If you're not already familiar, CunninLynguists is a Kentucky-based group that has gone through a few lineup changes over the years, but currently consist of Natti, Deacon the Villain, and Kno. Even though they've had a decent sized fan-base since their first album, they wouldn't develop a cult following until 2005's release of A Piece of Strange, an album I hold near and dear to my heart. Since then, they've crafted two more studio album, with 2011's Onierology (my favorite of their albums) being their last. During that timespan, they've also put out two installments of the Strange Journey compilation series, but I'm almost positive that this one is being marketed as an album.
While recording Strange Volume Journey Three, the group gave the fans an opportunity to voice who they wanted to be featured on the album, which is a risky move, but still pretty damn cool. If you take a gander at the tracklist, you can see that the fans didn't really shoot for the moon with the guests, but there's still appearances from Aesop Rock, Del the Funky Homosapien, and CunninLynguists regulars such as Tunji and Tonedeff.
Yeah, I know this intro kind of sucks, but its better than nothing. Right?
1. Ignition
Playing off the series theme, the group is sent off on a journey to earth. The thirty seconds of music sound cool enough and gives off a spacey vibe. Also, the Miley 3000 voice will be a reoccurring character.
2. Strange Universe (Feat. Del the Funky Homosapien)
Well, this concept does involve space, and no one embodies traveling into outer space better than Del the Funky Homosapien, so his cameo is fitting. You all know that I love Del, but man he's fallen off more than anyone in hip hop (Although I'll alway stick to my claim that he sounds perfect behind a mic). That's why its so great that he spits what is essentially the best verse he's had in years, while knocking the hook out of the park. Kno's futuristic production sounds great for the rappers, but that's no surprise. Seriously, has the man ever created a wack beat? Natti also picks up right where he left off on Onierology, matching Del's intensity with his smooth delivery and wittiness. The tracks ends with some extended singing before Miley announcing that we've officially reached earth, which was a nice touch and terrific way to kick off the album.
3. In the City (Feat. Zumbi of Zion I)
For what is supposed to be a compilation album, Strange Journey Volume Three has already shown an impressive amount of cohesiveness, as we're now entering the city on our trip to earth. Each rapper describes their view of the city, with guest Zumbi stealing the show. Kno's instrumental isn't exactly scary, but there's definitely a certain eeriness that will make your ears perk up. Its calm, but at the same time, demands your attention and makes you focus on the varying imagery.
4. South California (Feat. Tunji)
This is the song I've been going back to ever since I first heard the album. The production on the previous couple tracks, while solid, fail in comparison to the genius that Kno shows on "South California." The underrated Tunji's verse sounds great, but Natti steals the show on here. Even though I'm a fairly vocal Louisville fan, it was dope as hell hearing him talk the University of Kentucky, especially when matched with the overall cleverness he shows on his entire verse. God damn, this was good! If you've never heard a CunninLynguists, I urge you all to try this one out. You'll like it.
5. Drunk Dial (Feat. Murs & Grieves)
The sound of Kno's singing mixed with his upbeat instrumental turns the overall mood of "Drunk Dial" into one of playfulness, which I can only assume was their goal. Guests Murs and Grieves tell equally humorous stories of drunk calling girls. Which is fine and all, but the tone feels forced: it's almost as though the CunninLynguists felt that their audience wasn't quite ready for any darker material after this song. This wasn't terrible, but it's not my bag.
6. The Morning (Feat. Psalm One & Blu)
Speaking of females, Psalm One, Natti, and Blu handle "The Morning", growing increasingly frustrated with their respected relationships. This is actually some pretty powerful stuff: you can hear the depression, confusion,and intimacy in their voices as the three verses pass, especially during Psalm One's opening verse, when he brings up his childhood and verges on screaming. Producer Kno adjusts his instrumental to gradually become more confounding with each bar, giving the listener an increasing level of anxiety (but in a good way). The hook, although interesting, slightly takes away from the intensity, but the rest of this song was really fucking good.
7. Innerspace (Feat. Toby)
A natural progression from the previous track, Kno's beat becomes even more dramatic, featuring some ambient synths and a haunting vocal sample that is woven throughout the instrumental. Its lush and spacious, but doesn't take any focus away from the actual rappers. Lyrically, the crew trade off introspective verses about searching for inner peace. Toby continues the trend of the guest delivering impressive performances, but Deacon the Villain shines brightest on here, rapping "Role models taught us you oughta just roll up/In life there's no love, whatever your role was/Find wealth, no need to find self." Nice to see one of the two original members dropping gems.
8. Miley 3000
Somewhat entertaining track that keeps the concept rolling along.
9. Guide You Through The Shadows (Feat. Substantial & RA Scion)
Another mid-tempo piano instrumental full of backing vocals, ambient keyboards and strings. The beat has an organic feel to it, which is nice, but has no other qualities that really separate it from the rest of the songs I've just heard. Just like the beat, all the performers are technically sounds, delivering more personal and introspective verses, but I've said that on about every other song, so I can't say I was all that happy with "Guide You Through The Shadows." It probably sounds better by itself, but in the context of the album, I can't imagine many people going back to this one.
10. Castles (Feat. Sadistik & Aesop Rock)
As a fan of both featured artists, I was pretty pumped for this track, and for one of the first times all fucking year, I wasn't disappointed. All three artist rap about secluding themselves from the rest of society, which is an interesting topic, and everyone delivers their verses with enough conviction that you want to root for them. This was actually released as a single, so I've been dwelling on it for a while, trying to decide who had the best verse, and although they're all on par, I've gotta give it to Deacon the Villain. His line "My eye up to the keyhole, scared to turn the knob/And go out on my own, instead I blend in with the mob" is among the most moving on the album.
