Ali
& Gipp prepare their new album "Kinfolk" for a
December 12 release, just in time for the
holidays. The album features appearances from
Nelly, Cee-Lo, Three 6 Mafia, Bun B, David Banner, Juvenile and many
more.
Whether it's the best of both worlds or the best of both hoods, it seems
like every month or so two artists from different parts of the hip-hop world are
promising their fans they're going to do a whole collaborative album together.
Few of them ever happen.
But neither Ali (the founding member of the St. Lunatics, the platinum selling
group that put St. Louis on the map) or Gipp (who's best known as a founding
member of the Dungeon Family and a member of the much imitated, never duplicated
Southern hip-hop group Goodie MOB) are the type to make false promises. "Gipp
and I clicked instantly because we're both leaders of our respective collectives
and because neither of us likes to talk too much," says Ali. "So when we say we
gonna do a record together, we actually do a record together." The result is Ali
& Gipp's CD Kinfolk, through multi-platinum superstar rapper Nelly's record
label Derrty ENT., an imprint of Universal Motown Records.
A group born out of such diverging territories may be a surprise to some. One MC
has defined the sound of Atlanta and the other helped define the sound of St.
Louis - the artists seem to be a natural fit, and the album Kinfolk proves just
how good the chemistry is between Ali & Gipp. "We got along from the jump," says
Ali. "I went to college in Atlanta, and I'd see the Goodie MOB perform. Years
later we'd meet through industry travels. Then in 2003 I was in LA recording the
Sweat and Suit album with Nelly, and Gipp was
there for some movie business. I called him and said, ‘Come holler at us.' We
did a song together called "Butterfly Doors" [included on Kinfolk] and we loved
it, everybody loved it, so from that point on we were just like, let's do a
whole album together."
Kinfolk is the product of that unpredictable, once-in-a-lifetime magic, a
complete hip hop tour de force that bangs from start to finish with a sound
that's a little bit Atlanta, a little bit St. Louis, but ultimately
revolutionary in its entirety. Given their individual reputations and formidable
relationships with other artists, Ali & Gipp easily called on some of hip-hop's
greatest talent, extending their collaboration to many of the leading stars of
the South and Midwest alike. Nelly makes three stunning appearances on the
album, Murphy Lee and Derrty ENT. newcomers Chocolate Tai and Avery Storm also
lend a hand, with Three 6 Mafia, David
Banner, Bun B and Juvenile all making guest appearances, as well as Gipp's old
Goodie MOB partner (and Gnarls Barkley
star), Cee-Lo. Ali & Gipp even reached out to Dungeon Family cult favorite Big
Rube for one of his signature spoken word introductions. Beats are also provided
from some of the most forward-thinking producers in both the Dirty and Derrty
camps, including the Trak Starz, Dallas Austin and Jay E.
Before the completion of Kinfolk, Ali & Gipp joined Nelly and
Paul Wall on the #1 hit single "Grillz." After
the success of "Grillz", the duo fired up with "Go Head" for their own debut,
featuring Chocolate Tai and produced by Trife - an updated classic club song.
The single grabbed the #1 most added spot at the rhythm crossover radio format.
The song "Hood," featuring Houston legend Pimp C and Nelly is a super-engaging,
near-menacing track for the Cadillac and Chevy riders, built on a screwed down
UGK sample. Gipp's Goodie MOB partner Cee-Lo serves up a hook on "I Told Ya,"
along with UGK legend Bun B putting down a mind-blowing verse of Texas tough
talk.
St. Lou super-producers Trak Starz delivers "All Night (Excuse Me)" featuring
Nelly, Avery Storm and New Orleans' own Juvenile.
Super producer and Atlanta native Dallas Austin helmed the song, "No God But
You," a moving exploration of the flip side of life in the South and Midwest- on
which Ali and Gipp speak about spirituality, faith, and other trials and
tribulations. The remainder of the album flows with spirited club anthems and
trademark rider music.
With multiple successful groups and solo albums under their belts (Ali released
Heavy Starch in 2002 and Gipp released Mutant Mindframe in 2003), the two stars
have infused Kinfolk with a renewed vigor that separates it from many of the
same-sounding hip hop fare. "We've always believed hip-hop was an innovative
culture," Gipp says. "A culture where, instead of doing what people around you
are doing, you take it to another level every time."
