In the summer of ’08, you couldn’t step into my car without being deafened by “Drivin’ Down The Block.” With The In Crowd, Kidz In The Hall showed you could pay homage to 90’s classics without dick-riding, and that you could kick relatable flows without being Drake (softer than marshmallows). How else do you get signed to Duck Down? Occasion flexes impressive range, percolating suave pop ambitions (“That Good”), dusted soul (“She’s Smokin”), and the multi-layered, bass-heavy, trunk-rattlers of its predecessor (“Real Life”) with equal grace. Look no further than the title track for evidence of all three wrapped tightly into one.
Lead single, “Break It Down,” is an instant reminder of why these dudes bubbled a few years back. Double-O’s production is progressive boom-bap at its finest – crushing drums, electric guitar and synth loops, and a Buckshot vocal bite all wed in neck-snapping bliss. Naledge keeps it valedictorian (true story) with his, spitting witticisms like, “Hell no, I’m not a moron, I ain’t contradict, let that metaphor stick like a plate of cheese grits.” Pressed for a reference, the kid is more Pusha-T than Yeezy and his precision is showcased in gritty glory over the ominously propulsive “Crash Dummy” (feat. Killa Klyeon) and the blunted organs of the Freddie Gibbs assisted “Player Of The Century.”
Overall, Occasion boasts a myriad of sounds and heads may gravitate more toward certain lanes than others but, with nary a weak track, Kidz In The Hall keep it game tight and deliver a dope-ass record.