Artist: Phat KatTitle: The Undeniable LPRating: 3 StarsReviewed by: Paine
Phat Kat has been a hyped rising artist for two years now. Coming from Detroit, he has caught the attention of the D-12 camp, as well as Philly’s Okayplayer crew. His appearances on compilations and mixtapes have gotten some thirst for the LP. Kat’s dropped material on a regular basis in the last year though. Two self released albums came before The Undeniable LP, Phat Kat’s official debut.
In one verse, Phat Kat spits “N##### be scared to put me on, because my voice too strong.” Indeed, Phat Kat’s voice is certainly something hard to avoid. His raspy, out of breath flow is what every threatening MC wishes they possessed. But while Kat’s vocals grab the beat, his lyrics on this album don’t. Phat Kat has a lot of two bar quoteables and dazzling wordplay but, they are merely limited treats amidst boring tracks. Phat Kat doesn’t have a lot to say besides how tough he is, how hard he parties, and just how thoroughly he can knock boots.
Still, Phat Kat is not alone. For a hyped up “next big thing”, Phat Kat swung for the fences. His formula succeeds on his opening track “It’z a Rap.” This track has a catchy beat with hand clap syncopations, and an average hook. In between, Phat Kat offers his most precise of verses. Another highlight of the album is Phat Kat and MC Breed’s chemistry “Shake Shake.” While it’s a blatant club track, it’s nice to see that Phat Kat recognizes Michigan’s resident master, as well as the fact that Breed still has a great flow. Other guests include Slum Village, Dwele, and Obie Trice.
While Jay Dee contributes a few of his signature head nodders, the production might be more to blame than Phat Kat. Most of this album sounds too keyboard heavy with the production overdone and extremely out of sync. At times, this record sounds like a sound effects CD.
If this is what Phat Kat was hyped to be, we were wrong. The hooks on this album are corny. The beats are either bouncey keyboard experimentations, or Jay Dee’s percussion and soul tracks. On top of that, and most importantly, the listener gets no insight on the artist, besides just how real he takes himself. Things just aren’t adding up for The Undeniable LP. Phat Kat’s got it, but it’s not here.