Like I previously stated, CunningLynguists came into the hip hop game sounding nothing like the south's 2001 output. The album's majority of instrumentals are provided by Kno, who is ultimately the main reason I hold the group in such high regard. He's no slouch on the mic either, but to even things out, Deacon the Villain is the better overall rapper. He's always sounded surprisingly comfortable rapping, which is notable because this is their debut and all.
I'll just go ahead and start this already...
1. Will Rap For Food
Sorry guys, just another standard album intro.
2. Lynguistics
Now that that's over, Cunninlynguists introduce themselves with a track that really shows what their early work was all about. Deacon and Kno both sound great and most of their attempts to be clever actually work, which is more I can say about most rappers. Kno decides not to go for an epic, confrontational instrumental, instead producing something that sounds like it should be somewhere in the middle of the album. But fuck it, this sounded nice!
3. Mic Like A Memory (Feat. Cory Calico)
The groups streak of pure dope spitting is short lived, as they quickly move into a track reminiscing over the everyday struggle and their respected careers up to this point. I remember my first time hearing this and realizing how different Cunninlyguists was from most artist that held straight rapping above all else. I hope I don't sound like I'm fanboying with that last sentence, but its true. Hip hop is about variation, people. You're never going to impress me with fourteen tracks about killing motherfuckers!
4. So Live!
If you listen to the album all the way through, its pretty easy to tell that this is the lone track not produced by Kno. Celph Titled (who could really benefit from reading my paragraph under the last song) delivers an instrumental that is minimal as hell, but it really works for the song. Neither Deacon or Kno have mind blowing verses, but they're both equally entertaining, which is all I'm really asking for at the end of the day.
5. Hey
Just an instrumental that ends alarmingly suddenly just to mess with you.
6. Fuckinwichu
Kno and Deacon both talk about some of the most messed up things they can think of for the sole purpose of fucking with you, as indicated by the title. It's all in good fun, though, as neither come close to the land of horror-core. You can tell these guys are serious about their craft, but don't take themselves as serious as most rappers do. (Looking at you Drake) The beat knows it job as well, managing too stay entertaining, but never out shining the lyrics that we're supposed to be focused on. There's a little skit at the end too, which is surprisingly comical. Overall, a major win.
7. Ain't No Way (Feat. Anetra & Mr. Sos)
Honestly, this one usually gets a skip from me. Nothing is really wrong here, as both the instrumental and lyrics are good, but there nothing that really grabs me either. Like I said, it's not bad, but I see no reason to listen to it when there's so much more to offer on the tracks sandwiching it.
8. Missing Children (Feat. Braille)
If you caught the obvious foreshadowing in the last sentence, you can tell that I like this one. It's actually one of my favorites on the album. The crew decides they've been having too much fun and switch back to a more conscious approach. This time they're talking about the varying forms of loss, which is executed quite nicely. Kno has some fun at the end, though, as he gets a few minutes to show off his experimental side. That works just as well as the actual topic of the song, which means it sounds pretty God damn great. I'm kind of mad at myself for not listening to this more often.
9. Midnight
For whatever its worth, these interludes have actually been rather entertaining
10. Thugged Out Since Cub Scouts (Feat. Jugga the Bully & Mr. Raw)
The title of this track is so great that this song could have been four minutes of silence and I'd still be glad it happened. CunninLynguists go off on a parody of the gansta rap that was very prevalent at the time. This shit is still funny, though, which keeps it from sounding like your run of the mill underground group that despises the thought of anything not sub terrain. Nice work, guys.
11. Kno's Diggin'
You can apply the same comments from the last couple interludes. Not bad but no reason to ever listen to it again.
12. Half Animal
The crew uses a vocal sample from an earlier Eminem song, as well as some vintage Nas. Considering the name of the song, I was surprised they didn't use at least some of Kool Keith's "halfsharkalligatorhalfman", but I digress. Anyways, the two coincidentally rhyme over an instrumental that could have very easy been used on The Slim Shady LP. They keep the topic around loosely, but this is more or less just another song of straight rapping. Nothing wrong with that, though. This was pretty good.
13. Family Ties (Feat. Cashmere The Pro)
Man, these guys really don't like their parents. No, like they seriously fucking hate them. The title may be a little misleading, but all you have to do is listen to the song to realize that there are some serious issues. Each rapper takes their turn ethering their respected parent, but Kno's story about this mother is especially unsettling. Impressively, they manage to not throw a complete tantrum, but rather provide legitimate reasons for hating their parents, while accompanying it with some impressive lyricism.
14. Dirty South
As I'm sure you all predicted, this short musical interlude sounds completely different from anything that would be considered dirty southern. I guess this was cool.
15. Mindstate
This is the only song on here that I just flat out don't like. Nothing Kno or Deacon says is all that interesting and the instrumental contains nothing that you'll remember ten seconds after the song ends. They can't all be winners.
16. Takin' The Loss (Feat. Jugga The Bully)
This song has always kind of frustrated me. Yeah, the hook leaves a lot to be desires, but my issue is the mixing that I assume was intentional. Kno's instrumental is fucking fantastic, but it actually drowns out the actual rapping, which is also very impressive if you listen hard enough. Their punch lines really stick with you, but like I said, they get lost in the instrumental half the time. This is far from bad, it's actually quite good, but it had the potential to be so much more. The little skit at the end actually made me chuckle, though.
17. Not Guilty
Kno throws in an instrumental that can be classified as a song, unlike the previous interludes. It sounds out of place, unnecessary, and completely awesome. I realize how damn contradicting that last sentence sounds, but its the little things that give this album so much personality. As for the actual song, it pretty damn dope. I'm not saying its a good or even accurate comparison, but Kno's production has always reminded me of a mixture of El-P and DJ Shadow. So yeah, I think of the man pretty highly.
18. 616 Rewind (Feat. Celph Titled, Kashal-Tee, Sankofa, & Tonedeff)
After looking at the features, I was expected a more in your face, boom bap beat, but Kno sticks to his guns and delivers a typical dreamy instrumental. Its rare to hear a posse cut over this type of musical backdrop, but it works out well for everyone involved, including the listener. This shit is flat out enjoyable and ends the album on a terrific high note.
Rating: 4/5
With Will Rap For Food, CunninLynguists brought the south a sound that no one thought it was capable of having. They were just doing it to be different either, almost every song on here is entertaining as hell. Its always surprised me how much chemistry Kno and Deacon had with each other, even at the beginning of their careers. It also helps that they're both really fucking good too. They tended to rely more on punch lines and being clever on this release, which is a big contrast to what they're doing nowadays, but it mostly works. And of course, Kno's production is nothing short of mind blowing. There's no real way to describe it as a whole, so you're just going to have to listen for yourself. Will Rap For Food is generally regarded as one of the group's lesser albums, but that's not true. Time has been very kind to this album and the entire hip hop community needs to give it another listen, because you're not going to regret forking over a few bucks.