Can I Keep This Pen?

Northern State | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 28, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ipecac Recordings
• ASIN: B000T4SXCE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,330 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These super-white chicks can rap!, November 17, 2007

By 

Scott J. DuBar (Charlottesville, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Can I Keep This Pen? (Audio CD)

Musically, I liked NS right away but it took awhile for me to aclimate myself to their style of rapping. Eventually the music won me over and I bought the cd. I know they hate being compared to the Beastie Boys, but I'd say they sound like a cross between them and the Go-Go's.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars best female hip hop artists, March 21, 2009

By 

Nancy A. Nickle - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Can I Keep This Pen? (Audio CD)

These three women are probably the most talented hip hop artists out there right now. Their lyrics are incredible, and they write all their own stuff. The drum beats are really tight. They do everything on their own: set up their own stage, sell their own merch, get their own gigs. I am totally impressed by these talented women. Buy this CD, if you like women's group, and or hip hop music, you will not be disappointed at all. They are very underrated.

Nancy Nickle
Catz Go Round Records, LLC

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Hip-Hop from the Long Island Crew, February 12, 2008

By 

Hype Currie "scholar of pop culture" (Detroit, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Can I Keep This Pen? (Audio CD)

"Can I Borrow This Pen?" is the third album from Long Island-based hip hop trio Northern State. Spero, Hesta Prynn and Sprout kick rhymes with a throwback 1980's style cadence, about the standard subjects of dissing sucker MCs who come their way, but they also kick game about romance and touch on social commentary from a woman's point of view.

The group is largely self-produced, though Beastie Boy King Ad-Rock contributes beats for two songs. The music is mainly heavy on beats and bass, with some rock guitars thrown in here and there; on a few songs the ladies do some straight-up singing, but here it makes sense instead of sounding out of place.

There is a shameful dearth of female performers in hip-hop, let alone female-centered groups in the genre. Northern State hold it down for Golden Age standards, when lady rappers didn't have to be gangster-chicks to get respect on the mic.

Unfortunately, "alternative rap" and most genre artists from the indie world tend to get zero airplay on urban radio; it would be wonderful if songs from this album were pushed on hip-hop radio, as more diversity (thematic, gender, and, yes, racial) in playlists is desperately needed.