KRONDON - Let Em Live | Review By: Conan Milne


Release Date: March 1, 2010

Label: Independent

Rating: 4/5

Dub Quotable: This strange duality establishes Krondon as one of the
West Coast's most interesting lyricists - and one of its most talented.

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Related Media

Krondon - Let Em Live (Free Album Download)

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The great thing about Californian Hip-Hop collective Strong Arm Steady is that each member has begun forging their unique identity. Phil The Agony is the detached smoker, his rambling delivery always sprinkled with thoughtful asides and humorous one-liners. San Diego's Mitchy Slick is the self-professed "Steady Gang outcast," his blatant gang affiliation contrasting Steady's occasionally conscious material. The conflicted Krondon has always been a little harder to define. A lengthy staple of Los Angeles' underground Hip-Hop circuit, he can sound inspirational in one verse and genuinely menacing in another. Street album Let 'Em Live gives listeners greater insight into the MC, and he proves to be a fascinating subject.

Let 'Em Live instantly compels with the fantastically urgent "I Ain't Runnin'." Over eerie harmonizing arranged by DJ Babu, Kron' chastises those prone to overthinking, claiming that they, "Miss the boat, sinking / Falling off the deep end." The defiant chorus suggests that the Steady Gang MC has no trouble making his decisions, as he warns authority figures, "They oughta be scared of me, 'cause I ain't runnin'." After a wisely recruited Fashawn boasts of rolling with, "Young guns who carry more arms than centipedes," our host returns with noble sentiments. "My neighbourhood need an upstart," he claims, "When things fall apart they leave miserable conditions." Such lines are an intriguing foil to his more threatening bars, placing Krondon as the voice of a troubled environment.

On successor "For A Fee," Kron maintains his position as a mouthpiece for the inhabitants of Los Angeles' murkier neighbourhoods. Alchemist's production is sinister in its distant vibrations, and prompts an unsettling Dizzle to assert his authority. "Hey Young World, it's been a while," he rasps with insincere sweetness, adding, "I know I left the streets to the fruitcakes and fragile." As with Krondon's best material, there is something oddly victorious embedded in "For A Fee," particularly as a distorted female announces that, for the right price, "You can have anything you want."

Krondon's good intentions are best displayed on "Calling Me Back." After warning those around him to, "Stay away from the devils, and keep bandanas tucked," he affably describes Strong Arm Steady as "the West Coast rascals." Chace Infinite's simplistic chorus, meanwhile, effectively attempts to explain Krondon's complicated relationship with the streets he references. "Everytime I think I get away, the streets keep calling me back," he nonchalantly states, before contemplating that, "There's got to be a better way..."

The only time Let 'Em Live wavers from being totally compelling is when its creator offers the occasional generic cut. For a project that adds considerably to a listeners perception of Krondon, "Never Be (Sucka For Love)" and "Cha Ching" are as uninspired as their titles would imply. Omit them, however, and you're left with a project that proves to be immensely listenable. Let 'Em Live leads people to conclude that Krondon doesn't so much host a lone unique identity, as incredibly disparate identities. On one hand, there's the man that stresses the importance of a regional upheaval. On the other, there's the gangster that will unhesitantly "release shells to make the wind whistle." This strange duality establishes Krondon as one of the West Coast's most interesting lyricists - and one of its most talented.

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The views expressed here are those of the authors and not
necessarily those of Dubcnn as an organisation.
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