Willie the Kid

For years, Willie the Kid has been a utility player in the Dirty South's hip-hop scene. He's even performed with members of Detroit's D12 collective and other assorted rappers, such as LA the Darkman, a "satellite" member of Wu-Tang Clan. Darkman appears on several tracks on the Kid's Absolute Greatness, an album that's dripping with braggadocio and bravado, but Willie backs it up with impressive his verbal prowess. He's got a young posturing, and the title of his album announces that he has arrived. He demands that you take notice. He alternately puffs out and pounds his chest, while he raps.

"Thang Back" is the groovy opener, while "Long Live the Prince" is his most ambitious anthem. "Coogi Down" thumps like the rhythmic hit that it's destined to become if all of Willie's cards fall into place with the support of his label and radio stations across the US. This song may have been born in a studio, but it was nurtured from what sounds like a lifelong love of old school hip-hop that was fostered and developed in an urban center of living. It's a bass-heavy jam with back-and-forth rapping that needs to be piped from the speakers of a low-rider. It's also undeniably catchy, like most pop songs. "Pressure" is another apocalyptic and intimidating song that's also an instantly club-friendly jam that spills over with a tough edge, thanks to its epic, layered sound. It's followed by "You," which presents a kindler, gentler Willie. He's still dropping science about life in the hood and on the streets, but he's backed by smoother, more accessible beats and samples. "Love for Money" celebrates another victory for Southern-stewed hip-hop, the way it coats your ears like humidity below the Mason-Dixon line in the middle of August. If hip-hop is where it's at for you, then you'll definitely kick it with Willie and Absolute Greatness.

— Amy Sciarretto
11.10.08