Disco de Orishas: “El Kilo (Tour Edition)”

I guess I am among the minority in thinking that these guys know exactly what they are doing & they are progressing quite deliberately with each album. I acknowledge that it is an unpopular belief that Emigrante (their second release) is indeed a progression & a step in the right direction. As impressive as 'A lo Cubano' is, it is still their first record and as any creatively strong project, they learned from their mistakes early on & decided not to depend on the guaranteed formula of their first success. Indeed, they lost one of their MC's between album one & two but the fact remains that (in my humble musical opinion) the absolute & undeniably strongest musical force in this ensemble is without a doubt: Roldán. His mastery over melody, harmony & over all musical sensibility to give a song the absolute hook, is unrivaled in ANY hip-hop SINCE 2-Pac, and that is a bold statement my friends. This new effort from the trio is absolutely on point & a creative continuation from Emigrante, just as that one was from its predecessor, regardless of the knee-jerk reaction most fans & critics had to it because it was missing an original member and because it wasn't a carbon copy of the first release. Again, as an artist you are damned if you do/damned if you dont, if you repeat what you did before you are being safe, if you grow, you are losing your way, how do you win that battle? There has been absolutely NOTHING missing, melodically, lyrically, musically, beat-wise, hook wise or production-wise since the first album regardless of any absence in personell. These guys are still at the very forefront of ANY hip-hop, it just so happens that they are Cuban & incorporate masterfully & very melodically some of the sweetest aspects of Afro-Cuban music (Batá, Son, Guaguancó, Son Montuno) into R&B tinged Hip Hop. This new album proves that they are right where they need to be musically & lyrically. The soul, funk & R&B influences are more evident in this effort, but the fact remains: these guys are at the Top of their Game. This is Hip Hop at its finest, regardless of language, influence or commercial outlook. Mainstream hip hop could learn a few lessons from any and all of their releases. A Lo Cubano is a great record, but so is Emigrante if you let it live its own life without comparison, El Kilo exists upon the exact same principles: progression, progression, progression...life is evolution & growth, the sooner we acknowledge it, the better we'll understand each other as artists & as human beings. Paz, Amor y Música...

All I can say is wow!! My introduction to these guys was last summer with their album A Lo Cubano and I was hooked. Great beats, wonderful vocals, nice flow, and infectious Cuban melodies! I couldn't listen to the album enough. So of course I was pretty excited to get their latest and let me tell you, it does not dissapoint. The music makes me want to move and puts a big smile on my face. Even the slower tracks are heartfelt and do me right. El Kilo just shows that these guys are on fire and I look forward to more from them. I would LOVE to see them live.

Tercera entrega de este grupo de hip hop cubano. Musicalmente su mejor esfuerzo pero sin llegar al virtuosismo. No obstante y a pesar del gran esfuerzo, las percusiones no llegan a cuajar como en "A lo cubano" donde Anga Diaz hacia gala de su arte. Ademas, definitivamente, insisto en que la ausencia de Flaco Pro le resta flow a la lirica, cuestion que Orishas (por la fama alcanzada) nunca podra dejar de agradecer a este cuarto miembro ausente. (Notese en una de las fotos interiores del CD la aparicion de una sombra en la pared como acompañando a los otros 3 Orishas: el cuarto miembro que no se pueden sacudir).

Third delivery of this Cuban group of hip hop. Musically its better effort but without reaching virtuosity. Despite and in spite of the concerted effort, the percussions do not get to materialize like in "A lo Cubano" where Anga Diaz towards finery of its art. Also, definitively, I insist on which the absence of Flaco Pro reduces flow to the lirics, something that Orishas (by the reached fame) could never be thankful enough to this fourth absent member. (See in one of the inner photos of the CD appearance of one shade in the wall like accompanying the other 3 Orishas: the fourth member that cannot be shaken).

I was waiting anxiously for this release and it seemed like the release date got pushed back. I was in Spain in early March and picked up a copy. While I drove from town to town in my rented car I listened to this CD several times. My favorite track is the title track. Great background vocals. That's a big departure for Orishas. The two rappers are contributing a lot more in actually singing. The whole album is very melodic. The instrumentation is also much more robust than the two previous albums. I rate it up there with "A lo Cubano" and better the "Emigrante". By the way the copy I picked up at FNAC in Spain doesn't have the last track with Pitbull. I guess it wasn't ready for the early European release date. Enjoy this album. Every time I hear it now I think of the vast expanses of farmland I drove through in Spain and the small towns I passed and stayed at.

I've heard people claiming that Orishas never recouped after Flaco Pro left. Quite frankly his leaving was inconsequential to the group's future. The two power houses of this group are Roldan (as a reviewer Anonimo mentioned) and Ruzzo (who has to be the most talented rapper in the world right now.) Roldan definitely has Orishas vision in focus and Ruzzo has the ability to carry it out with Yotuel (both Yotuel and Ruzzo originated the group back in Cuba when it was known as Amenaza).

What is the vision of Orishas? To create a genuine Cuban rap/hip-hop style.

Their first album "A lo Cubano" gave a very heavy US rap feel with Cuban rhythms in the back ground, and let's face it, the first album was heavily influenced by the Puerto Rican rapper Vico C. Their next album, "Emigrantes," moved drastically away from "A lo Cubano" focusing more on Cuban melodies and harmonies and the US Rap was put in the background (this is why many find "Emigrantes" to be the most shocking of all the albums.) "El Kilo" is the perfect synthesis and culmination of the two previous albums. Cuban rhythms, melodies, and harmonies, are fused with US rap and hip-hop rhythms and the "Flow"--as it is called--is flawless. The first song in "El Kilo"--Naci Orishas--is the clearest example of this synthesis with Ruzzo and Yotuel rapping seamlessly between each other as Roldan sings in a traditional Son format. Naci Orishas set's the stage for the rest of the songs in "El Kilo," an album that gives an authentically Cuban style of hip-hop.