by Ka
Released May 1, 2020 via Iron Works Records
Reviewed May 19, 2020
Top tracks (based on community voting)
Sins of the Father (27%), My Brother’s Keeper (24%), Every Now and Then (18%)
Ka’s biblical parallels to the familial experiences people face in violent, crime-ridden inner cities is unlike anything you’ve heard this year. Listeners are guided from conflict and grief to salvation in a matter of minutes, due to the rapper’s potent and efficient writing. Despite being dense and layered, the entire frame of this vignette fits nicely in a 32-minute window, and sees Ka outdoing himself yet again. – DeVán (9/10)
Ka, the 47-year-old rapper/firefighter, delivers yet another album full of lyrical prowess, continuing to show off why he’s one of the best in the game. He delivers his top-notch prophetic verses over some of the most subdued instrumentals of his career yet. Filled with biblical references from front to back, the project is dense with songwriting more comparable to poetry. Descendants of Cain slowly pulls you in as a listener and rewards patience with lyrical gems and instrumental flairs that you may miss on your first listen through. – Enth (9/10)
Ka continues a streak of incredible records with what may be his best work yet. Once again, Ka produces without 808’s, allowing for beats that are more cerebral as opposed to visceral. Each instrumental burns slow and grows gradually, perfectly matching Ka’s approach to his performance. It seems he’s always made music that gets better with every subsequent listen. At first it may not seem very special, but the more you dive in, examine his releases and let them become a part of you, the more you get out of them. Descendants of Cain focuses more so on biblical stories and applying them to a modern context to show that these stories are truly timeless, and Ka demonstrates that perfectly. – Jared (9/10)
DeVán: 9/10 | Jared: 9/10 | Enth: 9/10 | Pax: 8.7/10 | Alan: 8.6/10 | Daniel: 8/10
Cam: 7.8/10 | Dominick: 7.4/10 | Hadley: 7/10
