Big Cakes - S.K.I.M

Big Cakes, AKA Mr Kipling, is a rare find in UK hip-hop. He doesn't promote gun violence or brag about how much cash he's got. Big Cakes gives you a slice of his world with a bit of wit and wisdom on his debut album S.K.I.M. The infectious vocal sample in Rhymes Speak is matched by a tight song concept, as Mr Kipling asks any listener to become impartial: "I'm glad that you got a chance to hear me / You can criticise me G, just do it all fairly / I let my rhymes speak for itself / I got nothing else to add 'cause I know that I'm bad." Cakes works with what he is given, but the production lacks a sense of innovation and at times sounds simplistic. Poetical political righteousness from Big Cakes is deficient in some key ingredients and needs more mixing before it comes out of the oven, as this effort is bound to flop. [Omar Jenning]