Rating:
  Review Date: February 1, 2010
  Website: Kats Website
  Label: Free Ice Cream

Kats “I Can Levitate” Album Review
I’ve really enjoyed following the progression of NYC’s Free Ice Cream crew over the past year. A local collective of underground emcees and beatmakers, Free Ice Cream throws Maker’s Mark sponsored barbeques in Williamsburg every weekend during the summer, featuring free food, free whiskey, and free CDs. They drop a new free album monthly, highlighted by the “Almost Fameless” series which feature a huge list of local rappers, producers and deejays. And they follow up most of the releases with concerts featuring a dope roster of artists and, yup, free whiskey. Kats’ “I Can Levitate” is the latest free album by the crew, and definitely worth checking out.

Battle raps
I don’t know what it is, but I’ve been into more battle style rapping recently – funny lyrics, shit-talking, punch lines and old school hip-hop braggadocio. Perhaps it’s an inner backlash against years of listening to overly-serious conscious rap. So when Kats started “I Can Levitate” with a three-minute-long intro verse just spitting lyrics with no chorus, I had a feeling I was going to like the rest of the album. Kats starts the record with all battle style tracks, including The Warmup, Another Level and Levitate, which feature dope beats, hard hitting lyrics and funny rhymes that demonstrate impressive lyrical skills, several of which had me laughing hysterically on multiple occasions.

Clever Wordplay
Despite the fact that I’ve grown quite fond of dude’s unique rhyme style, Kats will admit to you himself that he doesn’t have the world’s greatest rap voice. But what he lacks in voice, he makes up for in clever rhyme schemes and innovative wordplay. Tracks like Keep It Movin’, Put Your Hands Up and Outro show Kats experimenting with his rhyme style, playing with new rhyme patterns and new ways of stretching words around beats. This experimentation prevents “I Can Levitate” from being repetitious or boring, instead offering a different vibe on each and every song.

Lyrics
But as usual, my favorite part of this album was the lyrics. While Kats’ intention with “I Can Levitate” was clearly fun, party-style rhyme-punching underground hip-hop, he still managed to squeeze in a couple dope serious heartfelt songs on the album. Tracks like Lord Knows, Do You Feel Me, Rich Dad Poor Dad, and Out Of My Head range from motivational, to personal, to analytical, and demonstrate Kats’ ability to rhyme about virtually anything.

One good example is from the track Do You Feel Me, where Kats drops the following verse about the need to break out of self-destructive behavior:

I woke up in a cold sweat like oh shit/
I’m so stressed, this whole thing got me so sick/
It’s no walk in the park, it’s a slow crawl/
Everyday about the same, you know so-so/
And I wonder should I pop pills and pep up/
And walk around with a cloud from my neck up/
I guess not ‘long as the weed can do the trick/
A couple drinks, all I need is a few to sip/
And you would think I’d have my shit together better yet/
You’d think a better man would’ve already left/
His comfort zone/
But I stay stoned, stay at home/
Stay with the same old song that keeps playing on/
They say I’m wrong, I say they wouldn’t know what’s right/
Been working more than half my life to blow up overnight/
It’s overhyped, this whole chasing fame thing/
Getting your name known and success ain’t the same thing/

Another good example can be found in former HHL quotable of the week Rich Dad Poor Dad, in which Kats drops the following verse questioning the irony involved in a rich man working to support his family:

The rich dad had a power lunch that lasted too long/
Downed a couple martinis that were a little too strong/
So by the time he got home/
He was a little bit drunk/
The driver opened his door, retrieved his bag from the trunk/
And off he goes, leftovers cold in the fridge/
Wife at some social function, nanny watching the kids/
He lights a Cuban as he takes in the view/
From his balcony, finally nothing to do/
He should talk to his boy, tell him about some grown things/
How he should own things/
But then the phone rings/
Back to business, stocks moving ‘round the clock/
One has gone through the roof, another’s down a lot/
So much as stake, he takes another sip of his drink/
A deep breath, not even a minute to think/
The nanny tucks in the boy, daddy is bound to run/
Hoping one day he’ll find time to be proud of his son/

Overall
Download a copy of this album. It’s free, so you got nothing to lose! “I Can Levitate” fits ten tracks into about 30 minutes, which is great for anyone tired of all the 2-hour-long albums these days. It is quick, entertaining and fun. My favorite tracks include The Warm Up, Lord Knows, Out Of My Head, Rich Dad Poor Dad, and Put Your Hands Up. And if you’re in the NYC area, hit up some Free Ice Cream barbecues this summer. Free whiskey, son!

Album Track Listing:

1. The Warmup
2. On Another Level
3. Levitate
4. Lord Knows feat. Rennaisance & ScholarMan
5. Do You Feel Me
6. Out Of My Head
7. Rich Dad Poor Dad
8. Keep It Movin’ feat. Domer
9. Put Your Hands Up feat. Ryan-O’Neil
10. Outro