit, he adds layers of depth you never thought would be possible in a fictional O’Douls-swigging, Craig Hodges-loving, brat-eating throwback rapper. Serengeti’s boundary shattering approach to making music may never make him a household name, but his artistic range is astounding and makes him one of the modern music scene’s best kept secrets. There’s no telling if he’ll be able to keep up his recent pace of releasing a couple Serengeti projects and one Kenny Dennis project every year, but it’s already one of the most consistently good runs of rap releases by one artist in the last several years. Pick up the Kenny Dennis LP on Vinyl/CD over at Anticon and get up to speed on one of rap music’s best alter egos.
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Written by John Bugbee
EP Review: Homeboy Sandman ‘Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent’
New York MC Homeboy Sandman had one of my favorite albums of 2012 in First of a Living Breed. It was his first full length album on LA’s famed hip hop imprint Stones Throw Records, following two outstanding EPs (Subject Matter and Chimera) that were also released on Stones Throw in 2012. Sandman’s forging a similar path in 2013 with his initial release, Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent, also coming in the form of an EP.
Fertile Crescent was released digitally a couple months ago, so it’s not technically a new release, but I decided to hold off on reviewing it until it got a proper vinyl release this month. After listening to Fertile Crescent for the past couple of months, I can definitively say that is his most consistent release and my favorite Homeboy Sandman project. That’s saying a lot considering the numerous projects he has released in the last five years, but it’s not surprising considering his ability to constantly improve and reinvent himself.
In terms of rapping chops, Sandman has been one of the best MC’s on the planet ever since his first album dropped back in ’08. His writing, flow, wordplay, and creativity have been consistently excellent on each and every project he’s released. Conversely, his advanced writing and ability to tackle topics that other MC’s wouldn’t touch have limited the cohesiveness of past works. You always know you’re going to hear a few songs on a Sandman album that are utterly unique, but this uniqueness (both in his beat selection and songwriting) sometimes makes his albums tough to listen to straight through.
That is not the case on this EP, and it is largely due to the excellent front to back production provided by EL RTNC. EL RTNC has made a handful of beats for Homeboy Sandman over the last couple years and while he may not be a household name at this point, I predict he won’t be staying anonymous for long. All of the beats seem to draw from a 70’s rock/soul template and feel connected, but they never run together. This is helped by the fact that EL RTNC adds short intro and outro beats and samples throughout the EP that raise the level of musicality and cohesiveness.
“Peace & Love” stands out with some of the best songwriting you’ll find on a rap song in 2013. His verse about how easily strong relationships can crumble alternates with a great vocal sample and Sandman builds on the verse with every pass through, giving the verse a chorus-like feel and helping to burn it into your memory. Homeboy Sandman has always been more adventurous with his song structures than the average rapper, but it’s these types of songs that really put him at the forefront of the genre as a songwriter.
It’s hard to single out any other songs on an EP that’s so consistently good, but Homeboy Sandman’s creativity shines through on every song. He breaks down stereotypes he faces daily and sings in Spanish on “Oh, The Horror,” shows off his acrobatic, wordplay driven flow on “Dag, Philly Too” and “Men Are Mortal”, and details the dangers of dating someone and hoping they’ll change on “Moon.” Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent is the best EP I’ve heard this year and a tremendous start to what should be another great year for Homeboy Sandman. He recently released another excellent single, “Give You The World” and has a full length project scheduled to drop later this year. Pick up the vinyl for Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent for only 9.99 over at Stones Throw and get an instant digital download.
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Written by John Bugbee
Free Download: The Orwells – Live From Studio 10
I’m a proud early supporter of suburban Chicago punks The Orwells. The band’s debut* LP, Remember When, hit on all of my guilty pleasures and was on of my favorite albums from 2012. Debut comes with an asterisk the band mentions two prior LPs that they released independently as freshmen and sophomores in high school. The Orwells will release a new EP called Other Voices on June 30. The release is currently available for streaming via Pitchfork Advance.
The group recently dropped by Chicago Public Radio’s Studio 10 for an hour-long segment featuring interviews and live performances. The music alone is worth the price of admission (free). However, during the interview segment The Orwells speak candidly about borrowing from The Stooges’ self-titled LP and getting banned from playing their hometown’s York High School for covering Velvet Underground’s “Heroin” at a fundraiser. Not to be missed. Listen and download the performance, in its entirety, below. Pre-order your copy of Other Voices from UK label National Anthem.
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Written by Rob Peoni
Thought on Tracks 