Killa Con and Nobody from Namibia are an upcoming hip hop duo from Guelph, Ontario. The Canadian pair has recently released their first-ever self titled EP “Killa Con X Nobody from Namibia”on all streaming services. With their significantly different background from most rappers today, will these two be able to connect to a predominantly American audience?
Killa Con challenges the listener’s views as he poses an array of relevant questions in today’s current chaotic social climate. Starting things off, “The History of White Privilege” takes us back hundreds of years as the young MC tells us everything he knows about the divide between white people and the rest of our world. Cuts like “Fragile” and “Gunva” build up these themes as Con calls out various powers, including the government on their bluff. “Precious” was a definite standout as it thoroughly captures the concepts and inequality that white privilege comes with. “Devil” took things to an even darker place as Killa compares various political figures, including Donald Trump, to lucifer’s ultimate evil. Ending things, “Ltd.” ties everything together as Con uses his gifted lyrical ability to paint the current picture of race riots and protests. Overall, Killa Con shows he’s not afraid to speak up, and I commend him for it.
Behind the boards, Nobody from Namibia puts together a coherent soundtrack for his partner to rhyme over. From the various film and speech placements to the intricate integration of samples, it is clear this up and coming beatmaker is already steps ahead of many in his weight class. Cuts like “Fragile” and “Devil” use hard-hitting drums and intoxicating samples to pull the listener in and keep them watching. “Gunva” pushed things to new levels as its constant tone changes and intense baseline gave it a feel like no other. My only real complaint with this project’s soundscape were the beats on cuts like “The History of White Privilege” and “Ltd.”as they lack originality, which can cause the ideas of the record to get messy and clump together. With that being said, Nobody from Namibia does a better job behind the boards than most can ever dream of.
In conclusion, “Killa Con X Nobody from Namibia” is a solid debut EP from two prominent up and comers. Both guys handle their own as Killa Con works as the record’s mind, and Namibia functions as its soul. The most significant of my criticisms here would be geared towards Killa Con as I think he should strive to improve his pen game and dive deeper into the topics he was addressing. While what he was saying was super important, the message’s power gets deluded when it said in a way 100 other rappers have already blurted out. If you’re like me and can’t wait to see what these two do next, please follow @killacon on Instagram!
Rating: 6/10
Highlights: Subject Matter, Production, Lyricism