Customer Reviews

Typical Cats

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Spawned from a Chicago radio station, the Typical Cats: denizen kane, Qwel, Quazzar, Natural, Kid Knish met -- forming like Voltron. From this album's intro which features the vocals of Emily Chang (denizen kane's fellow 2 Tongues member) to the crew's finale in, "Thin Red Line", they come together perfectly.. with Dennis aka, denizen kane formin' the head. Not only does he provide the listener with a hint of his poetic abilites, but he also comes through on guitars, "What You Thought Hops" -- the same guitar reprise used in the intro, but who cares, it works.

You like jazzed out piano loops? Here you'll find some of the illest, piano laden intrumentals as the case is in, "Snake Oil". You want cuts? Well you are in luck because apparently he album's producers, DJ Natural and Kid Kinsh do that too. On the albums primarily jazzy feel, former Blaze Battle contestant, Qwel, shows us how he rips it in, "Qwelloquiallisms". Meanwhile, Qwazaar comes off like a Chi-Town version of Rawkus Record's, Pharoahe Monch. But as I previously stated, if these cats were really Voltron, it'd be denizen formin' the head. In, "Snake Oil" his talent in spoken word becomes handy, where his delivery seemingly make his lines mesh perfectly with the tweedling piano in the background. In, "What you Thought Hops", denizen kane dispels all his critics, showing that no one will come between him and his love of poetry while at the same time comments on a prevalent issue afficting his community. "Are the 2 worlds I reside in, a high yellow phantasm/ of a undiscovered future, I am/ to bridge the chasm between my mother's memory and my hazy present I/ so new languages outta the srcraps of my hand me down clothes..." later he spits, "...I can weave a family out the scarlet of the sin/ and write the world in which my seed will be at ease inside his own skin". Denizen, a socio-political activist in real life, realizes that music is not just a form of entertainment. Understanding this alone places him among the likes of Saul Williams, Mos and Chicago's very own Common Sense.

Upon buying Typical Cats, I had no idea what to expect from this crew of four that created this album while getting blunted *one* summer. That must've been some good ganja because I'm lookin' forward to hearing more of em. It ain't just the herb talking though, because from start to finish each member's skills come through crystal clear, only proving that their name: Typical Cats is really the antithesis of their skill the hip hop game.

Favorites: Snake Oil - Take a Number - Cliche - Thin Red Line

Similar/Realated Artists: I Was Born With 2 Tonuges - Scam Artists - Ugly Duckling

This is a really amazing CD. I recommend it to people who think they don't like rap music. It incorporates spoken word poetry and hip hop beats in a complex fashion. The rhyme structure is often very elaborate and sophisticated. At many points there is a profundity to the music which may surprise people unfamiliar with underground rap, who associate the genre with the commercial product. I look forward to hearing more from Typical Cats.

With DJ Natural supplying the certified headnodders, these three titillating emcees each bring signature styles of lyrical delivery to the table.

Qwel - the introspective battle rhymer. How ill is that?

Qwazaar - a whirlwind baritone pulling syllables from every orifice. Completely KILLS the mic each time with cadence and charisma.

Denizen Kane - my favorite of the three. Poetic, passionate, and personal. Indelibly leaves his footprints on your conscience while saving some of his cryptic poetry esoteric enough for you to decipher later and still appreciate it.

Thin Red Line is the joint!

Stop looking. Buy this CD already.

the new typical cats cd is being released on october 26 2004. ive heard samples of the songs and this is gonna be a great record. deffinetly get that when it comes out. everybody should own every typical cats cd and all the solo albums. the 3 qwel cds and 1 denizen kane cd are available on amazon. as for the qwazaar cd, walk thru walls, you can get it off ebay for 15 bucks. the new typical cats cd hasnt shown up on amazon yet but its on www.galapagos4.com. everyone get that ish! all 6 cds including this one!

this is one of the best hip hop albums i have ever heard . My favorite artists include ; aesop rock , prefuse 73 , quasimoto , lootpack , anti pop consortium , swollen members , high and mighty .... so if you like most of those artists you will really dig on typical cats , it seems to have found that perfect balance between a raw and a well produced album . oh , and a love for jazz music is a must . i hope they make much more music to come . " read /my /lips/ kid the typical cat is sickest/ if you /think /not /redefine what your definition of is is "

A beautiful hip-hop opus that flows with poetry. It's not your typical rap album. It touches you with the flawless flow of three distinctly different MCs over subtle horns, classic piano notes, and scratch choruses. The CD cyclones through social issues, such as the dehumanizing treatment of women (one tight line: "the thin line between pedestal and auction block"), and the personal feelings and believes ("Any Day" is a moving track.) This is also a very poetic cd. One of the MCs, Denizen Kane, explodes with a great spoken word poem/song called "What you thought hops."

This is a beautiful underground hip-hop gem. Listen to it with your hips.

I've heard many hip-hop artists but as of now, none can match up to the sheer lyricsism (is that even a word?) of these cats. From Chicago, the capital of blues and new hip hop, these cats rip on every song on this record. With jazz bebop riffs under insane punchlines, these cats ushered a classic album which will be hard to beat.

(ANY DAY)BY T-P POETRY..IS AWESOME..LOVE THE LYRICS..THIS IS WHAT A CALL HIP-HOP..NOT THOSE ON TV..WITH GIRLS ALL OVER..I MEAN WHATS THE POINT..OKAY, THERE'S HOT GIRLS DANCING ALL AROUND..BIG DEAL...AS FOR THIS (UNDER GROUND HIP -HOP I CALLED IT)SOUNDS MORE LIKE REAL HIP-HOP.....ENJOOY

Perhaps the best underground album ever made. Every song from start to finish is worth listening. definitely puts chicago hip hop back on top.

I have nothing bad to say about this CD. Every track has so much to offer from the music to the lyrics. Each beat has a nice mix of jazz, blues, and classical music combined with hip-hop beats that bring it all together. On every track the lyrics are so fluid and meaningful there's no way you can't feel this music. I personally love this CD and Typical Cats. If you love music, poetry, hip-hop, and art this CD is for you