This album will take you to a different world. It’s like an audible cloud that lets you float far and away into a distant land. Kenn Starr’s gentle but strong presence lends well to the whimsical, ethereal beats provided by the likes of Oddisee/Kev Brown/Illmind etc. His lyrics are so real but are portrayed with a delicate poetic nature. This album reminds me a bit of Blu & Exile – ‘Below the Heavens’. It’s like you take a mini vacation when you listen to albums like these. This album came out a few years ago (2006) but its a mainstay on my playlist. And even though Kenn Starr isn’t the most well-known cat around, he is extremely well-received by the underground.
Production: DJ Roddy Rod, Illmind, Kev Brown, Khrysis, M-Phazes, Oddisee, Young Cee
Features: Asheru, Chronkite, Darien Brockington, Kev Brown, M-Phazes, Median, Oddisee, Sean Born, Supastition, Talib Kweli, Wayna
Label: Halftooth Records
Full Preview: Starr Status
Website: http://www.myspace.com/kennstarr
Kenn Starr – ‘If (ft. Asheru & Talib Kweli)
. Thanks to hip hop producer Marco Polo we have that dreamteam roster put together over raw beats. Marco Polo spends half his time in New York and half in Toronto so he has the east-coast vibe down pat. If you just saw a picture of him you wouldn’t think he would have the hip hop “street cred” but then you hear his music and it all makes sense. This is pretty much as close as you get to that old golden-era type shit in the present day. And obviously the line-up on this album is insane and all the emcees come correct. If you like any of the emcees on this album you will be diggin the whole thing through and through.
