Audio By Carbonatix
The spectrum of noise delivered on the self-titled debut from EXKXO reveals the multitude of options available in hip-hop beat creation these days. EXKXO drops sixteen tracks with no real theme, and while the beats themselves lie in the safe zone of musical exploration, the album is still a joy to listen to. It opens with a darker feel, but the ambience livens up on “Downtown Sound,” a song that could easily accompany a saunter through the urban jungle. “GuttED,” meanwhile, gets a little spacey in its samples, but a great ’90s R&B vibe comes floating in with “Somethin’ H!p.” The musical drive is very apparent on this album, but its lack of direction makes it hard to follow from beginning to end. For any MC looking to write, this album offers a plethora of options. For the devoted album listener, though, it’s much harder to choose which thematic door to walk through when so many are opened without resolution.
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