Kidz In The Hall: Head of the Class

Kidz In The Hall are a rarity; they sound like today yet retain the essential elements from the early years of hip-hop. Naledge, an MC, and Double O the DJ/Producer are a perfect example of how to innovate without regurgitation. Sorry to get all Jesse Jackson on you (now there's an obscure reference - ed), but this duo specialise in making records that are timeless. In conversation with The Skinny, they recently broke down their thoughts on why this album shouldn't be boxed up as 1990s folklore.

"I think the album just simply feels good," says Double O. "There are traces of 90s with Masta Ace's hook on Drivin' Down The Block, and the ode to juice with The Blackout, but those are only two songs. People get caught up trying to pinpoint feeling and sounds and their origins. I've grown up on a lot of music so all those things seep into it. There is nothing 90's about the title track The In Crowd, nor any of the other records. A group like Camp Lo doesn't make a record '90s' just because that was their introduction."

The In Crowd is just that, good music without the title box and without the pressure to conform. They are also part of a new regime of versatile hip-hop artists that have enjoyed life as an indie, a term usually associated with UK rock music. Calling their own shots usually allows for artist integrity to remain intact. Eventually most artist find themselves allying themselves labels to gain further exposure and Kidz In The Hall were no different. Naledge was able to land himself a solo deal with the once famed Rawkus label. Things would change quickly once Rawkus caught wind of their indie hustle. "Our initial deal with Rawkus was for a Naledge solo project. So we didn't have any deal or Kidz. So he was the focus. When Rawkus wanted to hold off on his solo to find a 'radio single' we decided to put out a mixtape/street album in between time introducing the Kidz In The Hall and prep for Naledge solo. It was going to go through Eastern Conference Records but when Rawkus got wind, they wanted to put it out. We signed off on a very small budget and put together the record from that point. No one had heard a Kidz In The Hall album before. So essentially it was the impact that the music had on the media that made it what it was. From that point Rawkus responded by promoting it overseas as the resurgence of the label," explains Double O.

Video: Kidz In The Hall - Driving Down The Block

As is the case with most of the past MCs at Rawkus, things eventually went sour. Facebook Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch for the intimate details of why Rawkus was the greatest label that never was. "From the beginning there were monetary issues with them not wanting to go the extra step then really break the group. They were fans of the music but I don't think they were ready to jump back in the trenches and work their way back to the top as label execs. Of course, they gave us a chance to get our music heard worldwide. You can't knock that," he laments. Naledge feels that "it's their loss. They (Rawkus) aren't in grind mode anymore."

If one thing is for sure, it's that Rawkus seem to release epic debut albums, from Black Star crafted by Mos Def and Talib Kweli, to Kidz In The Hall's debut School Was My Hustle. Double explains; "It was the culmination of a lot of years of hard work. At the same time it was put together in a fairly short period of time. When we did it we made it a point to achieve one goal and that was make a cohesive thorough hip-hop album. At the time there were no good albums - decent singles but no albums - so we wanted to let folks know that dope records could still be made."

With features from Estelle, Bun B, Black Milk and the highly anticipated return of Camp Lo you are guaranteed sone more hot music, or as Chicago Natives put it, "An evolution of the Kidz In The Hall sound. Bigger, better and more sophisticated!"