Producer Kidd Called Quest hits the forefront with the latest entry in his Young Black And…. Series. On this one he teams up with emcee  King Righteous and both deliver that gritty NY narrative we all grew up listening to. The beats here are dense, nostalgic and hard hitting while King Righteous’s energetic flow doesn’t fall behind Kidd’s soundscapes.

This is that NY sound through and through. Hit the play button and get with the program.

Kidd Called Quest has been on a tear for the last two years with his producer series “Young, Black & …. and had success with Rochester NY artists Azariah, Golden, along with NYC artist Verse Essential, each product displays his ability to find the right sound for each MC, and making each album sound different from the last one… incorporating more than just mere samples, he throws in piano licks, guitar strings, dripping faucets, & movie intros into his boom bap type beats….

The Intro starts as a Dame Dash convo plays over a piano loop setting the tone for the street feel of the album, which segues into “Dope Moves” a rough keyboard driven beat with KR laying out his rules for the streets, another mysterious piano loop mixes with a dark guitar & rock like chorus from guest PaulyMono on “How To Make A Killing” which also features a appearance from frequent Quest collaborator Azariah but KR pretty much owns the track. More street tales are featured on tracks “We Ain’t The Same”, “Ride With A G”, “The Game” and “I’m So KR” which are entertaining in their own right, but are really set up for the album’s stand out tracks “Grimey Money” which upon sounds like a remake of Capone N Noreaga’s “Blood Money” but have its own feel. KR plays two characters, a gang leader and his follower as they plot on a robbery of another crew. Another robbery tale is flipped in the song “Strong Arm Robbery” as over a menacing beat KR details on a violent come up. Though the album is probably more street-laced than most Quest’s, KR is more than the ordinary “thug rapper” with a better control of his verses and delivery. The album ends (only 10 songs but still long enough) with “Woke Up This Morning” as KR details a ordinary day for him (think along the lines of Ice Cube’s “Good Day”) which makes like the rest of the album seem like a dream he woke up from… and end the album with him ab-libbing to Quest about how he had fun with the track. Pretty much each track is tight and really leaves no room for filler (though if they chose to there could have been); it’s a project that’s straight to the point but hip hop (for the purists) & street enough for most to enjoy…