Review: Cunninlynguists, The Fleece

Back for another round, the Kentucky trio overhaul the Fleece for a night of southern underground hip hop stylings. Since the release of their trailblazing debut album Will Rap for Food Lynguists Kno, Deacon and Natti have cultivated their distinct blend of husky swaggering country beats and conscious lyrical content. Chalking up a run of critically-acclaimed albums, they continue to ransack stages worldwide.

Launching the crowd down memory lane the Lynguists thunder into full effect with Since When, a crowd-mover loaded with the country flavour that underpins their heritage and sound. “Since when did the South get pinned in the drought?” demonstrating their steps to refine a style and skill deviant from the bass-centric sound and glamorous thug content that has erroneously become synonymous with the ‘Dirty South.’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA6jZ3h02RQ

With the DJ dropping in K.K.K.Y from the album Dirty Acres the stage dynamic of Natti and Deacon sets the venue alight. An effortless lyrical ability to meld and rebound on every track both resonating and complimenting each other’s individual style keeps the crowd captivated. True to the playful and industry-mocking character of their earlier works, it was jest and irony a plenty. “So who listens to our music on YouTube?” Kno asks to fits of laughter. Quick to mock more commercial artists’ focus on fiscal return in making music, their argument has for a long time been if you got to eat then “why don’t ya rap for food then?”

From track to track, Kno’s versatility and production skills enrich the set’s broad range of moods to staggering effect. Upon the first sound of strings on Kno’s masterpiece Seasons the crowd erupts. With both MCs pulling together to cover Masta Ace’s guest appearance, they recount and romanticise the development of the artfrom their perspective in their earlier years coming through as artists. Switching straight into Mic Like A Memory, Deacon effuses on the heartache of addiction and loss in his family he faced growing up with rousing sincerity. Kno completes this with an acapella of his verse on the same track, and it’s met with rapturous ovation.

Building on the atmosphere Natti propels into Break Even, a beautifully crafted melodic instrumental with Natti delivering a heartfelt tale of a young boy growing up with a father in prison and the societal traps that result in him repeating the cycle. With the crowd enthralled reinforcements are called in the form of Tris and his track Gone, with Natti and Deacon also both touching on solo material from their albums Still Motion and Peace or Power.

The thirst of the night’s faithful firmly quenched the trio crown off with Lynguistics, perhaps their most iconic track from their debut album and the truest embodiment of their ‘will rap for food’ philosophy. Another touch of compositional class from Kno, the reverberating kick and apt sampling of a Tschaikovsky violin concerto leaves the dancefloor in a frenzy as curtains close.

Long-time fans and passing punters alike all leave The Fleece beaming. An exhilarating performance from Natti and Deacon they claim full credit as formidable MCs. With a set that stands as a true testament to the diverse and enduring quality of their work the Cunninlynguists cement their name as pioneers of the art.