Send "Kidz In The Hall " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Xxlmag |
 Quite simply, Kidz in the Hall’s new LP, Land of Make Believe, is designed to attract a bigger audience. Whether it’s resident lyricist Naledge getting personal or in-house producer Double-O going sample free, this is the duo’s most commercially viable effort so far.And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. “Jukebox,” an enjoyable ode to rump shaking, is an early indication of the album’s upbeat direction. The pace continues on the vibrant “L_O_V_E” and the epic “Take Over the World,” a thrusting anthem suitable for packed stadiums. Even if the Kidz’ third disc feels more mainstream than their last, 2008’s The In Crowd, the group still supplies its trademark braggadocio on the posse cut “Fresh Academy” (with Chip Tha Ripper and Donnis). They really win with self-reflective moments, like the apologetic “Do It All Again (I Am)” and their honest assessment of industry fakeness “I Am (Reprise).”...full text |
| Thephoenix |
| And the Most Improved Player award goes to . . . Kidz in the Hall (KITH) for finally living up to the hype that caught their sail in 2008, during the presidential primaries. Sure, in theory they deserved a giant buzz — dudes were, after all, a Kanye-comparable Ivy League duo propping Barack Obama on hip-hop's toughest indie label (Duck Down). But Double-O and Nawledge were not yet capable of chopping up the sort of cuts that people sing in traffic. They are now — there's no boredom in Land of Make Believe. From the get-go, "Out to Lunch" and "Traffic" start clapping, with trendy but substantial dishes like "Jukebox" and "Flickin' " fulfilling the guys-want-to-be-them-women-want-to-do-them quota necessary for any popular rap release these days, whether it be underground, mainstream, or extra-terrestrial. ("Bougie Girls" has the same effect, though it finds the boys more reclined than usual.) At its best, Make Believe delivers the same hopeful message that KITH pushed for Obama: the OutKast-caliber "Running" is the positive ass shaker of the year, and "Take Over the World" is a potential Top 40 kingmaker. Such spirit boosters would be corny coming from most acts, but not from Double-O and Nawledge. These Kidz are all right....full text |
| Prefixmag |
| For the most part, rappers no longer strive to emulate Black Moon or Gang Starr. Packing gats? Getting paid out the anus? How obscene! From slick new-jacks like Drake and Wale to suburban anti-gangstas like Asher Roth, today’s hip-hop scene is more about stylish sophistication than gritty nihilism. Perhaps no one exemplifies this trend better than Kidz in the Hall, a preppy pair of Penn-educated chums from Chicago. On Land of Make Believe, their third release and first since 2008, they rap almost exclusively about name brands, good credit, and blithe college partying. MC Lyte may appear on “Jukebox,” but this is very much a new-school record, one that forgoes the dusty boom-bap of yesteryear for synthy electro polish. Welcome to the future. Naledge and Double-O are breezily cocksure rhymesmiths with a flair for off-kilter pop-culture references. Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor? Mark Spitz? Scottie Pippen? All receive a mention on Land of Make Believe. What’s more, despite the privileged cocoons that they seem to inhabit, these kids know their hip-hop – for proof, listen to their highest charting single, 2008’s “Drivin’ Down the Block,” a booming homage to Masta Ace. Yet little else is noteworthy about the group’s endless boasts. Aside from the occasional goofy detail (“I love sandwiches after sex”), their horndog bravado provides exceedingly little in the way of memorable lines, growing numbing and interchangeable over the course of 15 tracks. When they try to deviate, the result is something like “Will II Win,” a tepidly shiny stab at introspection featuring the usually reliable Marsha Ambrosius....full text |
Kidz In The Hall lyrics
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