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'New Yuck City' and 'IIWII' Review

Two for One Special

By Azaria BrownPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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'New Yuck City'

Dirty Sanchez stole the show on “Audiopium,” the final track on the Nyck @ Knight mixtape by Kirk Knight and Nyck Caution. The track was named after the term “audiopium,” coined by Capital $teez on Joey Bada$$’s “Killuminati” and features all of Pro Era within two tracks and a hook. While each member delivers a powerful verse, in an incredibly quick and concise manner, Dirty Sanchez stands out. Not only is his verse longer than the others, but his voice has a raspy quality that works incredibly well with the beat and his high level of energy. His “Audiopium” verse in addition to his verses on tracks like “Pro Era Cakes 2” made me really anticipate his New Yuck City project.

The production on the album reminds me of early-2000s Jay-Z. That’s not to say that the production sounds like I’ve heard it before, but it seems reminiscent of New York artists from that time. Upon my first listen, I was not fond of any of the choruses on the album. They sounded redundant and like they did not add much to the songs. But on my second and third listens, the choruses quickly became some of my favorite parts of tracks, especially “Latino Heat.”

I feel like many of the members of Pro Era do better on Pro Era tracks than they do on tracks by themselves as far as bars are concerned. Perhaps it’s the camaraderie and the friendly competition that makes their bars better. Overall, the bars were not what I expected him to be, but the separate pieces of the songs worked well cohesively. There was no song that I did not enjoy on the album, even if that meant that at times the “bars” were not as strong as they could have been.

Since this was Dirty Sanchez’s first full solo project, I really look forward to his future endeavors. While I have a preference for songs with more wordplay and metaphors (I just like words), this project is one that is really easy to listen to from first to last track. He has nowhere to go but up from here.

Favorite Track(s): "Latino Heat," "Sentimental"

Least Favorite Track(s): None

Feature(s): Dessy Hinds, Rokamouth, CJ Fly

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

'IIWII'

Kirk Knight’s work on Nyck @ Knight shows instrumental growth from his first project Late Knight Special. In addition to growing as a producer, Knight shows exponential growth as a lyricist and artist, especially on tracks like “Headlights.” Knight's latest release IIWII is a true testament of his artistry. His flow and presence on the entire album (except for “Run it Back”) is more concise and slower than most of his previous verses and features.

The introduction sets the mood for the album and leaves the listener with many lingering questions that echo like the different voices on this track. Knight tackles the entire album by himself, save Lucille Gotti who we’ll discuss later. Not only does he act as an rapper and producer, but he also sings a number of hooks on tracks that are more melodic in their composition. This is an ambitious feat, especially since Kirk is often accompanied by other artists (mainly those in Pro Era). Having complete creative control over an album like this, truly displays Knight’s artistry.

Stand Out Tracks

  • "Intro": This song stands out to me mainly because of the repetition of “it is what it is.” Of course, this is the name of the album, but it also reminds me of my previous review of Diggy’s Lighten Up. The initial track “It is What it is” has a completely different vibe than Knight's track, despite the fact that the focus is on the same five-word phrase.
  • "Downtime": Not only does this track slap, Knight rides the beat incredibly well on both the chorus and verses. It is interesting that this song does have such a vibe, since it is about taking a much needed break after working consistently for a long period of time.
  • "Tom Clancy": This track is my favorite. Not only is it enjoyable to listen to, but it differentiates from the rest of the album. The song is much slower and doesn’t have any rapping at all. The production seems a bit different as well.
  • "TML": This track features a sample from “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers” by Syreeta, one that is integrated incredibly well. The song also features Lucille Gotti, an artist that has no online presence under this name.

Favorite Track(s): "Downtime," "Tom Clancy"

Least Favorite Track(s): None

Feature(s): Lucille Gotti

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

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About the Creator

Azaria Brown

25. I'm a writer and illustrator. I like films, television, books, music, politics and being black.

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