Nadeem SalaamKhüdósoul | To The Heir
Khüdósoul’s debut takes me back to all the great things i’ve felt owning a full-length hip hop record. But To The Heir, takes us on a journey through genres and sounds well beyond one identity. It’s sprinkled with instrumentals–the record flows in some ways like a modern jazz-art motif. It’s actually more of an instrumental and textural record on the front end, (which is unique if you think about how it’s just as much a hip hop album at heart), that exact overlap is what makes Khüdósoul’s debut so special. There are moments that remind me of the likes of DJ Shadow and Massive Attack, while his rhythmic cadences are i’m sure a large collective of influences that he has long evolved from sounding like,–that’s pretty impressive for a first record, slightly to the left of where you come from and a major indicator where you’re headed.
While its amorphousness may not deliver the known moments more radio-ready material offer, it’s a grand experiment that repeated listens offer new eyes to view genre. Something tells me someone who’d go through all the trouble to make something this layered would prefer the listeners to do just that. There are little theme-park anthems on To The Heir, and it seems for the kind of listener that prefers less, it’s a paradise of sound.
The lasting appeal for me are the crossroads on this piece, while it’s not as linear as something it would be sitting next to genre-wise and yet more abstract than something of the ambient genre, (say if it would be if it were a sub-tag to a rock record), but somehow, To The Heir stays in a zen-like place, and the consistency works in its favor to deliver a true and daring vision.
Take a listen to “Close To You,” or “Low Maintenance,” or just hit play and enjoy the 14-track blend of trip hop, soul, jazz, hip hop, ambient textures and all the boom bap you need to get this week off right. Out now on Brooklyn record label/collective Budo Kiba.