Taxi Ride
By
KJ
Its always good to review something a little different and Taxi Ride by KJ from Barry in Wales, promises to be just that with a more Lo-Fi Hip Hop vibe. In fact this one has been out for a bit now so, its good to be able to bring it to you.
Before I go any further, let me give you a bit of background
on KJ; He was born in Burnley, Lancashire and moved to the Vale of Glamorgan at
the age of two. His fascination with rap began at age 6 when he heard Eminem’s
‘My Name Is…’ on a tape his mother gave him. It was from age fourteen that he
began writing his own lyrics, freestyling and battling, while having fun
expressing himself. His father gave him CD’s by the likes of Dr Dre, Snoop,
Tupac, RUN DMC and MC Eiht, further inspiration came from Gang Starr, Notorious
B.I.G and many others. At age eighteen he applied to college but, owing to a
late submission and an on the spot interview, including a freestyle for the
tutor, he was successful and studied Music Technology for two years before
leaving early to make his own music from home. Over the next few years he
gained experience by busking in London, Birmingham and Swansea. In July 2019,
his love of Battle Rap took him to his first rap battle on Don’t Flop at
Cardiff’s Moon Club, quickly followed by another in Bristol in November 2019. Although
his main influence is Hip Hop, KJ has also delved into other genre’s including
Garage and House music.
Now you know a bit more about KJ, the album is seventeen
tracks deep and fully written, produced and mixed by the man himself which
promises something that has a far more personal vibe to it. Now, KJ was kind
enough to send me a physical copy of the album for this review and flicking to
the inside cover and reading the notes there, you get the sense that Taxi
Ride is not something that is all about a ride from one place to the next
but, more a of a ride along the journey of life and the choices you make and
the destination that each one of those choices takes you too, an interesting
thought in itself…
So, feel free to take a seat next to me in the back of the
cab and see where the ride takes us…
Our Taxi Ride begins with the short Injector Deck
(skit) which is the sound of a cassette being placed into the tape deck and
pressing play. Now wondering what kind of a ride this is gonna be we get
straight into the title track Taxi Ride, where guitar notes and keys
produce a chilled air while the drum beat gives you just enough to slowly nod
your head and move to, just like sitting in the back of a cab as it slowly
bounces down the road. This one reminds me of my own days as a cabbie, taking
people from one place to another, maybe home or maybe on to another bar or
club, sometimes talking and other times not. It perfectly encapsulates the
place of the passenger, with nothing particular on their mind just wanting to
get where they are going, wherever that might be, watching the world go by. Next
up Whispers brings organ notes as the foundation for the sound, which seems
to vibrate slowly through your mind as you listen, leaving you just floating.
Here we seem to be paused, stationary in a space where a wealth of thoughts
suddenly invades the serenity of the ride. The stresses and strains of the
world around us are all to real leaving us wondering which way to go but, those
thoughts are whispers in the mind, and the ride continues. Bass and keys
combine with more upbeat drums to get your head nodding once more. However,
there is a deep edge to this as our journey now touches on fear with Ghost.
The roads, and life, are a place where we experience many things and fear,
alongside death, is a part of that. What if you were on the other side of the
veil, what would that look like, perhaps something like this…
Failing mixes another head nod beat with bass, keys
and electronic elements that get you moving but, once again gets you focused on
another part of life as fear once more hits us but, here it’s the fear of
failure and the fear of actually reaching out for help, something many of us
can associate with on some level. Organ notes and drums bring a more upbeat
vibe on Imperfections, helping to bring an uplifting feel to
proceedings. With so much fear coming through, here we see that there is always
someone out there who can see all that we are and will still accept us, listen
and help us through those dark times. Guitar and organ notes lead us into Broke
Happiness, which has this sound that keeps the uplifting vibes going. This
one takes a light-hearted look at a life where money comes hard, where you’re
living from week to week on whatever you can. Not working, for whatever reason,
is a tough place to be but, if you can face it with a smile then it helps keep
the dark clouds at bay. Don’t Care drops with a heavier sound of drums
and organ notes that bring a slightly darker edge to things. This is one of
those tracks that you take a few ways, is this just someone who does not care
about anything or is this taking a shot at the social media generation where so
many people publish their lives on line in words or videos just to get likes, maybe
its even deeper than that, in a world where social media brings so many things
into our awareness every day, perhaps this is how it feels sometimes when it
all gets too much…
False Idols mixes some chilled guitar and piano notes
with drums, which gives this one a more reflective vibe. There is a deeply
personal edge to this one as it focuses on those we looked up to when we were
young. Those we thought it was cool to be a round, even though they really lead
us astray. As we grow, we see the things about them we never saw before, a
darkness that leads them down a dark path. We understand what it was that them
that so attracted us to them and wonder how they got to this place, and perhaps
they could change if they just had the right help. Piano and an excerpt from
‘After Life’ leads us into Ask Me If I’m OK, as the beat drops in, you
realise there is more to this one than you thought. There is a definite emotive
edge to this one as it looks at something that we all need to do, check it with
someone. So, many of us have gone through times where we were struggling on the
inside, wondering why life is treating us this way and whether it’s really all
worthwhile; deep inside we just wish someone would ask us if we are ok. We have
all been there and we all know someone who is in that place, they might not
look it but, just check in with them, it’s a life saver. Okaaayyy has a
vibe you can shut your eyes to and drift away to as the drums, bass and organ
notes merge together and float through your mind. It really speaks to you, if
you’ll let it, and it seems to be all about looking at things differently,
