Album Review: Besskepp- The Hey Movement
Cory "Besskepp" Cofer is a good friend and a mentor to me. He has made a name for himself as a highly talented spoken word artist, a dedicated teacher, and an entertaining author. This album, however, is not your average spoken word album. Actually, it's much more a Hiphop album. When this album was given to me, Besskepp let it be known that he wanted it to stand out amongst other spoken word albums, which usually consists of nothing but a capellas. And no matter how dope the poet, those could be rather boring after a couple of listens. So for this record Besskepp has enlisted several dope producers to back his lyrics and had the project mixed and mastered by the highly regarded DJ Gabe Real. The Hey Movement is Kepp's 2nd release, and from start to finish it does not disappoint. His first album is entitled Bluze Langwij. I broke down this review song for song, which I normally do not do, however, it's just that good! Click the track titles to hear snippets, also click the album cover to purchase from CD Baby. Definition (Intro) I usually don't care for CD intros, but this one is dope! It breaks down just exactly how Besskepp is and what he stands for. The Truescribe produced track and Gabe Real's scratches mixed in is perfect for an introduction to a quality LP. Knack For Rap This is the first of 3 Hiphop themed tracks. Besskepp reminisces about coming up listening to the legends of the game. Kepp displays the love he has for Hiphop in his heart, and how he has been inspired. Ill Skillz laces the track with an epic beat. Another nice touch is the melodic guitar riffs added by Theo Diaz. Graduation (the song) feat. Jenee Domino This joint goes in depth about Kepp's accomplishment of graduating from college and overcoming all of the obstacles he faced. This joint is inspirational to those that have yet to attain such a goal, or any other goal for that matter. Jenee Domino's vocals at the end are rather soothing. Graduation (the poem) This is the same piece as the previous track, except it's done live and a capella. It is the only a capella track on the album. Besskepp is great at getting audience participation. So he starts off mimicking the graduation theme, "Pomp and Circumstance", which the crowd joins along in doing. Since You've Been Gone feat. Bintu This is a sad joint right here. 'Kepp informed me that the story in this song is fictional, but it's about a female that he was close to that ended up getting locked up in prison. He stated that there's so many songs about men going in, but not about women. Bintu doubled up on production and the hook, doing a very good job on both. Chosen Pockets feat. LaVoice Besskepp proclaims, "I'm not going back!!" Everytime I hear this joint I get goosebumps. This is a dope joint about accomplishment and a determination to keep on striving. I can just feel the passion and energy that was put into this song. "Too many missing fathers, too many single mothers, too many homeless people, too many locked up brothers, too many dead bloods, too many dead crips, too many hungry people, too many empty trips" is the hook by LaVoice. I could envision an ill video for this song yo. Holla @ me! Beat Box Interlude by Brother Ed Brother Ed cycles through a quick, 48 second litany of dope Hiphop tracks, but like most interludes, I skip after hearing once or twice. British Knights & Troops feat. Soup the Chemist This is another ode to old school Hiphop. Besskepp and former Soldier for Christ MC, Soup the Chemist trade reminisces of the illest MCs of the time and the latest fads in comparison to the culture in its current days. It's a pretty quick song. I would have liked it to go one more verse, nonetheless, this track is another head knodder from Truescribe. First Concert (Dialogue) Several headz give Besskepp input on their first concert. I actually attended a couple of those that were mentioned. The best part is when he interviews his kids about their first concert experience. And just for the record, my first concert was Michael Jackson's Bad tour! Word! First Concert 'Kepp describes vivid memories of his first concert, which wasa festival featuring the likes of Ice T, Slick Rick, Dougie Fresh, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, and Rakim. There's nothing like the feeling of your first dope concert, watching all of the heads tapes you been bumping! The 3AM Music beat along with sick Gabe Real scratches truly set this track off! Stockton "Black girls play jump rope in Stockton, white boys know Hiphop" is how this song starts off letting us know what kind of town Stockton, California is. This is where the MC grew up. He breaks down the trials and tribulations, joys, and memories of the place that shaped him into the man he is now. Many of these kinds of stories are also depicted in Besskepp's book, Up The Street & Around The Corner. Down feat. Brother Ed & LaVoice Besskepp tells stories of "being down" for your peeps, and your family, for the cause. Save the turntables on this joint. Brother Ed makes a dope contributions to the song on verbal percussions inputing the word, "down" through the track in addition to LaVoice's melodic singing throughout. Cenia Cofer This is an ode to Kepp's wife, Cenia, who is also a dedicated educator. This is the warm and fuzzy song of the album. The hook, "I wanna talk with you, I wanna ride with you, I wanna be up in the car and coincide with you, tell stories with you, tell fables with you, at the table with you, I wanna be with you" is rather long, but it's a dope hook that I could see people at open mics easily singing along with. As far as I'm concerned, any woman that's down to play Yahtzee to the Wakeup Show has got to be dope! This joint will be the one that your girl will want you to keep playing over and over again yo. I can't keep stressing how dope the production is. This is another banger by Truescribe! The Hey Movement feat. LaVoice This song covers three different scenarios that all end in the word, "hey!" The opening story is about Besskepp being unfairly harassed by a police officer, then jumps to the ordeals of going out to the club, and finishes off on a serious note in reference to the shock and anger of seeing the Hurricane Katrina disaster on television. Bigups to Truescribe & LaVoice once more. Peace