This is the sophomore effort from Belleville, Michigan host Kain Cole. Beginning his artistic career as a teenager, he unfortunately spent 8 years incarcerated until almost immediately signing with Detroit indie giant Middle Finger Music upon his return, showing us how he perfected his craft by having the label’s co-founder Foul Mouth produce his 2022 debut album SUMP (Surviving Under Major Pressure). After a string of cameos from fellow MFM alums Bizarre and Isaac Castor, Kane’s Chronicle has finally arrived.
“Gotta Have It” opens with soulful jazz, thanking all his haters, past and present, while “It’s Up to You” embraces more of a jazz vibe, creating a more motivational song within a few minutes. “Heavyweight” changes things up with roaring BAP instrumentation and gritty strokes, leading to “IYKYK (IF YOU KNOW YOU KNOW)” to remind the world that he’s been doing this since before he was imprisoned.
Meanwhile, on “Uno” we have Kane mixing in kicks and snares over some strings, silently killing assholes despite his constant loud smoking, while “Blue Check” shreds more soul samples talking about how some people sell themselves out for money. “Stupid” ends the first half with some chipmunk soul shit, admitting that it’s hard for him to change because he likes that shit, while “I Know” talks about people’s inability to tell him what he’s already aware of.
“Bebe’s Kid” continues the second section of the LP, going the jazz-boom-bap route, making it clear that he’s actually living what he writes and not just yelling about it; while “Break a Leg” swaps out the jazz elements in favor of some orchestral undertones into his crap bag, Bang Belushi-starring “We Get In0” finds that in a different city.
The song “Pesto” ends “Khronicles of Kain” with a piano-driven rhythm beat that asks these cornballs who they think they’re crazy talking to and rolls 100 deep with his squad, while “Seasoned” featuring Bad News Brown joins forces with the MC/producer duo named after the late WWE Hall of Famer to discuss their own experiences in the game. “How did I survive?” finally explaining his method of escaping the horrors he saw.
It’s been nearly four and a half years since his debut, and Kane Cole has made it clear to anyone that he’s not going anywhere, and I think his feature-length run proves that, and I might have to put The Kane Chronicles over SUMP (Surviving Under Major Pressure) because of the growth it shows compared to its predecessor. Foul Mouth’s production styles range from drumless, boom bap, jazz rap and chipmunk soul, supporting Kain’s introspective lyrics, as well as several performances from his MFM brothers.
Score: 8/10