looking at yourself differently and seeing what is not needed and discarding
that in exchange for what helps bring more light and positivity your way…
Music has this big synth sound, alongside the drum
beat, which has this infectious quality and brings this upbeat vibe that almost
has this neo soul, electronic sound to it. This track is another that seems to
have dual meanings; on one side it is all about the love in your life and just
what that person means to you but, on the flip side, this could also be an ode
to exactly what music itself means to you and how it helps you be who you truly
are. Cuts and a proper head nod beat merge with strings and other elements to
bring a far more solid Hip Hop sound on God Tier. This one is just a
platform for KJ to drop a track that is all about having fun on the mic, no
need to think too much about this one because, just like life, we all need
those just for fun moments, and this one is one of those tongue-in-cheek
moments for sure. Drums and strings form
the backdrop for Do Anything For You, which brings a more emotive vibe;
something that fits perfectly with the lyrics. This one is a truly heartfelt
ode to his daughter, and tracks like this never fail to bring a warm feeling
inside and a lump to the throat…
As we begin to come close to the end of our journey
together, there is still time to take in a little more of life and guitar notes
herald the arrival of Your Friend. The drums pound on this one, a little
like the message contained within. This one looks at the one friend you rarely,
if ever, think of and talk to, the one friend who will never leave you; and
that’s you. Again, you could take this one two ways as it could be the words of
someone who struggles with their mental health and tries to escape the voices
in their head but, perhaps its more simple this time, maybe it’s just about
understanding and being one with who you truly are inside because, you are the
one person you can always count on to be there for you and it’s never to late
to take some time just be you, at peace with yourself. We finally take the
penultimate turn to our destination and begin to Unwind with piano
notes, strings and drums, creating chilled but uplifting sound. Here we find KJ
speaking on all the things you could do to take some time away from the
struggles and strains of modern-day life. It is always important to take time
to look after number one, and number one is you, so take those moments for you
and do whatever that brings calm and peace to you. Just as we thought we had
reached our destination, the driver takes one last turn bringing us home with
the bonus, Not Going Anywhere. Keys create this electronic soundscape
that is a platform for KJ to open up about what it means to him creating music,
in a spoken word intro. The beat drops in with heavy drums and strings,
alongside electronic elements to bring some energy; energy which is needed as
KJ speaks candidly on himself, his life and what he sees around him. He drops a
great verse namedropping all those artists that have inspired him along the
way. This track is not just about KJ though, this is an inspiring message to
everyone to never give up and always strive, never give up and make your dreams
come true…
The first thing to note about this album is that Taxi
Ride does just that, it takes you on a ride and one that covers the kind of
subjects that you could easily see yourself pondering over while you were sat
in the back of a cab as it heads toward your ultimate destination. Just as life
is also a journey, one that you are in control of, making decision after
decision as you head toward your own ultimate destination. It does not matter
where you are from, this Taxi Ride could very easily be your own.
There is a lot here to like for those who enjoy good Hip
Hop, as well as those who enjoy Trip Hop or other sub-genres. KJ shows that he
is just as adept as a producer as he is lyrically. He is adept at painting a
picture in your mind Beit with words or music, which is so important when you
are doing this solo. Vocally, his wordplay is on point as you hear that he has
the adaptability to mix up his flows alongside some intelligent and, at times,
emotive lyrics; while showing he is not afraid to bring lived experience into
tackling sensitive subjects. His dedication and those inspirations really do
shine through here and gives you an album that you’ll happily have on repeat
and will also be as relatable in a few years as it is now.
Overall, I enjoyed Taxi Ride as it showed one
person’s passion and dedication to bringing great music to people who enjoy it.
KJ shows great talent in self- producing, mixing and writing his material and
adding in qualities and subject matter that is easily relatable to all who hear
it. This is an album to be proud of as an artist and one that needs to be heard
by the listeners. Taxi Ride is definitely high on my albums of the year
so far and one I can easily chill out to.
No matter what my thoughts are, KJ’s ultimate destination
right now is made plain and simple by the last track, he’s Not Going
Anywhere…
Taxi Ride is available now on all good streaming platforms.
My humble thanks to KJ for sending me a copy and giving me
the chance to do my thing.
My ride’s over for now,
See ya next time.
Steve.
Note: I just wanted to add a little additional nugget
here. After I wrote the review, I sent it over to KJ so he could have a read
before it goes live. Now one of the things that came out of this was that my
interpretation of the track ‘Do Anything For You’ was slightly off. This shows
just how much you own feelings can change the way you interpret the content of
a track. The track is in fact about his sister and how much she means to him as
a brother, and if you listen back, you can really feel that; what happened with
me is that the emotions in the track and how KJ describes his love for his
sister, touched my feelings for own children and how much they mean to me. The
emotions of my children living in Ireland and the loss of my youngest daughter,
were deeply stirred by this track and had a huge impact on how I did my own
interpretation. This is a great way to show just how we can all see and feel
things differently, depending how we listen to and hear the words mixed with
our own feelings and experiences. Just missing a word here and there and
overlaying your own feelings can change things for you. I just felt compelled
to note this for you.
LINKS
Here is the two links you need for Taxi Ride and everything KJ:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/kj16/taxi-ride
VIDEOS
Taxi Ride (Official Video)
Failing (Official Video)
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