14KT

Stalwart producer and former Red Bull Big Tune champ 14KT felt so compelled share his feelings regarding .ZIP file bandit music fans, stingy label execs and beat-snatching MCs that he stepped to the mic to bang out one of the most compelling vocal cuts of his largely instrumental new album, Nickel & Dimed. From that opening foray onwards, the Michigan native makes an excellent case for the support of those chastised takers, flexing an acute propensity for reshaping samples and sturdy beat construction on an adventurous series of grooves that continue to build right through to the last note. The album runs the stylistic gamut, from neck-snapping boom-bap and Dilla-referencing, soul-rooted beat flips to trap touches and even a hint of G-funk, though cohesion is maintained via busy percussive inflections, shimmering synths and a wealth of spacey sounds spread across the set. The record winds down with 14KT inviting a handful of choice MCs to tackle some of the earlier instrumentals, but few of these tracks manage to top the impact of the originals, and could easily be lopped off to make this record the tight, complete package it should be.