CUNNINLYNGUISTS | A Piece of Strange

The Cunninlynguists’ first two albums, Will Rap for Food (2001) and Southernunderground (2003), mixed gleeful jackassery, tragicomic self-deprecation, and epic pathos. But with the new A Piece of Strange they’ve crafted a serious, unified piece of music, something to listen to when you’re in a melancholy mood—or want to be put in one. On Southernunderground’s “Old School,” the core duo of Kno and Deacon the Villain reimagined historical figures from Jesus to Einstein as hip-hop hooligans (“When lightnin’ struck Ben Frank’s kite and sent currents through / He was the first to electric boogaloo”), but there’s no such silliness on the new disc. Of all the MCs in the group, Kno was the best at goofing off, his goodnatured clownishness his biggest strength—but he contributes only a single verse to A Piece of Strange. Kno more than makes up for his absence on the mike, though, with his incredible presence behind the boards. I don’t know why he isn’t getting tapped on the shoulder every three seconds by another MC looking to collaborate—he could easily hold his own alongside bigname indie producers like 9^th Wonder and Danger Mouse. On A Piece of Strange he’s at the height of his powers, his signature style fully formed: chipmunky sped-up samples (a trick he’s been using at least as long as Kanye), twangy guitars, wailing horns, haunting vocals, and sometimes propulsive, sometimes doleful piano, all draped over sturdy, understated beats. It’s a lush and tempestuous wash of sound that recalls the dark atmosphere of OutKast’s ATLiens. For a third of the album nobody raps—there’s either singing or no vocals at all. It’s as though Kno has decided to speak through the music. Deacon and newcomer Natti, who replaces Mr. SOS, align themselves with his introspective production, applying their southern twang and urgent delivery to purposeful rhymes about big subjects—the idylls of youth, the plague of racism, the nefariousness of the State Department, and of course the irresistible charms of their favorite green weed, a beautiful woman they make love to with every puff. The penultimate tune, “What’ll You Do?,” is a sad song without a trace of the sappiness that ruins boohoo numbers like DMX’s “Slippin’.” Deacon sounds genuine and downto- earth as he describes his frustration with life as a broke MC: “But needs outweigh cheese, tryin’ to stay in contention / ‘For the love’ is a hard reason to keep my life in suspension.” A Piece of Strange is hardly a fun record, but it’s grown-up, cohesive, and powerful—overall a pretty good trade-off. —Kabir Hamid