About Kayode Kendall
Location: Oxon Hill, Maryland
Occupation: Writer
Bio: Kayode "KenKRK" Kendall has written for various websites over the last six years, and now serves as PopSyndicate's music editor.
Posts: 42
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Suffice it to say, rappers love to toot their own horn. Rap as a genre is known for its bravado and ego-stroking, and if artist like Kanye West are any indication, a little cockiness can go a long way. There are even those who would compare their lyrical prowess to the power of The Almighty! Such eyebrow-raising boasts are so commonplace that one can’t really waste too much time dwelling on them. So when Brooklyn MC Rahsaan declares that if God were a rapper, he’d have to borrow his swagger, it’s better to just let him have his moment, and take from the music what you will.
Straddling the line between gritty, underground aesthetics, and more polished mainstream fare, God’s Gift definitely tries to cover all bases, as Rahsaan lays down rhymes with a fast-paced delivery, and competent wordplay. His command of lyricism is more than apparent, and for the most part, the subject matter thankfully shies away from the usual thug-isms. Such themes are addressed sporadically throughout the mixtape, but are more often than not meant to be cautionary. Getting past the braggadocio of the first handful of tracks, “Mr. A & R” deals with the hurdles up-and-coming MCs continually have to overcome to make it in the music industry. Latter tracks like “Little Ghetto Boy” and “In The City”, meanwhile, work as subtle slice-of-life street anthems. If anything, I could have done without the interview snippets sprinkled throughout the mixtape.
With all the lyrical potency of God’s Gift, it’s a shame that the production is somewhat by-the-numbers. Not necessarily bad, it would have been nice to hear something just a little more adventurous. The standard soul-samples and old-school electro beats definitely work better than what one would expect from most mainstream producers, but it’s nothing new, and there aren’t any tracks that feel particularly memorable from a production standpoint.
Rahsaan certainly shows a lot of potential with God’s Gift. There’s a good balance between strong verses and catchy hooks, but one would be hard-pressed to find a track that truly shines. Most just do a good job of inspiring listeners to nod their heads a bit.
More information on Rahsaan can be found on his MySpace page.
