Over the past three decades, the Baltimore-based producer, songwriter, rapper, and label owner Kilo M.O.E., has made a successful lane for himself in the underground hip-hop scene, fusing high-end instrumentals with both introspective and outspoken lyrics. Across the breezy runtime of his latest, and fifth album, “Ole Pierpoint”, Kilo M.O.E. takes on a harder-hitting set of instrumentals, delivering countless attitude-filled bars about the current state of the rap industry. Here he gives us an inside story of what really goes on behind the scenes on the matters of what artists and record labels do, including hostile takeovers, mergers, and acquisitions. Kilo likes to call the album an “extrospective” that forces people to look into the brutal reality and the hidden truth in it.
With only 5 tracks, superb production from Quality Bluu, minimal hooks, and no feature, Kilo M.O.E.’s flows and impacting rhyme schemes truly get a chance to shine. The artist and owner of O.M.G Entertainment, sounds hungrier than ever, and his deep, growled deliveries compliment the intense instrumentals extremely well. Opening up with “Dear Game”, which features a rabidly soulful hook, Kilo M.O.E. aims intimidating lines about his status and power at his antagonists, dropping shots directly at the state of the game.
Even more shots are thrown on “The Love”, and Kilo M.O.E. sounds just as threatening, as he launches an immaculate flow amongst his aggressive jabs. Those who are looking to hear Kilo’s technical skills and charisma on the mic will certainly have a field day here, while longtime fans will love bobbing their heads to the unpredictable rhyme schemes he brings to the table.
There is certainly an intentional push for Kilo M.O.E. to sound more hostile, and he absolutely does so on “Whole Man”. Kilo has a great way of expressing his views here, as he engages in lyrical gymnastics and manages to stick every landing. Kilo M.O.E. drenches his delivery with bravado because he believes what he’s saying, and maybe you should too. His confident delivery infuses these words with a tone so unapologetic that you have to respect it.
The cinematic “Hail Ceasre”, has a thick and sticky chamber choral vocal that somehow keeps the track weighed down and moving forward at the same time. It’s a clash of styles and sounds that creates an epic and thumping hip hop opera. You’d be hard-pressed to find another rap song like this one, which sounds uniquely rare, in both its construction and execution. There’s no way someone could listen to this track and not feel impacted by its originality.
Kilo M.O.E.’s flows on this album are easily its most consistent feature. His unique tone of voice combined with his gift for riding beats in the most unusual way make for a very pleasing listen. “Petty Petty” epitomizes this fact, as Kilo again resorts to an off-kilter flow, where you have no idea where he’s going to go next. By the end of this album, it is becomes clear that Kilo M.O.E. is a conceptual mastermind.
All throughout “Ole Pierpoint”, Maurice Jones, better known as Kilo M.O.E., displays a flair for entrenching himself in a theme and crafting his songs in a way that immerses the listener into his headspace. Metaphors and messages aside, Kilo M.O.E. sounds most in his bag when he’s able to showcase his top-tier penmanship.
The project carries with it a set of important lessons about the industry and its workings. All of which is delivered with fierce commentary and true feelings that deserve a round of applause.
OFFICIAL LINKS: WEBSITE – OMG ENTERTAINMENT – TWITTER – INSTAGRAM – FACEBOOK
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