Customer Reviews

Kilo

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My knowledge of Hip-Hop is far from a scholarly and my passion for it has always been specific to certain people. Whether it was Public Enemy and early Ice-T toward the beginning, Lauryn Hill with and without The Fugees, or Eminem and Outkast in more recent times, my ears always stay with people who enrich the style and had something significant to say.

This is not to say that there have not been many others like them, which I simply lack enough knowledge of, nor the fact that I can absolutely expect and dig great grooves and some serious Funk. Now, you can add Orishas to my list of stunning Rap/Hip-Hop, and I strongly urge that you add them to your list. These guys combine powerful words and an impressive breadth of musical influences to create a sound that has achieved a new peak with El Kilo, their third album.

A little bio about these guys: they are Cuban, residing in France, and a trio since their second album, Emigrante, which was criticized by some or the absence of Flaco-Pro--an original member who departed after their debut "A Lo Cubano."

Yet I don't expect anyone to miss their fourth member after listening to El Kilo.
If you, like me, appreciate the richness of R&B and Soul references that Outkast's Andre and Big Boi brought to their music -to the point of creating such distinct new sound- you will find a similar and deep pleasure with the Orishas' generous inclusion of Latin rhythms.

Please be clear, this is no sampling of the Miami Sound machine or Ricky Martin Disney-approach to Salsa. What you will find is plenty of great "old school" Rumba, Son and Guajira, reminiscent of the glorious Buena Vista Social Club recordings.
The rapping and singing are also astounding, sensual and smooth at times, and nothing less than chant-like in others, the Orishas rock and sway with the best of them.

Great cuts abound. Particularly, the "Naci Orishas," "Distinto," "El Kilo," and "Stress," all of which are prime examples of their rapping/singing skills and of the remarkable band backing them up, specially the horns, bass and percussion.
The rest of the songs don't fall far behind, for example "Amor Al Arte" and "Al Que Le Guste," plus -at least in the Spain CD edition as track #15- you get the powerful chant and message of Zone Internationale, featuring the French rapper Rohff.

All in all, these are some the best sounds to groove to all year long, and a certain inclusion on my "best of 05" music list.

Hip-Hop not only has been here to stay, for long enough to have everyone notice, but it can; be stopped to speak new languages.

I guess I am among the minority in thinking that these guys know exactly what they are doing & they are progressing quite deliberately with each album. I acknowledge that it is an unpopular belief that Emigrante (their second release) is indeed a progression & a step in the right direction. As impressive as 'A lo Cubano' is, it is still their first record and as any creatively strong project, they learned from their mistakes early on & decided not to depend on the guaranteed formula of their first success. Indeed, they lost one of their MC's between album one & two but the fact remains that (in my humble musical opinion) the absolute & undeniably strongest musical force in this ensemble is without a doubt: Roldán. His mastery over melody, harmony & over all musical sensibility to give a song the absolute hook, is unrivaled in ANY hip-hop SINCE 2-Pac, and that is a bold statement my friends. This new effort from the trio is absolutely on point & a creative continuation from Emigrante, just as that one was from its predecessor, regardless of the knee-jerk reaction most fans & critics had to it because it was missing an original member and because it wasn't a carbon copy of the first release. Again, as an artist you are damned if you do/damned if you dont, if you repeat what you did before you are being safe, if you grow, you are losing your way, how do you win that battle? There has been absolutely NOTHING missing, melodically, lyrically, musically, beat-wise, hook wise or production-wise since the first album regardless of any absence in personell. These guys are still at the very forefront of ANY hip-hop, it just so happens that they are Cuban & incorporate masterfully & very melodically some of the sweetest aspects of Afro-Cuban music (Batá, Son, Guaguancó, Son Montuno) into R&B tinged Hip Hop. This new album proves that they are right where they need to be musically & lyrically. The soul, funk & R&B influences are more evident in this effort, but the fact remains: these guys are at the Top of their Game. This is Hip Hop at its finest, regardless of language, influence or commercial outlook. Mainstream hip hop could learn a few lessons from any and all of their releases. A Lo Cubano is a great record, but so is Emigrante if you let it live its own life without comparison, El Kilo exists upon the exact same principles: progression, progression, progression...life is evolution & growth, the sooner we acknowledge it, the better we'll understand each other as artists & as human beings. Paz, Amor y Música...

This album makes my heart shake!!! I can feel it in my blood! I have always been a fan of Orishas (since A lo Cubano), and so far I consider this album a huge growth of the trio, The combination of Hip-Hop and Cuban, old time Cuban, latin flavor and modern sounds is sensational. There is nothing better that music that can be felt in the stomach, in the soul... The kind of music you can turn on as loud as you can and still sounds perfect! Love the voice colors, and the lyrics, that are indeed very sentimental when it comes to understanding just a tiny bit of the Cuban situation, their lifestyle, their swing and the Cuban Groove. This is a wonderful tribute to their culture because it has added on to it in a very positive modern way.
I don't really care what savvy musicians can say, with the little knowledge I have, I feel that the harmony is beautiful and powerful, Is amzing how even some songs are a bit on the sad side, they still make you happy and make you look forward to the next... as one of the songs says, Always looking forward to their next step.

