NEWMUSIKATTAK: Aireplane by Cannibal Ox

You can use this as an excuse to listen to The Cold Vein. Thank Me Later.

If you had to ask an independent rap connoisseur, about which album, he would consider sacrilege, there would be plenty, he would list out. A lot of MF Doom, Danger Mouse, The Roots. And one of them is the seminal debut album of Cannibal Vein, the Cold Vein. An album that was produced by the legendary El P, introduced us to the mystical duo of Vast Aire and Vordul Mega.

What made the first album so iconic was the fact that this album out here, had a very very cinematic taste to it. Something, that in the 2000s, had been very much a definition of the Indie sound of hip hop (as seen in Madvillainy and a not so indie example the Gorillaz). It is a shame, that the album is not easily found on the internet, unless you search for it ( A Spotify version available is an abridged version of the above record which honestly isn’t a fun experience)

With this new album, Aireplane, one can see an act that seems to be looking back in it’s older times, but is still confused. Everything about this album feels lost. For a band with the legacy as them, it was such a surprise drop, it just happened. And there’s just not much to egg on that, everyone love’s surprise drops, but this just slid past.

Well, if I had to be honest, I liked the track Brothers of Zeus, cuz well they sampled Yeh Vaada Raha and as an Indian, it makes me go WOOHOO, and there are some decent hits here and there. Sure, it doesn’t hit as hard as the Cold Vein, which is still a gorgeous piece of art, but possibly, it suffers from the Lauryn Hill effect, in the sense, we have so less stuff about the band, that a followup that underperforms feels like a crime.

It still is a good listen. There are some great moments, and it might get rid of your new hiphop fatigue

Verdict: PASS