Kwame
's debut album,
Kwame the Boy Genius: Featuring a New Beginning
, is an all-too-brief affair, clocking in at just over half an hour. Although it makes no explicit connection, it's a perfect fit with the Daisy Age revolution being spearheaded by
De La Soul
around the same time. Positive vibes and offbeat humor abound, and even if producer
Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor
is no
Prince Paul
, the music is bright, appealing, and funky. Despite a load of goofy boasts and disses, and an occasional reference to his Islamic faith,
doesn't take himself too seriously, and he keeps things upbeat and genial the whole way through. The album's centerpiece is the freewheeling narrative
"The Man We All Know and Love,"
which quotes songs from
Sesame Street
,
Louis Jordan
, and
Minnie Riperton
(among others) as
seduces one of his mother's friends and then thinks better of it. It's proof that
is a sorely neglected figure today, even among fans of playful, intellectual
hip-hop
. ~ Steve Huey