Addek and Eajae (J-Root, Kasper, producer Robert Schaefer) meld spectacular lyri
author: Scott Harrell of The Weekly Planet
This interracial Bay area hip-hop duo offers a grab-bag of top-notch flow, lo-fi beats, assorted original touches and mixed messages. At their best, Eajae, Addek and friends (J-Root, Kasper, producer Robert Schaefer) meld spectacular lyrics on individuality and quashing the fake-gangsta pose with cool, raw production and entertaining flourishes. Highlights include opening tracks "The Next Chapter" and "CandyMan," with its singsong chorus; in fact, the first six cuts, up through the righteous "Indivisible," are largely untouchable. At their worst, the pair work some generic sounds that might get lost in a mediocre Friday-night urban-radio mix ("Poetic Assault," "Last Man Standing") and contradict their own best themes with thuggish and misogynist rhymes. Even that stuff is better than average, though, on the strength of clear, capable vocal performances and an up-front tone that borders on hardcore, but largely avoids that subgenre's hyperbolic clichés.
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