11. Kings (Feat. Sheisty Khrist)
Kno delivers one of his better instrumentals off the album, with its distorted electric guitars, acoustics and a soaring backing sample that gives the beat an epic feel. As far as the rhymes go, this is pretty much a three-minute-plus exercise of shit talking (for CunninLynguists), which is refreshing after the last four tracks being serious as all fuck. Sheisty Khrist sounds good on the hook, but Natti and Deacon are just fucking ruthless. It's was great to hear Kno keep the instrumental cohesive, while allowing his group member flex on the mic for a little bit. This shit was nice as hell.
12. Hot (Feat. Celph Titled & Apathy)
Remember how about one paragraph ago I praised the cohesiveness of Strange Journey Volume Three? Yeah, they kind of shit on that. Although not bad, "Hot" sound nothing like anything else on the album. On another topic, I think I might be one of the only people in the world that is a fan of CunninLynguists, but doesn't like Celph Titled. Apathy is dope, but I don't really fuck with the Army of the Pharoahs movement, and Celph Titled's insistence on using the N Word has always bugged me (he says he's Cuban, but I swear the dudes just fucking white). None of that really matters here, though, as Apathy and Celph Titled both sound really good.
13. The Format (Feat. Masta Ace Mr. SOS)
This is actually a sequel to CunninLynguists' brilliant track "Season" off of their SouthernUnderground album. On the predecessor, these four emcees acted as the four seasons describing different eras of hip hop. In 2014, the former member Mr. SOS and Masta Ace are back talking about their earliest memories of the genre. Also like the original, RJD2 is responsible for the production, which contains soft piano keys and vintage scratching during the hook. I found Masta Ace's verse to be the most interesting, but that might just be because I'm such a fan of early Juice Crew material. Kno also lays down his lone verse on the album, and I found his origins of producing to be especially captivating as well. A worthy follow up to one of their classic songs and a definite album highlight.
14. Dying Breed
Its rare that you'll come across a CunninLynguists track not produced by Kno, let alone two of them in a row. Well, that's exactly what we get here after Norwegian producer Thomax contributes what is actually one of the better instrumentals on the entire album. The shit just sounds beautiful and is obviously in the vein of something Kno would compose. If you close your eyes, you can see an outdoor landscape that the beat paints, and it's almost impossible to put down when paying attention to the little details. Both Deacon and Natti flow over the beat effortlessly, making this another album highpoint.
15. Makes You Want To Cry (Feat. Sheisty Khrist)
Meh, wasn't really feeling this one. Its frustrating, because Natti's opening verse is fucking excellent and Sheisty Khrist wasn't bad either, but Kno's beat is too airy for me to get behind. I find it odd because it sounds like it would be right at home on Onierology, and Kno's production on that album is perfect, but I guess something about this rubbed me the wrong way. Like "Guide You Through The Shadows", this might sound better by itself, but this gets lost in the shuffle of the rest of the album. Oh well, guess they can't all be winners.
16. Beyond The Sun (Feat. J-Live)
As a sort of solution to the negatives they brought up in the last song, this song brings up a more positive note. The brilliant beat is centered around a sped up vocal sample of a choir singing at what I'm guessing was a church. There's also soaring backing vocals, soft guitar picks, and keyboards that give the song a really divine feel. The two rap from the viewpoint of aliens visiting the earth in search of intelligent life, only to be disappointed. Still, they point out the beauty of the planet and let it be known that there is hope, which covers the "positive note" that I was talking about. Deacon sounds good on here, but God damn, J-Live fucking massacres the shit, giving me reason to actually review some of the rest of his catalog. Pretty great way to end their experience on earth.
17. Mission Assessment
Miley 3000 appears one last time to let us know that there's no intelligent life on earth, but before we can go back to the alien planet, the group run into an apparent problem that will be addressed on...
18. Urutora Kaiju (Feat. Tonedeff)
If I ever move to a video format (it's not happening) I'd thank God that I had already done this review, hence avoiding physically hurting myself trying to pronounce this damn title. But anyways, just as our hosts are about to leave earth, they run into big trouble when their flight path is blocked by a Kaiju (which, after research, is a big ass monster that appears in Godzilla. Apparently). The beat on here is ten times more abrasive than anything else on the album, and the energy translates to Natti and Tonedeff, as they rhyme in double time, creating a chaotic scene that finally draws the album to a close. Weird as hell, but a fun way to end the night.
Rating: 3.5/5
With Strange Journey Volume Three, CunninLynguists continue to extend their brand and catalog while providing a listening experience that is better than the previous two installations. Which is all a really fucking boring way to say that its really fucking good. Kno, Deacon and Natti bring out the best in each other, both lyrically and musically, and even with the surplus of additional guests, the guys don't miss a step. Sure, the storyline is nerdy as hell, and the Miley 3000 concept really could have been done better, but CunninLynguists has never been a group to shy away from taking risks. My only big complaint, though, is the consistency of almost every song trying to feel like the most important thing you've heard all year. Not the worst thing in the world, but I could have used a few more songs like "Hot" and "Kings." Still, Strange Journey Volume Three remains accessible to new listeners, while being forward-thinking enough to please long time listeners. Not every track works, but the ones that do (and there are many) are deserving of a wide audience.