BIG KIDD – Singles

Music Reviews
Jer@SBS
October 23, 2018
0

BIG KIDD – Singles Review

You know it’s crazy the perspective you can get on other parts of the world through music over time. Ever since the early days of Silverchair and Something For Kate I’ve always looked forward to tunes from Australia…over the years to follow, I’d find amazing stuff in the independent scene like Smoking Martha, Colorstarr, Evoletah…the list could go on and on I’m sure. But what’s always made the experience interacting with Australia unique is that, perhaps with the exception of the grim realities Silverchair used to scream about, all these other bands I know of sure make it seem like a friendly place to go.

And then I listen to the enormous back alley beats and rage of BIG KIDD on the mic out of Perth, and I realize that if I do end up going there one day, I better make sure I know where the hell that plane is gonna land and what that specific part of Australia is like – because wherever it is he’s comin’ from, it sure sounds freakin’ rough yo. And by rough I mean like, rough for the rest of the city of Perth obviously – because you can’t contain a beast like this and he’s bound to wreak havoc on sixteens everywhere, leaving the carnage of studios & stages in a state of rubble behind him as he stomps on to the next village. BIG KIDD sounds large and in-charge at all times…I sure as hell wouldn’t cross him if I were you.

We last checked in on him in August, we’ve got four new cuts in the mix today, let’s do this thang…

Alright…so I started with a track from ARDOFY called “Life That I Chose” which features BIG KIDD as a guest-star on the bars for the second verse. Lots of things going right on this for sure – I got love for this whole track when it comes right down to it; there’s no doubt it probably needs a slight remix to battle that massive low-end and give the majority of speakers a chance to handle it – BUT…as an idea, this is killer. ARDOFY starts this off with style and swagger, trappin’ it up as “Life That I Chose” brings you into the dank atmosphere…dude sounds solid, spits with precision…no issues there. The contrast of styles of these two emcees works wonders once that hand-off of the mic occurs – that’s the magic on “Life That I Chose” – let me explain. Ain’t no doubt that you’d already be digging the flow from ARDOFY…and it sets your ears up to be ready for that chilled style & approach he takes to the mic…that’s what you feel like you’d be in-store for as a listener. And then in like, true Jekyll-to-Hyde fashion, or perhaps more like Bruce Banner turning into the damn Hulk – the personality switch on the mic is fucking epic and a straight shock to the system when you hear it for the first time. BIG KIDD comes out sounding more savage than ever, ready to rip the entire world a new asshole. You’re just not prepared for it after the smooth flow & sound from ARDOFY trappin’ – BIG KIDD comes in at like 1:25-ish, and he detonates instantly, bringing more heat, fire, and all-out explosiveness to his moment on the m-i-c. I mean…this is how you do it y’all…someone asks you to come out & be a guest-star on their cut, you better bring the best you got right? ARDOFY has gotta be stoked about this decision – BIG KIDD takes these bars and slams this cut closed decisively, getting more & more amped-up and intense as he continues on. Like, to a damn near scary pinnacle at the end, where you think his rage is gonna blow a hole through the screen in front of you while you’re YouTubin’ this cut. Bottom line is, performance is key, ideas are key – “Life That I Chose” might be built on some wild & raunchy lyrics, but everything is tightly focused and really works here. Strong enough to warrant that remix it deserves to strap that low-end under the red line.

So…you can take away from “Life That I Chose” and the bars BIG KIDD spits that the man indeed, fucks. Dude fucks hard, fights hard, rhymes hard, he’ll one day even die hard I’d imagine, if he doesn’t somehow live on forever, which he just might; dude’s a giant and likely consumes the souls of regular sized mammals like myself just for fun. On the second track I checked out, called “MS,” the man gets a bit more personal and lets you in to see a glimpse of what his life is like behind the scenes. I’ll say this, for the short less-than ninety-second track that it is, “MS” makes a massive impact; or at least it did for me, I always dig it when you get to know an artist on a real level like this. BIG KIDD makes his case for why he does what he does without going into the grim or possibly even gory details; he ain’t necessarily proud of it, but when life backs you into a corner, you do what you gotta do to make shit happen right? So no judgments here (I mean, again, I’m NOT gonna be the one to cross him, you can argue with him if ya like, help yourself…and then if I were you I’d run) – to me, what the man is saying makes sense and even though I haven’t lived that life myself, I get where he’s coming from. PLUS…and this is where things get really incredible…you’ll get to both hear about in the song AND see in the video…that BIG KIDD might have the ability to be mean and throw-down when the moment calls for it, but the man DOES have a BIG heart beating behind the wall of tattoos covering his chest as well. I’m not saying you should get carried away here…I don’t think BIG KIDD is sparing no fucks on you personally – but if you’re his dog, you’re probably living a really damn good life. This guy loves his dog as much as John Wick does…or did…you get the idea – don’t fuckin touch this guy’s dog alright? Dude’s just trying to provide a good life for his furry homie…ain’t no one out there that should be fucking with that. BIG KIDD makes mincemeat out of the mic once again as he tears into this personal tale of the struggles he goes through in the grind just to stay afloat…and ultimately, how this affects him on multiple levels. Definitely sounds like shit weighs hard on him…which, is kinda crappy too – this guy’s talented, he should be rappin full-time and makin’ his dough that way. But I suppose if there’s a tougher grind out there than daily life is already, it’s trying to find your way to stardom in the music-scene of the modern-day era, no bullshit.

