Unless it is a compilation, it is hard not to be suspicious when you see an album titled “Reputable Artist X Presents…” In this case, Artist X is none other than Bay Area legend Kutmasta Kurt and he is presenting Dopestyle 1231. If you are wondering what exactly Dopestyle 1231 is, I will tell you. They are an emcee (Dopestyle) and producer (Tom C) duo out of the Bay. Rather than paying homage to Too $hort’s 808’s, they pay homage to the Gravediggaz with beats inspired by the likes of Danzig and Bauhaus. So back to this “Kutmasta Kurt Presents…” title, I can never help but wonder if the album is good enough to stand on its own without the underground celebrity endorsement. Then again, would Kurt executive produce and throw his name all over a haphazard album?
Apparently, he would. Being a producer, maybe he just got caught up in the beats since, for the most part, they are quite good. Tom C delivers some raw drum beats layered with haunting moans that could score a walk through graveyard. The opening track “I’m Grendel” certainly sets the tone nicely in that respect. To his credit, Dopestyle matches Tom C every step of the way in terms of content. That is about all the nice things I can say though. This is really were the problem in the album lies, the mic controller of the duo. Aside from him flowing the exact same on every song regardless of the beat, or even in spite of it seems, Dopestyle’s delivery gets painfully monotonous with every droning bar.
Granted, his is in great company, but it is almost embarrassing how badly his guest emcees show him up. Del does on “Size Double D,” Vast Aire does on “Sunz of Shazam,” Kool Keith does on “Wedgie” and Motion Man does on “Threshold Underbelly.” There is really no two ways about it. Too bad there weren’t more guests as songs like “Lone Ramblin” are in desperate need of assistance. It sounds like he is rhyming over a completely different song here. It is really too bad, because the right emcee could have done some serious damage with a beat such as “Dark Spell.” I’d suggest passing on this.
5/10
