“Peace Kehd” is the fourth studio album from New York hip-hop duo The Doppelgangaz (consisting of emcees/producers Matter Ov Fact and EP). The album features a guest appearance from Big Josh and is fully produced by The Doppelgangaz themselves. It was released on February 18, 2014 via Groggy Pack Entertainment.
1) Peace In – Instrumental intro.
2) Holla x2 – The album begins with the song that was released as the first single from the project and its dope as hell. The beat has that signature Doppelgangaz sound to it, with a dreary backing sample incorporating a vocal loop that gives the song its title as well as some darker ambient synths loop up with static. Lyrically, the song is just as out there as some of their previous releases, with Matter Ov Fact and EP kicking some rhymes full of food references and other seemingly nonsensical punchlines. Yeah, I’m really feelin’ this one though. Dope way to kick off the album.
3) Shit Rock – The beat on this song is a bit more mellow than the previous track, but it still has a darker feel to it. The instrumental mainly consists of a chopped up vocal loop, a guitar sample and some more resonant synths that come together to give the song a sort of murky feel. As far as the rhymes go, Matter Ov Fact and EP both come through and kick some sex raps about getting their “shit rocked.” This is pretty good as well, but I’m feelin’ the previous track a little more. Still, not bad.
4) KnowntchooTahLie – This track was the second single released from the album and it’s pretty dope as well. The song features both Matter Ov Fact and EP kicking some rhymes about older women over another darker instrumental with some sinister synths and hard hitting bass. It’s not everyday you hear a sex track about women “damn near forty”, so I guess The Doppelgangaz felt they needed to deliver one. Shits dope though.
5) $ In Da Air – Instrumental interlude.
6) Live Rugged – The beat on this track is probably the most carefree yet, with a somewhat lighthearted (in Doppelgangaz terms) instrumental full of what sounds like a distorted guitar, layers of keyboards and soft synths. The beat is ill and both emcees do their thing over it, rapping about women who don’t quite match what everyone’s perspective of what the word “beautiful” means. All of the food references are definitely starting to make me hungry though. Still, this is nice and some of the lyrics are quite humorous.
7) Ungodly (featuring Big Josh) – The Doppelgangaz team up with Big Josh and spit what sounds like some self-deprecating rhymes over a real ill instrumental that’s got my head nodding like crazy. The beat is real dope and the lyrics are pretty funny as well. I’m not sure if they are talking about fictional versions of themselves or not, but the shit sounds nice nonetheless. This is probably one of my favorite songs on here.
8) Come Down Awn Eht – Hmm. Now this is a little different. The instrumental on this track sounds very distinctive when compared to the others, featuring an energetic beat that sounds like The Doppelgangaz take on a trap instrumental. The beat is pretty good though and, when combined with the strangely disturbing lyrics and chorus, makes for one of the more unique songs on the album. Nice.
9) What’s Your 20 – Well this track is more in line with Matter Ov Fact and EP’s usual work. The beat has a real laid back feel when compared to the previous song, with a resonant jazz sample layered over some head nodding drums. The instrumental is real smooth and both emcees come correct over it, rapping about not taking other people at face value, among other things. Dope track.
10) Fall Thru – The final song on the album (before the outro of course) has another smooth instrumental, this time with a sort of West Coast vibe to it. As usual, EP and Matter Ov Fact come through and kick some rhymes deeply rooted in double meanings, humor and food references in their odd style. Yeah, I’m really feelin’ this track too. Dope.
11) Peace Out – Instrumental outro.
I’m going to rate the album
3.5 / 5
because its pretty good, but it ends up feeling more like an EP than a full album. The production is pretty much top notch throughout, with The Doppelgangaz experimenting a bit and coming with sounds that weren’t really present on their other albums. Some of the beats definitely have that signature darker Doppelgangaz sound, but others seem to incorporate some elements of trap and other more commercialized rap genres. That’s not really a knock against the album, though, because I’m all for experimentation when done right, as it mostly is on here. Lyrically the group is just as wacky as they always have been, kicking almost nonsensical, and often humorous, rhymes about themselves and about the world around them from a sort of third person view. Their rhyme schemes and deliveries are nice, but their lyrics can be hard to decipher and will probably go over the heads of casual listeners (as well as my own). Still, I found my head nodding to pretty much every track on here and also caught myself chuckling a few times at some of the zanier punchlines and references. Pick it up on iTunes or via the Amazon link below.
(c) The Essence of Rap and Hip-Hop – Read entire story here.