Leonard Dstroy & Kutty Slitz, The LennySlitz Project Part 2 (review)

The LennySlitz Project Part 2
(Self-released)

In 2010, producer Leonard Dstroy and rapper Kutty Slitz released the synergistically titled album The LennySlitz Project to raves from just about every hip-hop head in midtown Kansas City. Dstroy is perhaps best known for his beats on records by Deep Thinkers and CES Cru. Slitz, a founding member of CES Cru (now composed of just the duo of Godemis and Ubiquitous), is currently incarcerated, but last month they teamed up again to drop The LennySlitz Project Part 2 as a free Bandcamp download. While the raw power of their first collaboration is turned down just a notch here, tracks like the hyper-political firestorm “No I in We” and the open letter to his son on “Role Model” find Slitz expanding his reach as a lyricist. He works through a range of emotions that are somber (“Role Model”: I’m sitting in my cell heart crying out, picture in my lap/Praying for him, hoping I can bring him back/Look, son, this is the truth/The streets are not for you, just look what I’ve been through) and proud (“Bounce”: Been doing this since mama was wiping your snotty nose/Man, I’m one of the sickest spitters nobody probably knows). And Dstroy’s smoother, more polished, less brash beats this time around allow more room for these ideas to be heard. On balance, this latest effort may be overshadowed by the shock and awe of its predecessor. Still, The LennySlitz Project Part 2 is a worthy, mature sequel from Kansas City’s most mysterious and uncanny producer-rapper tandem.

Download at leonarddstroy.bandcamp.com.

Chris Milbourn writes about local music online at demencha.com.