Always Got to be Something

Kev Brown: Always and Outside Looking In
From I Do What I Do (Up Above, 2005)


Kev Brown is more emo than Slug, straight up. And I've never been one to throw up emo-rapper as a negative term (I even own a Sage Francis maixtape- a mixtape damnit). But dude is emotional with a capital E. And I can fuck with that. Kev is an extremely talented cat, but he clearly isn't all too comfortable with an artist's life. Maybe it's because he's been doing his thing for a decent amount of time, working with some of the heavier cats in the game (De La Soul, DJ Jazzy Jeff) with a minimum amount of recognition or payoff. He even beat Dangermouse out as the first to put out a Black Album remix project (entitled, uh, the Brown Album).

Nobody likes to hear entertainers bitch about being famous. Ok that's not true, LOTS of people like to hear entertainers bitch about being famous (rent Radiohead's Meeting People is Easy sometime). But Kev isn't bitching per se. He does paint a rather bleak picture of the entertainment industry. While much of rap talks about grinding to get the diamonds, he's grinding to keep the lights on. But he clearly enjoys what he does; he's just gotten to the point where he realises there's no reason to try to please anyone but himself.

By this point in rap music, there have been enough varied records made that I can't say Kev's honesty in his songwriting is refreshing exactly. But for anyone who has wondered whether they truly have what it takes to realize their goals, it's hard not to identify with a song like "Always" or "Outside Looking In." Some might argue that in putting his insecurities out for the world to see, Brown is adding to the difficulty he will experience attaining success, and perhaps there is truth to this (the "Annette Benning in American Beauty" argument. But in expressing his lack of sure footing while rhyming confidently over superior beats, Kev Brown has made a damn fine record for the rest of us.