What’s most important beyond all things when it comes to WHY you’d wanna listen to BIG KIDD is cause this dude seriously commits in jaw-dropping ways. He’s like the wildness of ONYX with the grit & anger of Eminem combined, which creates a massively addictive energy in BIG KIDD that’s like a live wire – might look cool, might even sound awesome – but ya don’t wanna be touchin’ this guy when he’s layin’ down his bars, lest you get a full-on punch to the dome to remind ya to sit down for a while, feel me? “KIDD is so grimy,” as he’ll tell ya himself on “Bout It” – his words, not mine – but truth as far as I can tell. For real though – listen to the on-point energy that he brings to the mic, not just on this cut, but all of them – BIG KIDD always brings his A-game and sounds like studios five towns away from Perth would pick up his voice with the enormous amount of rage and sonic fury this guy spits on a sixteen. “Bout It” is a firm reminder that the boss stays the boss…BIG KIDD is top dog of the yard and he ain’t gonna soften up a second to let you think anything otherwise. Lyrically, he’s slapping emcees and making a strong case for why you probably don’t wanna be talkin’ shit about BIG KIDD…unless you’re wearing your brown pants and ready for the aftermath that is. I’m starting to think there’s something to this 90-second magic this emcee is workin’ with though when it comes to track length…you get just enough to really want more of what you heard; whether that’s because you wanna hear him bring it to the mic full-force for the millionth time, or if you gotta go back to catch a genuine moment of ‘did he just say that?’ – you’ll wanna return to what BIG KIDD creates if you dig his vibe…guy’s got authentic identity on the mic. But I’ll settle the debate for ya…he probably DID ‘just say that’ – whatever you think it was, he probably went there more than willingly. BIG KIDD is always ready to lay it all out verbally or throw-down physically. It’s your choice homies…and either way you choose, it really ain’t looking good for ya – you’ll probably get dropped stone cold, cause BIG KIDD is “Bout It” and you clearly just ain’t, you dig?

On the real, he knows that the style of aggression and, let’s say, straightforward method he has of ummm, putting things…it does have limitations in terms of the audience that he’s going to be able to reach, that’s just the reality…he knows that. Bottom line on all that is that there are more than enough people that will recognize the moves he’s making on the mic as the art it truly is – he might sound heated, he might even be yellin’ at ya straight through the speakers sometimes – but he’s got perspective, identity, and ultimately, a seriously recognizable style you could pick out of a lineup. Whether that’s a lineup of songs or a lineup down at the cop shop is going to be up to BIG KIDD…whatever he’s up to in “MS” has gotta somehow morph into a professional music career…he really spits with impressive conviction and makes a memorable impact you won’t likely soon forget. The slight twist he puts on “Drunk Love” takes him into more accessible territory – he’s working with undeniable hooks built into the chorus, beat, rhythm & vibe of this final track, but he’s definitely bringing his own as well. Again, listen to the way this guy performs and how he lays these words out – he’s moving rapidly, which is awesome yes, but it’s also about the fact that he still has more than enough time to put the perfect energy, aggression, mood, or tone to his voice that will complement the whole vibe. “Drunk Love” is a wild tale of drink-filled debauchery and mayhem, trying to navigate the course of life & love with a ton of alcohol right in the middle of it all…which…based on the results of everything BIG KIDD is rappin’ about…maybe wasn’t the best call to make when sorting things out. Y’all know how it goes though…couple drinks in and things are goin’ real well…then all of a sudden they ain’t; the scenes BIG KIDD will describe are about as hard as things can get out there and telling this tale from that first person perspective makes it almost all too easy to believe these scenes are real…which is kinda scary really. “Drunk Love” or sober love, there’s some lines that can’t be crossed and like it or not, BIG KIDD goes right over the line in this scenario and into a scene that’s bound to make more than a few of you uncomfortable out there. But that’s BIG KIDD for ya…he ain’t afraid to be uncomfortable – that’s his life…in the trenches, in the streets, survivin’ and grindin’ and tryin’ to find his way, twisted as the road may be. On the surface, “Drunk Love” will easily snag the attention of ears out there…it’s got a stunning mix and spectacular hooks from the verse to the chorus, music to the vocals…it’s all there and people will definitely find their way into this one a lot quicker than the other three by comparison for sure in terms of the masses. But be warned…underneath that surface, this tune gets real dark; and because BIG KIDD keeps it so damn real when he spits a rhyme out – “Drunk Love” will fuckin’ haunt you later on.