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The self proclaimed “MC’s emcee”, Kenn Starr’s debut Starr Status is exactly what fans of this heralded underground MC have been longing for. Incredibly strong word play and clean, yet clever similes are staples of his rhyme scheme. Starr understands the importance of telling a story as much as the best way to deliver that tale. Reminiscent of many of the Rawkus MCs (Talib and Mos Def jump most quickly to mind), Kenn Starr has worked long and hard to carve out a classic that Hip-Hop enthusiasts and like minded artists alike will love. Kenn star sums it up best on the Kev Brown produced “relentless” when he rips “the word the comes to my mind you see my name, classic”. Joining Kev Brown on cultivating these classic sounds are ILLmind, Oddisee, DJ Roddy Rod, Khyrsis, M-Phazes, and Young Cee. Despite this album having top notch production and his mic skills placing among the best in the game, the true testament of his talent as well as merit of this album may belong to his ability to hold his own with the guest lyricists on this album. When an artist has Supasition (“Carry On”) and Talib Kweli (“If”)  making guest appearances, he could be setting himself up to be outshined; however, in both instances, Kenn Starr demonstrates that his Status is indeed, “way beyond average”(“Back At It Again”). When an MC is able to drop lines like “My 16 is like 6 with a nine after it” (“Relentless”) and “The Rap version of Keanu Reeves in a trench coat”(“U Will”), there shouldn’t be any argument over Ken Star’s status as one of thee best MCs in the game.

JIVE Magazine Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Track Listing: 1) Starr Status 2) Against The Grain 3) Relentless feat. Kev Brown 4) The Same Pt. 2 5) Mr. Nice Guy feat. Wayna 6) Middle Fingaz 7) U Will 8) Never Too Late feat. Sean Born 9) Carry On feat. Supastition & Darien Brockington 10) Waitin’ On You 11) Inside feat. Wayna 12) Back At It Again feat. Median & M-Phazes 13) Nothing But Time feat. Oddisse 14) Another Day feat. Sean Born & Cronkite 15) Know Too Much(To Go Back) 16) If feat. Asheru & Talib Kweli

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