89. Kyprios - Say Something (2008)
Genre: Hip-Hop
Track Listing
01. "Hold Your Soul"
02. "Root Of All Evil"
03. "Sex"
04. "This Is My Hit"
05. "Carousel"
06. "Prayer For the Living"
07. "One Day"
08. "Lovesick Blues"
09. "Main Titles"
10. "Never Say Goodbye"
11. "Feels So Good"
12. "Seasons Change"
13. "On the Road"
14. "Hate"
Kyprios is a Canadian emcee hailing from my hometown of Vancouver, Canada. He is a member of the Vancouver hip-hop collective Sweatshop Union and in 2008 put out his much anticipated solo debut. Now I know some people may think I am being biased towards Canadian musicians, with the inclusion of 4 artists within the first 11 entries, and those thoughts do hold some merit. Perhaps I am a little biased to the Canadian musicians who do not have the same prestige or luxury of time on Much Music, but this list is not going to be exclusively Canadian musicians.
Say Something is one of the more intelligent hip hop albums with each song taking on a specific subject matter. While all the songs have a point to make, Kyprios does so in a respectful and open-minded matter. Even the more left leaning songs like "Root of All Evil" which talks about the evils that money makes men do, but at the same time realizing that it is a necessary evil in the world, that cannot be ridded of so easily. The third track "Sex", details the Western World's obsession with sex and the immense power it has over the minds of both men and women, but perhaps what is most surprising is that it's a hip hop song that does not glorify it. I know that is a bit of a generalized statement, but finding a hip hop song that can talk about sex in an open minded and diligent way is quite rare.
Beat wise the album can be a little lacking in some areas, but with the budget it was recorded on I cannot expect it to sound as professional as other albums. However there are some good beats on the album and Kyprios rides the beat , making the most of what is given to him. My only other complaint on the album is that some of the songs feel a little short, or a little rushed. None of the songs last longer than around 4 minutes, with an average song time of around 3 1/2 minutes. Besides these two minor complaints the album is a quite amazing piece of literary word play.
The greatest part of the album is that Kyprios knows how to end the album with a spoken word piece entitled "Hate". The piece works its way through different race and prejudices experienced by those races until finally coming to an end with racism itself goading how we are too stupid to stop racism because of our petty differences. An astounding album from start to finish with some of the most intelligent rhymes and flowing delivery, with each song bringing insight into the social complexities that inhabit our daily lives.