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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Triversityle
Tha Nu Facez of Hip Hop
(King III Records)
By Caroline Collier
Triversityle promotes its good intentions by giving its 17-minutes-long debut, The Nu Facez of Hip-Hop, a G-rating. General audiences can indeed appreciate the group’s smooth diction and positivist take on how to handle life in the rap game. Not that the Fort Worth duo is in any way soft. The booming bass beats and blaring horns at times conjure up the rap styles that propagate gang fights and thug life.
Vocalists Angelico McKinney and Alfred Bibbs spend most of their brief time explaining why they feel compelled to preach such an optimistic brand of urban gospel. The answer: L-O-V-E. Following a pomp-and-circumstance intro in which famous Brooklynite DJ Sizzahands shouts out to McKinney and Bibbs, the first track — “Do Yo Thang” — serves as the duo’s anthem and artistic statement: “We’re going to rep our city and show our fans some love.”
McKinney’s and Bibbs’ deliveries are mellow, dovetailing nicely with the sparse yet slick instrumentation. In each of the eight songs, a single musical element is allowed to shine alongside the rappers’ call-and-response vocals. On “Haters,” for example, a sultry, ‘70s-style bassline takes prominence, and it brings some levity to the serious subject matter of forgiving an enemy.
Triversityle has the advantage of looking back over the evolution of rap and hip-hop and does a good job of incorporating a multitude of styles into something distinctive. A smooth, spoken-word R&B number gives way to “Funkytown Anthem,” a minimalist dollop of street science in which the two locals tout the blessings of living in a diverse city like Fort Worth.
As a whole, The Nu Facez of Hip-Hop flows seamlessly from beginning to end and is as entertaining as it is enlightening.
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