By
It was nearly two years ago now that I featured KJ with his
album Taxi Ride (2024). During that time, he has had a few projects out, one of
which in this one, You Got No Fans. This one was originally released a
year ago in February of 2025, but I didn’t get a copy until recently. The
reason for that is KJ sent me another album, which went awol in the post (a
couple of CD’s have done so recently sadly) and so he sent me this one instead,
which was cool as I remember all the fun video’s KJ put out to promo the album.
I’m not going to drop a lengthy intro here, so if you want
to know more about the Welsh emcee/producer, check the Taxi Ride review for more info. That said let’s get straight into things…
The album kicks off with the title track You Got No Fans
which features internet legend The Wealdstone Raider (you find plenty about him
on the web, trust me), which samples the infamous video he features in from
2013. This one has a nice beat, that gets ya head nodding, backed by keys, bass
and more, giving you a sound that is solid Hip Hop, with a little LoFi edge.
KJ’s lyrics have a very tongue-in-cheek vibe about them as he gives us look at
his wordplay while taking pot shots at the other rappers out there. This one
brings that football banter style to Hip Hop braggadocio. Guitar vibes and a
solid head nod beat form the backdrop of Skillz. Here KJ continues a bit of that Hip Hop braggadocio
by bigging up the skills he has to do a great many things. The light-hearted
vibe continues here too as he invites others to step up by goading them on the
chorus by saying ‘Yeah, I got skills, what you gonna do about it’. Simping
brings a chilled beat with a big bass guitar vibe giving this one a chilled out
edge with the keys and vocal elements. This one is all about being attracted to
someone and showing an abundance of attention. It feels like this one is all
about the things you would love to say to someone, who might not know or show
the same in return, but the desire for attraction and close contact is there
all the same.
Siren brings a beat that is backed by horns, keys and
vocal samples, giving this one a sound that has that LoFi edge to it. This is
one of those tracks that is a dedication to that special woman in his life. But
this not a track where things get too soppy, this is a Hip Hop love song where
similes and metaphors do all the talking by taking you off to another realm. Samurai
is a short track where a pounding beat is backed by Japanese musical sounds
to give this one a sound that transports you a place that seems far more
personal. There are elements to this one that strike you as a frank discussion
on the internal struggles of what you see around you and how you carry yourself
in the face of that adversity, so you are able to raise yourself up. Cleaning
The Mind (Phase 4) hits with a heavy beat that is back with some electronic
sounds that give this on a very reflective air to it. Listening to this one you
instantly realise that this is a deeply personal track. Touching on subjects
such as addiction, depression, and much more. Reflecting on this type of lived
experience is something many of us can associate with. I know there has been
many times I have felt like clearing my own mind by opening up about my life.
The deeply personal aspect of this one is hard to convey, in truth, and is the
kind of track that you just need to listen to and understand.
ART-IST merges acoustic guitar elements with a more
chilled beat and electric guitar vibes which give this one a different
reflective sound. KJ gives a look at what it means to him to be an artist,
doing what he does and bringing a wide range of styles and vibes to the
listener. It’s not about the payday but, about the music and what that means to
both KJ and those who listen to what he has to offer. Now we have an insight
into KJ as an artist its time to turn our attention to I Don’t Battle.
This one kicks off and features elements of Cartman from South Park, which
should tell you a lot about where this one is headed. The beat is pounding with
a nerve jangling flute kind of aspect and vocal samples, which kind of soften
things a little. KJ goes all in on this one, in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way
with unapologetic and no punches pulled vocals that will probably have you
laughing out loud, unless you have some reservations over the content, it’s
definitely not for kids by the way. KJ says he don’t battle anymore but, with
wordplay like this any battle would quickly descend into chaotic scenes with
everyone falling about laughing. Before we realise it we are already at the
penultimate track of the album, Marmyte. More deep bass guitar vibes and
a pulse pounding beat gets your head nodding to this one from the get-go. Here,
KJ mixes Hip Hop braggadocio with just fun kind of wordplay, and just like a
certain food stuff with a similar name, you are gonna love it or hate it. For
me, I love it personally, just like that certain food stuff. So, just listen to
this one and enjoy it with a smile. The final track of the album is Monster,
which hits with another head nod vibe alongside an electronic vibe that puts
you in mind of some weird lab where a crazed doctor creates a monster. This on
sees KJ take us into the mind of both the creator and the monster, using
distorted vocals for the monster. It takes us on crazed journey from the creation of the monster, its rampage, and then the
final meeting with its creator…
There is a lot to like about You Got No Fans, because
KJ had moved away from the boom bap sound and had dipped more into LoFi sounds
with deeper story telling vibes, but here he takes himself back to a more solid
Hip Hop sound, although elements of the LoFi sound can be heard creeping in
here too. KJ also brings together two incredibly important elements of Hip Hop
music as the album is kind of two thirds just for fun and Hip Hop braggadocio,
and one third deeply personal and relevant storytelling that gives you much to
think about. Incorporating these two aspects was something that I felt worked
so well. Having deeply personal and relatable content is always something that
makes for quality Hip Hop music and keeps this relevant, relatable, and
authentic for the listener. But once in a while it is good to listen to Hip Hop
that has a fun and uplifting edge which makes you smile as much as you enjoy
listening to it, which also means you don’t have to give it too much thought,
and there is nothing wrong with that either. We all need a little break from
reality every now and then.
You Got No Fans is a quality self-produced album
which gives us plenty of slick wordplay, whether it is making us smile, which the appearance of The Wealdstone Raider certainly does, or
making us think. KJ shows us that he is more than able to switch things up both
in his production and in his delivery and flows. The outcome is a ten track
album that really needs little in the way of words from me to tell you what it
is all about, even though I have done just that. What this album really needs
is for you to give it a listen and enjoy it. I do feel that, although this one
is primarily Hip Hop at heart, it has enough additional influences as to make
it highly listenable to a lot of people.
So, a huge happy one year anniversary to You Got No Fans
and a huge thanks to KJ for giving me the chance to bring this one to you.
On that note,
I’ll catch ya next time.
Steve.
LINKS
Check this one link for the Album and all things KJ:
VIDEOS
You Got No Fans ft The Wealdstone Raider
No comments:
Post a Comment