The aforementioned song, Convocation, is tracklisted at number 2 on the project and follows a 30 second intro where friend, manager, and basically rap-renaissance man, Matthew Trammell, sets the stage for Kardi to metaphorically tear down. With a smooth set of soundbytes floating by in the background, emphatic and eye-raising rhymes are carefully but recklessly thrown around. He plots out his moves and lines, but could probably care less if you agree. It'd be nearly impossible for anyone to not be intrigued enough to play more after an opener of that caliber, so let us proceed.
Don't Leave is a serious, humble, and somewhat sad song that sounds like Kardi wrote on a dark, rainy day alone his room at 3 in the morning. Reminiscing over a past relationship and re-routing the steps he took in deciding whether to stay with or leave his girl and if he ended up making the right decision. This track adds a versatile dimension to the piece of work, rounding it out more. It shows a different and more humble side to Kardi that is interesting to see. A side that would be nice to see a little more often on future projects, regardless of how good his more arrogant songs may be.
Sonically, my favorite part of the album is when the drums drop on Badd. It's difficult to even describe that in words, but if you don't start nodding your head or tapping your foot after hearing that then I don't even know what to say. In general, the production throughout is very well put together and different. Not to mention that Kardi produced three of the tracks himself, with the rest of the beats being done in-house by mostly Thiz aka Matthew Trammell (what part of rap-rennaisance man did you not understand), with the addition of one track done by Dru Classic.
On Black Ferris Bueller, Kardi says "this'll probably be the track you cue up, to tell your friends that you knew about me before I blew up." Well, I have to disagree with him there. The track he should instead be referring to with that statement is the dream-chaser anthem that is entitled Busy. With bar after bar of quotables on the dedication to his craft and being too busy chasing his dreams, this is easily one of the best songs on the project.
The album consists of 10 songs, which includes two interludes and a bonus track. While at first I felt it was a bit short, after I let it digest for a little bit I realized it all actually syncs together pretty perfectly. Of course I want to hear more from him, but this project really isn't missing much. Not saying it's perfect, but it's a great compilation.
At such a young age of 18, and writing this project at 17, the future for Kardi is clearer than the skies on a sunny day. Somewhere between his daring delivery, whimsical wordplay, and youthful determination - a star is waiting to rise. You can hear it in his voice already, as he rhymes so effortlessly and with such skill that it seems like he was born to do this. As he himself remarked recently, the New York hip hop scene is very weak right now and for the taking. If he keeps it up, the crown is as good as his.
Download The Valedictorian compilation HERE
This is the second Musical Review that I've posted and although I want to try to incorporate
my love for music more into the site, these reviews will only come every so often.
If you missed the first one back in January
(of Casey Veggies' "Sleeping In Class")
then click here.