A slightly detailed look at the Cunninlynguists

I randomly got in a CunninLynguists mood (no pun intended lol) and thought it would be cool to review their albums, especially since I just recently finally obtained their first Lp entitled "Will Rap For Food". This will not include the Sloppy Seconds mixtapes since 1) they are mixtapes and 2) I do not have them :)

Deacon, Natti and Mr. Sos are pretty nice on the mic and Kno is a beast with the production. They definitely one of the bright spots in the southern rap/hip hop scene. They speak on social issues sometimes, love, having fun, etc. They are one of my favorite groups and I love how versitile they are.

I guess it will make the most sense to go in order...

Also forgive any spelling/grammar errors, im too lazy to go through all this and fix anything :D

Will Rap For Food
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Standout Track: Lynguistics

The group's first album shows off their skills immediately in the second track/first song, Lynguistics. Kno's production is on point and the lyrics are nice and at a good upbeat flow. This is a great introduction to the group and showcasing what they are about.

"So fuck the commercial tracks you be doin,
A brother got to eat. Why don't you rap for food then."

[Deacon and Kno exhanging verses *=Kno rapping]

[Deacon]
The music makes me high
Even though I stay away from canibus, like Wyclef
*Deacon and Kno, fry sets.*
Similar to Christ,
*we got divine reps so tell me*
If you know your gonna die *why step?*
Show no mercy
*For rules and crews*
You hit with more bricks than new ?
*Riddles confusing fools,* like Confucian rules
*Cos most cats are more squared than Rubik's Cubes*
We spit raps that are totally murderous
*The rhymes are like an anaconda serpent clutch*
So check out how these herbs get touched
*Unless your broads giving us brains*
Nigga you ain't servin us
*Deacon and Kno,* cunning lynguists with stunning English
*Our true lies bring more pumps* than Harry Rehnquist
*Every week* with the best speech
Roll with cats who smoke more trees than the flash and burn techniques
*Sex, beats, between bed sheets*
Red fleets, Pulp Fiction style
*leaving your car with red seats*
We make like fly swatters and smash pests
*Put peeps under more pressure than a Kelly Price bed set*
Keep your bodies looking like samples for the Rorscach Test
*Ink blots,* so fuck around and get your team rocked
*Jugga's in the back with the beam cocked*
Gots to have everything between L.A. and Queens locked


Overall Thoughts: This album, like Southernundergound has more of a hip-hop feel than their later albums. It really gave them a chance to expose themselves, their lyrical ability and Kno's production ability (especially his ability to sample). Being able to go from songs like Lynguistics to Mic Like A Memory was an early sign of their versitility to be showcased later on in their careers. "Takin A Loss" is probably one of the best examples of their style and what they would become, the whole flow of the track, the lyricism, not so much the beat though. They used this album as a opportunity to showcase their personality's making it probably their most playful album; an example being the song "Fukinwichu" (lyrics below) and "Thugged Out Since Cub Scouts".

Shopping at Macy's, pissing in cologne bottles
Getting on a runway, drop-kicking supermodels
Smacking up vegetarians with hamburger patties
Tell an animal activist that I killed Lassie
Pimp through a hindu temple with a leather suit on
Stomp through a Japanese crib with muddy shoes on
Deacon the Villian, always misbehaving
In hospitals playing concentration with Alhzeimer's patients


SouthernUnderground
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Standout Track: Seasons

Seasons is easily the standout on this Lp but it is closely followed by tracks like Old School and Dyin Nation. Seasons is great in not only its production (nice sampling of Andre 3000) but its powerful lyrics on the state of hip hop and its assertion that the days of good hip hop will come again. Deacon's verse really helps get across the point -

As Summer's heatwaves ascended in it's splendid manner
Green was flooding our scene, although the skin was tanner
"Fuck The Police!!" jumpin over radio scanners
It was hot in the shade, wet paint all over the canvans
Fuck Vanilla Ice cones, we had T,
Cube's Amerikka's Most And wanted that Chronic on the Left-Coast Talent pools were full and fresh for swimming
Backstrokin' through Dark Sides and Illmatic beginnings
Them lemonade stands would make you street platinum
It was 2 Live.. Florida crews caught heat for rappin
But free speech pollination kept bee's colonizing in hives
And stung Delores Tucker right in her pride
The Tribes ocean splash was rising the tide
Strictly 4 My Niggaz that were ready to die in the ride
I wish the summer's vibe could've lasted forever
To bad we had to have a change in that weather.. that shit was beautiful

Overall Thoughts: This really fits with the title. This is completely different from Dirty Acres and A Piece Of Strange in that it is a lot more hip-hopish. Dying Nation was funny with that snippet of that quote President George Bush said. This album is definitely for those who just want straight up hip hop beats and hip hop lyrics. The next two albums would be alot more experimental-ish and out there but good nonetheless. Southernunderground was a nice second effort from the CunninLynguists. And it was especially encouraging when one sees just how much they evolved from Southernunderground to Strange Journey; even the progression from Southernundergound to A Piece Of Strange is amazing and just shows the versitility of the group.


A Piece Of Strange
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Standout Track: Hourglass

It is VERY hard to pick out a standout on this album. There are literally atleast 7 songs which could be the best, which only atests to the hardwork and talent of this group. When you have songs like Caved In (featuring CeeLo), Brain Cell, The Gates, Since When, Beautiful Girl, and Nothing To Give; its hard to pick oen that stands out but Hourglass does to me. This album has a strong love theme and Hourglass fits perfectly with that with the great picture painting done by Deacon.

