For Kooley High, time zones are irrelevant. After all, “the sun never goes down when (they) rhyme.” Released in the prime of summer’s sizzling heat, Eastern Standard Time, the group’s first album, is full of wicked word play and tunes perfect for blaring with the windows rolled down.
The album’s title is appropriate, as the outfit migrated from North Carolina to Brooklyn, NY. Despite connections that bind them to cities across the East Coast, as detailed by the title track’s lyrics, Kooley High remains closer than ever to the state that bore and bred them.
On Eastern Standard Time, the three emcees, two producers, and one DJ perpetuate an endless summer vibe full of North Carolina representin’. Foolery’s soul-filled track production and DJ Ill Digitz’s sounds evoke hip hop’s pioneers. As on the group’s past projects, the album features a smattering of guest emcees and producers, including Raleigh’s Median and New Yorker K-Salaam.
Standout track “Betty Crocker” is satisfyingly sharp. Charlie Smarts shines in his ode to the queen of kitchen. An easy, soulful intro merges with Smarts’ clever chorus — “You know it’s Betty Crocker / For sure, it’s a piece of cake, one take / But first you got to give me the dough.”
Local emcees Tab-One and Rapsody add slow-cooked verses that only tempt the listener to sink deeper into the album, especially with Tab’s NC shout out, “always rep that Cak Lak / 919, 236 / throw that in your cake mix.”
While each rapper has embarked on his or her own path in past years, releasing personal mix tapes, Eastern Standard Time only reiterates the “truly fly” mentality that Kooley wholeheartedly embodies. As the rhymes get sharper each time, and the local shout outs abound, it is clear that Kooley High’s heart is still in the Triangle — relocations be damned.
It’s true that the land of the dogwood has a strong hold on the hearts and minds of Kooley, and with the new album, the group shows this devotion but also expands its influences. As the name suggests, higher is the only way to go, and Kooley High will make sure the sun doesn’t set on its burning sound.
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