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Album Details

• Artist: Kaotik
• Album: The Awakening
• Label: unsigned
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: mark_morton on 2011-07-07

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From the first cut, you know you are in for something a little different from Kaotik. Although hip-hop is his forte, he explores the depths of human emotion through stark reality, as though he is fostering his own brand of catharsis. He speaks on real situations in visceral terms and emotes with genuine conviction, not from an outsider perspective.

Kaotik addresses his issues from the first-person, allowing the listener to peer into his world and share in his hardships. His songs are more centered on rhythm and music than a regurgitated (or ham-fisted) beat that most of your fly-by-night, here today gone tomorrow hip-hop stars cling to like a bible. And this is where having a musician like Kaotik is important not only to the continued relevance of the community but to its survival into the future. Too many "artists" sacrifice true artistry in lieu of a "phat beat."

Kaotik creates a bit of a Lyfe Jennings atmosphere in several of his songs, in that there is a great deal of autobiographical moroseness in his storytelling. However, for all of the weight of the "heavy" material, The Awakening is balanced by tracks like "Deeper," "No Sleep," and "Dreamer," which are very uplifting and bordering on spiritual, and you cannot help but be caught up in the groove of the ambiance.

Songwise, Kaotik blends a southern swagger with a New York conviction. There are songs like "High" and "King's Return" where he is tinkers with a blend of pop, R&B and hip-hop in the course of one track. While experimental, they have a mesmerizing freshness to them, where, if further explored, Kaotik could be on the cusp of developing a new genre.

Like all of the great (and potentially great) rappers, Kaotik draws strength and inspiration from his storied past. He is one of those rappers who makes us take stock in what we have done with our lives and count our blessings, urging us not to take any second of every day for granted.

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