Invest In Your
Ears
By
Can’t Be Copied
I reviewed the debut release Real Art Real Experiences
by Can’t Be Copied back in January of this year, and I was so impressed by what
K.A.O.$ Da Rowdy MC (vocals), Mr Roka (production) with Stanton Miles (cuts)
had achieved with that release, that when they recently dropped their sophomore
album, Invest In Your Ears; I had to invite them back to the blog.
Once again, you will find that Invest In Your Ears is
not available on any streaming platforms and the only place you can find it is
via the crews website. The only difference this time around is that Invest
In Your Ears features just K.A.O.$ Da Rowdy MC and Mr Roka, who also
handles the cuts on this one.
If you read my review of Real Art Real Experiences,
you will know what to expect from these guys. However, if you are new to Can’t
Be Copied, I can tell you right now to expect nothing less than real Hip Hop
vibes without the profanity, and a sound that crosses all boundaries and bring
a real sound mixed with all the realness of true-life experiences.
So, I’m not gonna keep you hanging around no more but, help
you to Invest In Your Ears…
CBC gets your head nodding from the get-go with a solid boom
bap beat and a plethora of sounds that combine to get you moving and smiling
for the Future Of Hip Hop. Here, K.A.O.$ Da Rowdy MC lays it all on the
table, showing not only what is at the core of Can’t Be Copied but, also what
the focus has to be for Hip Hop artists as we look to the future of the scene.
It’s all about keeping it real, speaking from the heart with the truth and
staying faithful to roots of the culture. You might well be listening to this
now but, this is the blueprint for what’s to come. The drumbeat takes the
forefront on I’m Just Saying but, Mr Roka mixes in some bells, guitar,
and other sounds to keep the vibe going and the heads nodding. This one really
takes the core of what CBC are about and lays it out in one track. CBC are
about real Hip Hop that can be listened to be all ages, they take the old skool
foundations of the sound and bring them into the present, delivering the
realness in a way that speaks to new and young alike, setting standards for the
future while giving the older Hip Hop generation no cause for concern. Heavy
drums and horns form the basis for the sound on What Do You Bring, where
we find CBC asking a question of all those other Hip Hop acts out there. That
question is what do you bring to the game that adds authenticity and is not
just a clone of those who walked the stage before you? This is as much a
statement as a question because, in order to make it, you need to have an
element about your sound that is authentic and relatable, don’t speak on things
you have no knowledge of and don’t lie to your audience because you think you
know what they want to hear.
Life Support finds drums, bass, and horns as the
foundation but, the electronic beeping and cuts give this one a vibe that has a
sound mimicking a pulse monitor, which might be lost on you as your too busy
bouncing. Listen to this one and you get the impression that it is the real Hip
Hop vibe and sound that is the life support of all real Hip Hop artists out
there; There are many fake emcees out there masquerading as real Hip Hop with
beats and lyrics that have no foundation in the culture. Those who are true to
the game have Hip Hop running through their veins and don’t need to step
outside that sound by dipping into other genes just make more money. With that
thought running through you head K.A.O.$ Da Rowdy MC steps up as the Flowologist
as Mr Roka brings a heavy bass sound with electronic elements that toy with
your nerves. This one is all about K.A.O.$ showing exactly why he is the
flowologist. There is no need for me to elaborate any further here as K.A.O.$
speaks for himself here so, tune in, soak it up and enjoy. Mr Roka switches it
up once more with the drum beat almost taking a back seat at times as bass,
guitar takes over on Different. The vibe might be different on this one
but, it is the perfect canvas for K.A.O.$ to flow over and give you a
demonstration of his rhyming skills, showing just what he can do when he feels
like it.
Time to funk things up a bit on Much More but, that
funk vibe has some elements that take you back to the electro sound, creating a
vibe you can’t help but groove to. K.A.O.$ brings us a track that takes a look
into the mind, body and soul of an emcee. There is that air of braggadocio at
times that was a big element of the early rap days as emcee’s were out to show
who was the best with rhymes and flows. Mr Roka’s heavy drumbeat, bass sound
and horns take the forefront on Beatastic as K.A.O.$ slows things down a
bit. This one really makes the beat the focus of the track both in sound and in
the lyrics. That is only right because what would Hip Hop be without the beat;
Well, it wouldn’t be Hip Hop for a start, and here we see just how important
the beat is, just as important as the vocals. Pen & Pad finds Mr
Roka dropping a solid boom bap sound on us, mix that with those multi-element
sounds, and this one has the speakers blowing up. What I like about this one is
that it shows that an emcee has to be two things; they have to be a freestyler
and able to write rhymes down and that is really where this one took me,
reminding me that an emcee is always writing; yes, they might be out there on
the street corner, or deep in freestyle battle mode but, behind that the emcee
is always writing creating bars and verses that are the core of their craft.