All I can say is wow!! My introduction to these guys was last summer with their album A Lo Cubano and I was hooked. Great beats, wonderful vocals, nice flow, and infectious Cuban melodies! I couldn't listen to the album enough. So of course I was pretty excited to get their latest and let me tell you, it does not dissapoint. The music makes me want to move and puts a big smile on my face. Even the slower tracks are heartfelt and do me right. El Kilo just shows that these guys are on fire and I look forward to more from them. I would LOVE to see them live.

3 albums & these guys have not yet disappointed me ONCE!!! "El Kilo" is a great album! Each one of their albums is different, yet they manage to maintain their sound consistant, distinct & at the same time fresh! Once again I am taken away by Roldan's voice, it's so reminiscent of that ol' school Cuban sound....I LOVE IT!!! My favorite tracks on the album are "Naci Orishas", "Distinto", "Kilo", "Bombo", "Al Que le Guste", "Amor Al Arte", "Tumbando y Dando", "Vacuna"....I could just keep on going, because EVERY song on this album is good...the entire album is FIYAH!!! I highly recommend "El Kilo"!!!! :)

Tercera entrega de este grupo de hip hop cubano. Musicalmente su mejor esfuerzo pero sin llegar al virtuosismo. No obstante y a pesar del gran esfuerzo, las percusiones no llegan a cuajar como en "A lo cubano" donde Anga Diaz hacia gala de su arte. Ademas, definitivamente, insisto en que la ausencia de Flaco Pro le resta flow a la lirica, cuestion que Orishas (por la fama alcanzada) nunca podra dejar de agradecer a este cuarto miembro ausente. (Notese en una de las fotos interiores del CD la aparicion de una sombra en la pared como acompañando a los otros 3 Orishas: el cuarto miembro que no se pueden sacudir).

Third delivery of this Cuban group of hip hop. Musically its better effort but without reaching virtuosity. Despite and in spite of the concerted effort, the percussions do not get to materialize like in "A lo Cubano" where Anga Diaz towards finery of its art. Also, definitively, I insist on which the absence of Flaco Pro reduces flow to the lirics, something that Orishas (by the reached fame) could never be thankful enough to this fourth absent member. (See in one of the inner photos of the CD appearance of one shade in the wall like accompanying the other 3 Orishas: the fourth member that cannot be shaken).

These guys defy easy categorization. Yeah, they're hip-hop, but they're also fluid and the harmonies and instrumentation are gorgeous. And their political chops are definitely on target. They remind me of a more sophisticated Ozomatli, which aint a bad thing! Just goes to show...the French can gripe all they want about immigrants, but if musicians like Orishas weren't residing in Paris, the French would still be stuck with the worst music on the planet! I love every song on this CD, and I don't say that very often. Give it a try!

I was waiting anxiously for this release and it seemed like the release date got pushed back. I was in Spain in early March and picked up a copy. While I drove from town to town in my rented car I listened to this CD several times. My favorite track is the title track. Great background vocals. That's a big departure for Orishas. The two rappers are contributing a lot more in actually singing. The whole album is very melodic. The instrumentation is also much more robust than the two previous albums. I rate it up there with "A lo Cubano" and better the "Emigrante". By the way the copy I picked up at FNAC in Spain doesn't have the last track with Pitbull. I guess it wasn't ready for the early European release date. Enjoy this album. Every time I hear it now I think of the vast expanses of farmland I drove through in Spain and the small towns I passed and stayed at.

He sido fiel seguidora del trabajo de Orishas. Este es definitivamente mi album favorito ... distinto!

I've heard people claiming that Orishas never recouped after Flaco Pro left. Quite frankly his leaving was inconsequential to the group's future. The two power houses of this group are Roldan (as a reviewer Anonimo mentioned) and Ruzzo (who has to be the most talented rapper in the world right now.) Roldan definitely has Orishas vision in focus and Ruzzo has the ability to carry it out with Yotuel (both Yotuel and Ruzzo originated the group back in Cuba when it was known as Amenaza).

What is the vision of Orishas? To create a genuine Cuban rap/hip-hop style.

Their first album "A lo Cubano" gave a very heavy US rap feel with Cuban rhythms in the back ground, and let's face it, the first album was heavily influenced by the Puerto Rican rapper Vico C. Their next album, "Emigrantes," moved drastically away from "A lo Cubano" focusing more on Cuban melodies and harmonies and the US Rap was put in the background (this is why many find "Emigrantes" to be the most shocking of all the albums.) "El Kilo" is the perfect synthesis and culmination of the two previous albums. Cuban rhythms, melodies, and harmonies, are fused with US rap and hip-hop rhythms and the "Flow"--as it is called--is flawless. The first song in "El Kilo"--Naci Orishas--is the clearest example of this synthesis with Ruzzo and Yotuel rapping seamlessly between each other as Roldan sings in a traditional Son format. Naci Orishas set's the stage for the rest of the songs in "El Kilo," an album that gives an authentically Cuban style of hip-hop.