Let's Talk
J. Williams | Riverside, CA | 04/04/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Karl possesses a certain Intelligence that is rarely seen in Hip-Hop. Not that there aren't other "smart" emcees out there. But, Karl doesn't get spacey and scientific on us like let's say, Canibus. Without really listening, the first impression one might get of HK is he's pretty dumb. Lots of punchlines and metaphores make up his style. I'm sure people could argue all day about his voice, which I happen to not mind. But, I really find him to have a great flow. His intelligence is very low-key. He makes references to all kinds of things you probably won't catch on the first listen. I'm a huge fan of battle rappers, and while not as fierce as Chino-XL, HK really holds his own, and on a level unlike any other rapper. He's not hardcore (I'm going to kill you) he's white, goofy and proud of it. And for some reason, two of his biggest lyrical targets are Queen Latifah & Tyrese. Don't ask cos I don't know, but his punchlines make me laugh. The album starts with "Let's Talk" an old track, which was supposed to be on his Interscope debuet. Absolutely one of the best tracks I've heard in years. And not just because one of my biggest influences in Serch is on it. The concept is kind of played out, but the story telling, and song just work. Serch has skills, and no issues with being an ass. This is the best back and forth conversation song ever maybe. "Home Sweet Home" is pulled off his scraped debuet too. I've heard the song in 3 forms, all sounding totally different. This one's alright but either of the other 2 versions would have been much better. Some of the beats here I ain't feeling, and some of the old tracks should have been included on here. HK carries the album threw with his humor and wit on the mic. There's a reason he won 8'oclock battles for like 44 nights straight, he has massive presence on the m-i-c. This album could have been a lot better, but it's good to see HK doing his thing. I hope he never stops emceeing, we don't have anyone like him out. He's nerdy, without all the text book big word rhymes."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1