I couldn’t be happier than this man has decided to drop one more album in 2025. There are few artists I’d put in the same category as this man as far as depth, lyricism, emotional connection, and creativity. In all honesty, this man is in a lane of his own, and each new drop feels like a renaissance of art itself. Let’s talk about it!
This is the brand-new album by MC Kendall Spencer and producer August Fanon. A duo that has made some of the most powerful music I’ve ever heard. Together, they drop a fresh nine tracks featuring
– Yonnas
– Kendall’s wife (in track 8)
And I want to re literate that whenever these two come together for an album, it goes beyond your traditional ‘Hip Hop’ music. It becomes a journey laced with introspection, heartfelt stories, and the unburdening of the soul to such an extent that you leave pondering the immense mental and emotional impact you’ve just experienced.
Such is the case with MC Kendall. I’ve never heard a normal record from the man; instead, a string of heavy-handed, brutally honest, and sincere verses of pain, struggle, overcoming the odds, and finding light at the end of the darkness in such a way that you feel like you’ve taken the harsh journey in life alongside him!
Every time he even breathes on the record, it feels like a bar of gold in comparison to other rappers. It’s because he has substance in his step, real-life experiences, and lessons learnt to share with the audience. In the same way preachers don’t get up on that pedestal and just talk bullshit, neither does Kendall.
He’s a man who’s about to blow your mind with the life he’s lived and the conviction & integrity he’s forged along the way. That’s why his bars and pen game have such impact to them because he’s actually talking about something important to hear and not just rapping bullshit!
He’s a true ‘MC’ (Master of Ceremony), a man whose ability to make you feel in your bones every word he has to say as if you’re transporting yourself is something second to none. Plus, it seems August is one that can bring his best qualities out the most!
Speaking of the man. Let’s talk about August in December (see what I did there?) he’s a man who I’ve praised many times for his mastery of the production, the way he’s able to utilise any sound brought to him and make it an atmospheric gold mine, and as I stated above, I feel no clearer is this sonic dominance more clear than when pairing up with the likes of Kendall!
Across this album, we hear a more traditional and, dare I say, minimal approach to the instrumentals (at least compared to the showings I’ve heard from him across this year and others), an attempt to most probably match the gravitas of the subject matter and maintain the tone and vibe of the record itself.
See, I feel this is one of those examples of an album I don’t have ‘favourites’ on. Because I feel the right way to hear this project is in order and played continuously from start to finish. It’s not about ‘hit singles’ or ‘club tracks’; it’s about telling a cohesive story, and the relationship between the lyricism and the production is key in exploring that narrative completely.
So, with that in mind, I was listening to this record as a whole rather than individual pieces, and I was taken back by the surreal energy and the big, bold flavours embraced across the few layers at any time each song had made me feel!
If nothing else, August is hip hop’s greatest chameleon. He can shift his expertise and taste depending on who he finds himself around and create instant synchronicity, and this time is no different!
So, with all that in mind, I ask you all (as I always have) to please give this man and his music a shot. I guarantee you that you haven’t heard anything like it and that it’s going to leave a lasting impression on you, whether you like it or not!
https://kendallspencermusic.bandcamp.com/album/rooted-in-the-essence
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