Kabir
Cultural Confusion
Uncle Trouble
Lately, I’ve been saying that if one is the child of genius, s/he needs to stay the hell away from whatever field in which that genius thrived. They will only disappoint. Think about Julian, Ziggy, or Femi. And could you imagine the stress Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi’s kid will have the first moment it steps onto the tennis court? So, what do you do if your father just happens to be Nobel Prize-winning economist, Amartya Sen? Well, following my logic… you’d have to become a hard-ass underground MC.
Of course.
Born in London, now roaming Boston’s hip-hop scene, Kabir really brings it. Taking a little time off from his funk/jazz band, Uncle Trouble, the man delivers a straight-up joint that will rock your speakers and massage your brain with his powerful message. One listen will let you know why Kabir’s appeared on stage with the likes of The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, and Pharcyde. He’s got a nice flow with more than a bubble-gum message and is not afraid to freestyle (“Deficiency Disease”). And his using musicians from The Miracle Orchestra gives the album a nice, organic feel (just listen to the jazz jam, “Peace”). The title track and “Kabir’s Critical Rhyme Inspection” tell us that Kabir’s an MC who needs to be taken seriously. And you’ll be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t listen to the reggae groove, “Cycles Of Sound.”
Personally, I love Amartya Sen, but as a hip-hop fan, I’m glad Kabir has left the economist alone. It will be interesting to see just how far he goes.
Kabir: http://www.mckabir.com, http://www.culturalconfusion.com