Before you know it, you are listening to the penultimate
track, Pet Peave, which starts with a bassline sound before the beat
really kicks in and that bassline vibe fades into the background. The sound
gets you up and jumping around, wanting the take the roof of this sucka.
K.A.O.$ Da Rowdy MC takes on a journey through some of the things that are his
pet peave’s, the things that upset his equilibrium and might throw his day into
disarray. This is not him complaining, its just life, these things happen to us
all. Suddenly you realise that you’re at the last track and wishing there was
more to come but, all good things come to an end and here it’s with They
Sold Us A Story. Mr Roka brings a nice funky beat with piano vibes and
cuts, getting the head nodding along. K.A.O.$ takes us to the streets with some
stories about just how brutal life is out on the streets. With everything that
has gone before now, this is a sobering note on which to end the album but, it
is no less real that all the fun and games out there. We don’t always get to
hear the stories of real people’s experiences but, here we are reminded that
the tough stores we see going on internationally also have a shadow side that
goes on in the alley ways and on the street corners of the towns and cites in
which we live, and it's no less painful for those caught up in it…
What Can’t Be Copied have done with Invest In Your Ears
is to give us something that is not just a musical album to be put on an
enjoyed, it is so much more than that. Invest In Your Ears is a
statement that says to each and every one of us that if you really want to here
the truth, in many different ways, then switch of the TV, turn off the news and
Invest In Your Ears by switching on this album because, as this album
creatively displays, music can speak the truth to you on many different levels.
Music, in this case that real Hip Hop music, can bring you the truth on what’s
going on outside your door but, also bring you uplifting vibes that show that
there are silver linings to those storm clouds, it can all be brought to you in
a way that does scream of frustration and anger at what is going on in the
world. Sometimes you just have to hear it in a way that echoes the family
sitting round a table and talking openly about things, things that might be
tough but, can just as easily bring smiles and laughter.
Invest In Your Ears displays all the qualities that
go into creating a solid Hip Hop album, that has one foot rooted deep in the
foundations of real Hip Hop, while demonstrating that you can bring in other
influences to the sound which do not take away that homage to the original
sound and vibe.
Mr Roka perfectly crafts these Hip Hop soundscapes in such a
way as to show that they are unashamedly Hip Hop but, at the same time, have
these additional elements and influences that make the Can’t Be Copied sound unique,
which is exactly what it needs to be, because Can’t Be Copied are not anyone
else and they sure can’t be copied in any way…
K.A.O.$ Da Rowdy MC once more delivers a wealth of flows and
rhyme styles to suit exactly what needs to be said and in a way that is
authentically his own. There is no copycat flows or styles here just one emcee
with his own style created from years of constantly honing his craft.
I really don’t want to say too much here because Can’t Be
Copied are not individuals but, a collective, a crew, who work together to
create a sound that and style that make many of us reminisce back to the
eighties and early nineties but, at the same time they also set a standard to
those up and coming artists out there that says ‘this might be a blueprint for
the sound or the vibe of what is Hip Hop but, be unique and authentic in all
you do, because that is the mark of a true artist’.
All I can say is that if you really want to know what I’m
talking about here then Invest In Your Ears and grab the album direct from
Can’t Be Copied and see exactly what all the fuss is about and rest assured,
this is one you don’t have to worry about playing in front of anyone.
Invest In Your Ears is out now exclusively available from
the Can’t Be Copied Website.
Time for me to be out,
I’ll See you next time.
Steve.
LINKS
Get your copy of the Album exclusively here:
https://cantbecopiedhiphop.com/home
Can't Be Copied Socials:
https://cantbecopied.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/cantbecopiedhiphop/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553637398444
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeXOLyeS1iQkOErAt0vENRQ
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