Birmingham producer and emcee K1NG ELJAY has already had a bit of a busy year in 2018, collaborating with DJ Swole on The Graduation EP and releasing a beat tape in tribute to Common called Royalty. That was all the warm up, though, as he now drops his full-length solo album, simply titled K1NG.

K1NG. is an interesting album in quite a few ways. As much as this is a solo album, this album is also about representing the hip hop scene in Birmingham, a really dynamic and talented scene that is largely overlooked on the national scale. With that in mind, he brings in not only the rest of his RDFND crew (Mel Crozby, Richard Daniel, D Gut, and DJ Swole), but also GI Magus, Ozu, DAY, Mickey Factz, Erthling., Inkline (of Nerves Baddington), and The Monestary to rock the mic. ELJAY produces the majority of the album himself, but we also get tracks from J-Idea and Zone. That’s a lot of cooks in the kitchen, but ELJAY’s steady hand keeps the music focused and coherent, so it doesn’t just sound busy or messy. My only criticism here is that I would have loved it if we could have gotten a female voice in the mix, especially because there are some really talented women working in Birmingham. That said, ELJAY has done a good job in repping a good chunk of his city. ELJAY is really clear in his delivery and has a conversational tone to his flow that really makes the whole album sound like you’re catching up with an old friend who just needs to get things off his chest about not just trying to make it as an independent hip hop artist, but also dealing with real life shit like bills, a marriage, religion, and finding the strength to make your way in a society that has a way of making it feel like you don’t matter. While there are plenty of serious moments across the album, there are also plenty of moments of levity and humor, especially with different emcees goading each other in jest through their verses. ELJAY also does an excellent job of not only presenting a lot of different styles across the album, from some classic boom bap to trap to modern electronic beats and beyond, but also puts them all in conversation with each other, making the album flow expertly from start to finish. The album is only ten tracks long, but it’s so packed with emotion and information, you can listen to this album over and over and pick up on something new each time.

K1NG ELJAY has been releasing music for a few years now, and he continues to grow and develop. On K1NG., we get an album that is extremely personal and intimate, while also repping a city and scene with tons of guest artists and having fun. It’s a really well-balanced and complete listening experience.