Spent Pubescent years, blessed with peers I could trust
Spinning records to a game of checkers after dusk
Laughter rushes out of mouth, clutchin my stomach, abs burning From fast learning, not cash earning
Cause we wasn't really on 'at yet, just yes' y'alling
At this point, our lil' brainchild was hardly crawling
But had fallen enough times to keep a niggaz head strong
Fucked with enough spiders to charm a mama leglong
We's dead wrong, many days and nights
Trying strange thangs From jane to cane and variants of the same change
Get trapped, you off map, no Peter Pan scenes
Where everythings tight and lily whiter than Klan dreams
Tryna get something ripe, a nice woman queen
Stay strong and fight life, like Sudan kings
Pray to make cents for giving And make sense out of living Lord give me patience to gain wisom, please

Overall Thoughts: This is a great album. It manages to maintain the same vibe throughout and is basically a great artistic work/expression as seen in things like the intro, damnation interlude, and remember me (abstract reality). The entire album is strong and it is hard to distinguish a clear cut dominant, standout track which makes this album so amazing because the songs are so good. Making it even more amazing is that it is so complete of an album and comes in at a managable 55 minutes.


Dirty Acres
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Standout Track: Yellow Lines
Dirty Acres probably has my two favorite CunninLynguists songs in Yellow Lines and K.K.K.Y. Yellow Lines features the same beat from EJ the Witchdoctor (member of Dungeon Family with Outkast, Goodie Mob, etc.) which is great even though it has his recyled verse from his song Spell On Them Hoes. Natti drops a solid verse but Phonte drops an amazing verse and really steals the show.

She used to call me late at night
Didn't take long to see that we were a-alikes
On the same page, just couldn't get it right
McIntosh of my eye, let me take a mega bite
I cordially invite you to come take a ride in my thoughts
Switch memory lanes while we dreamin, wanderin
And in return I'll strip my inhibitions
And go skinny dipping in your stream of consciousness
She said it sounds tempting
And I don't want to catch feelings
But this urge is calling me bad
I said well suga, if ya worried bout catching feelings
Chances are you already have
And there's no need to deny ourselves
I mean, lie to each other and deprive ourselves
Denial's not a game I'm prepared to play
So I express things most niggas scared to say
Put a spell on 'em, Forgive me Lord but I'm hell on 'em
Baby we grown folk, So let me longstroke
And send em back to they man with my smell on 'em
Let me be quiet before I tell on 'em

Overall Thoughts: This is an amazing album. Literally every song, even the interludes are great. It is not too long at all at a solid 46 minutes and it is a great combination of vibes. K.K.K.Y and Mexico are great upbeat songs. The first song (second track) Valley of Death is a strong, powerful beginning to the album. Dirty Acres and Yellow Lines are just solid balanced songs. The Park (Fresh Air) is amazingly chill. This album is great, every song seems to fit and it is without filler. Definitely one of the top CunninLynguists albums.


Strange Journey: Volume One
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Standout Track: Don't Leave (When The Winter Comes)

This is one of Kno's best production works in my opinion. It is the best song on the album even though it has an eerie, somber type feel to it. It features Slug (from the group Atmosphere, check their album Overcast! out) and everyone drops a powerful verse. Never Come Down (The Brownie Song) was a close second of mine probably due to those hilarious lyrics- "Physics dont apply, midgets in the sky/ skippin round my head sayin negro you so high". Even with that and other nice songs Don't Leave is definitely the standout track. The best verse comes from Natti:

To make it happen with this rappin is a part of my goal/
But leavin you little man takes a part of my soul/
Believe me, daddy no it aint gonna be easy/
Better this then you waitin for the state to release me/
Seein me through glass missin moments to squeeze me/
I'll be damned, I want for you all that I never had/
No growin up with hate for an invisible dad/
Wanna hold you when you cry, tickle you till you laugh/
I'm tryna walk a path, right now you dont understand/
You two and barely talkin and yet you my greatest fan/
I love you more then life, you with me every flight/
I leave in dead of night to keep from hearin you cry/
My luggage out of sight, to fight off from sayin bye/
If you could form the words I know you'd say daddy why/
And I would have to tell you how this is for you and I/
I be back fo november but daddy's gotta fly


Overall Thoughts: I got the album online for about 12 dollars, shipping and tax included. It was a special pre-order deal started by the CunninLynguists which I thought was cool (excpet for the fact that I had to enter all the track names into iTunes. I listened to it in the car today (6/25) and it has a more playful mood then some of the other albums which are a little more serious. The skits and some of the songs have a fun vibe but it is also balanced about ther somber reality of some stuff like The Distance and Don't Leave. Basically this is a concept album which covers the fun of being on a tour and the sadness of being away from what you love (city, loved ones, etc). The concept was well done and the instrumentals of several of the songs at the end are a nice bonus as well. I look forward to the second part of the journey coming out hopefully later this year.


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The CunninLynguists are a great group. Strange Journey Volume Two as of now is scheduled to drop at the end of 09. Picking a favorite album of theirs is difficult. It comes down to Dirty Acres and A Piece Of Strange. It seems like A Piece Of Strange put them on the map and is the most popular but I think I play Dirty Acres more often. When it comes down to it, I think A Piece Of Strange is the better album, but Dirty Acres is my favorite. Both are AMAZING though and I recommend either to anyone interested in listening to some lyrical, creative southern rap.

Even though Dirty Acres is my favorite due to its very short length matched with its more memorable (to me atleast) songs it is second on the list of CunninLynguists albums. While usually many artists best outputs are their first and they experience a steady decline, I like how the CunninLynguists got better with age and time.

Best CunninLynguists Albums
1) A Piece Of Strange
2) Dirty Acres
3) Strange Journey Volume One
4) Southernunderground
5) Will Rap For Food

HOB UP! BobbyOnes out.