Danny Knight and Otto Major, otherwise known as, well… uh, Otherwise Known, are two Toronto rappers who first came to our attention here at CV HQ with their debut drop, After Hours. A pretty promising first release, it displayed two new talents coming together and playing off one another nicely with each style both contrasting and complimenting the other’s; Knight’s low husky rumble and Major’s higher energetic pace representing two of rap’s favourite vocal tones.
However, on the whole, After Hours was a little rough around the edges and too heavy on the skits. It was patchy, but it did show the pair approaching a variety of styles over its runtime, and even attempting a concept with a linear narrative across its tracks. Now, nine months later, the duo are back with their follow-up baby, Word to the Wise, and as if by magic all those debut quibbles have been resolved. It’s understandable, given that After Hours was no doubt the Toronto two finding their feet – hence the experimentation and variety – but Word to the Wise is just a stronger release.
The EP is a tight five tracks, skips on the skits, and manages a more consistent and cohesive sound throughout. That’s not to say its five tracks don’t vary things up, because they do, it’s just that they still feel together as they do so. No doubt helped by Otherwise Known having a hand in most of the production this time around; three out of five tracks are all theirs, with the remaining two being a solo production by producer Clockwork and a joint effort from all three. Speaking of the tracks, ‘Comin’ Thru’ kicks things off with Clockwork’s production and some Nas-sampling; looping the line ‘word to the wise with villain state of minds’ from ‘Hip Hop is Dead’ by way of introduction, before taking its lead and riffing on that track’s Iron Butterfly sample as well as some lyrical references. It’s a ballsy move, but it’s one that pays off as a cocky self-proclamation as well as an honest homage. It doesn’t hurt that both are on form flow-wise either, with Knight boasting a gravitas to his growl and Major spitting fast-paced syllables.
The psychedelic rock meets boom bap vibes and boisterous bravado themes continue on the Hendrix-sampling, bolshie boast rap, party track, ‘O.K.’ The track is justifiably self-assured with the pair bouncing off each other and the beat both with a finesse that earns the swagger. Speaking of the beat, this is the collab track between Clockwork and Otherwise Known, production wise, and it’s gotta be the best on the EP; it’s all fired up and impossible to imagine shit not going off to it. ‘Watch & Learn’ moves into moodier territory with some chiller cool atmosphere as Otherwise Known take over production duties for the remaining tracks, and takes the lamentation of hip hop’s alleged demise to its logical conclusion by actual trying to do something about it. Suggesting other rappers ‘watch and learn’, Major and Knight prove themselves to be quite the hip hop aficionados and reel off the real stuff that they feel is missing today. It’s a back to basics, back to roots plea, as well as a tribute to the artists that inspired them. In this way it reminds of the track ‘Off the Record’ by Ka, from the awesome The Night’s Gambit, in which he drops references to classic albums by fitting their titles into the lyrical narrative.
Further appreciation for rap’s rich heritage appears on ‘$$$ (Dolla Dolla Bill)’ with the reference in its title to and the introductory sample of ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ by Wu Tang Clan, as well as a likely nod to ‘Dollaz + Sense’ by DJ Quik with its ‘if it don’t make dollars it don’t make sense’ hook. The track’s a good example of positive negativity (or is that negative positivity) in its lyrics, with both Knight and Major taking issue with the fact that cash rules everything around them, and is fucking everything up in the process, the record industry, and getting stuck in that 9-5 routine by not following dreams. It’s a downer, but it’s hopeful too, acting as a call to rally and unity. It’s probably the weakest track here though, unfortunately, and falls a little flat. Even though it does do something different and interesting stylistically. ‘Where The Party At’ comes along to close things off and is perhaps the closest thing on here to anything off After Hours, taking on a kind of dark party vibe with a sinister aggressive calm, but a sleeker, angrier variation of it.
Available for download from DatPiff now. Hard copy coming soon.
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