Roosevelt Franklin Something’s Gotta Give
NYC’s newly formed Roosevelt Franklin are no strangers to the underground rap game-MC Kimani hails […]
NYC’s newly formed Roosevelt Franklin are no strangers to the underground rap game-MC Kimani hails from the Masterminds, while DJ Mr. Len cut his teeth with the seminal Company Flow. Kimani rails on “internet emcees” and fake underground rappers, perhaps alienating his own fanbase but providing laughs nonetheless. He pokes fun at rappers using nonsense big words in “Dropping Mad Science Yo” and channels big money mofos in “I’m So Rich,” but the standout tracks are messed-up love songs like “The Line.” The sing-a-long chorus of “S N M” sums up Roosevelt Franklin’s/conundrum: “Smart nigger music/that’s how they label it/like we should be ashamed for saying it/cuz the radio stations they ain’t playin it but I don’t care man, I’m a stay makin’ it.” Frustration with the music industry fuels this creatively ambitious but ultimately underwhelming LP.