Album Review >>> Keith “Wildchild” Middleton: “Transitions”

The people who grew up on the so called “Golden Era” of hip hop; (80’s & 90’s hip hop) are now adults with kids. We are no longer the kids who pants sagged just a lil bit while we listened to Redman How to Roll a Blunt. I saw a post that a friend of mines put on Facebook regarding his feelings toward Rap music. He said he was tired of listening to negative music that glorifies violence and drugs. This sentiment is something that I have heard on many occasions from folks who grew up on rap music. The truth is that even though some fans have made the transition into adulthood; the music in itself hasn’t moved at the same pace.

That dilemma has caused some fans to kind of search for something new to satisfy their seasoned ears. Some have chose other genre of music, while some remain stuck on the same music they been listening to for years. The artist themselves face this dilemma. Do they continue to talk about the same thing or do they evolve? I believe the main reason JAY-Z has remain relevant is because his evolution has been relatable. Not the money and flossing part; but the marriage and family thing. Yes being married to the biggest pop star makes him more marketable. But the concept of being married is something that his fans could relate to as they got older. This evolution of sound is something that is present in Keith Middleton album Transitions. It is a fusion of Spoken Word, R&B, Hip Hop, Jazz and Funk.

You remember the explosion of the neo-soul movement? Well this album reminds me of some of the music from that period. There is more an emphasis on the spoken word throughout the album; but it’s not completely overwhelming. You can tell that Keith Middleton has emcee background on tracks like “Speed of Life” and “SupaStahh” ft Ryan Pinkston. On the latter song, Keith sounds more like a rapper with his wordplay. He spit lines like “Ask for some change; and get some sense” and talks about his biological father on the last verse.

One comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *