Artist: Nicolay & Kay
Album: Time:Line
Producer: Nicolay
Label: Nicolay Music Recordings
Year: 2008
The man is simply unstoppable. I have never felt so confident about a producer in all my years of enjoying Hip Hop. Everything that Nicolay releases is pure genius and absolute talent. When I first discovered him during my first year of college at Wagner, I was blown away by his beats. That was the 2005 record titled City Lights: Volume 1.5. The complete album is made up of instrumentals, one flowing into the next. I couldn't get over the amount of feeling and power that seeped through the speakers and into my oh-so-lucky ears. I'm pretty sure City Lights was all I was able to get myself a hold of at that time...ahhhh, actually not true. I also got my hands on The Foreign Exchange's Connected (2004) (Foreign Exchange is the collaboration between Nicolay and Phonte of the Justus League collective; this project is what most-helped the producer to get the recognition he deserved). Although I love The Foreign Exchange now, it wasn't really for me back during that time.
Anyway, within the next couple of years, I acquired basically all of Nicolay's releases and was left utterly speechless. I couldn't believe that all the records I got my hands on after City Lights were actually on a much higher level. For the first time, I was able to hear Nicolay's beats being rapped over by a variety of talented emcees from all over the place, and it was straight bliss. My personal favorite of these records is the Dutch Master's Mixtape: Volume 1 (2005). The record is mostly composed of remixes done by the producer, and it really exemplifies all the different styles that the man is all about, whether it's a bangin' beat or an R'n'B joint as smooth as the operator. Now, let's get into Time:Line...
This album is one hell of a ride, but not just any ride: the album is a document of one's journey through life, starting out with birth and ending with an inevitable death. Based on some of the tracks, it seems that Kay is telling the tales of the life of an emcee. It is possible that he is imagining his own future, but there is no way of knowing from listening to the record. Here's a track-by-track breakdown for ya:
Time:Line
1) Time:Line - This track is basically the introduction to the album itself, not the first song going with the "time-line" idea. The beat is a real nice way to get the listener moving and excited for what else is to come. Not too long, Kay spits one verse letting people know what's up.
2) Blizzard - This beat is off the hook, the perfect way to start off the whole story. The chorus is tight: "I was born in a blizzard in the dead of winter/ A child of God, entered to Earth's placenta/I live my life of change/ And even though folks are strange/ We gonna be al- be al- be alright." The baby is out of the womb now, and it ready to see what this thing called life is all about.
3) The Lights - A little strange, this song jumps straight into what seems to be teenage years. Although it's a far jump from the previous tune, it doesn't cause any problem. The song is about artists who lose sight of what they are trying to do in their life, "being blinded by the lights." This is the type of stuff that the youth who wants to be a big star thinks of. The song is a warning for all those who might let obstacles get in their way, such as cash, drugs, women, ect.
4) Through The Wind - So far into the album, this is the serious joint to groove to. The song sounds so beautiful, and all you want to do is get up and dance with your girl. The song is about the emcee falling in love with a particular girl. The hook talks about the two riding in a car, letting the wind blow through the hair and just chilling. The singing in the song is really key in what makes this song so great and soulful. "When she's looking at me/ I'm like 'Ohhhh!'"
5) What We Live - This is the only song that really seems out of place. The reason is that it doesn't really go along with the other songs in terms of talking about a specific trail or tribulation. Then again, now that I think of it, it could work, it's just more of a general idea then the others. The song is about loving what you do for a living, so one could place this in the the emcee's time-line as finally making it big and loving it all.
6) I've Seen Rivers - This song is a real pretty one, and Kay is responsible for a lot of it. The verses give it a type of sermon-like feel. It's real metaphorical, and the idea is borrowed from a poem by Langston Hughes. It speaks of the possibility of the artists' words standing the test of time. A real soulful one that really does make you feel as if you are floating down a river, due to Nicolay's production.
7) Tight Eyes - This song is my personal favorite. The song simply talks of "getting tight-eyed" AKA going out to the club, getting fucked up and having a serious good time. The song is really incredible, I cannot say enough about it. As opposed to those "let's get crunk"-type songs that are loud club bangers, this tune uses the smoothest beat in the entire world, creating one of the sexiest atmospheres I've ever heard a from a song.
8) As The Wheel Turns - The duty of this song is to remind us all that we are not the only ones around in this world. When life gets rough, people seem to forget that other people exist and probably are struggling from a lot more than they are. A simple yet important reminder. Take it for what it is.
9) The Gunshot - At this point in the record, things turn to a darker side. The song is a anti-gun violence number, with a serious Nicolay beat that is one of the top three on the record. At the very end of the song, lyrics reveal that the song represents a robbery being committed. This is one of the songs off the album that you make sure you don't sleep on.
10) Grand Theft Auto - Straight up, this song is just awesome. The song works as a GTA car chase in Hip Hop form/continuation of what happens next after the robbery in "The Gunshot". It's a really creative song.
11) When You Die - This song is one of the best on the record, and most definitely the strongest one overall. It's a really serious one, a continuation of what happens after the car chase in "Grand Theft Auto". It tells the story of the protagonist being in a coma, hearing people such as his wife and mother crying over what has happened to him. "All the sorrow, the pain, I'm ashamed/ I got caught up in glamor that comes with this game".
12) Dancing With The Stars - At the end of "When You Die"'s second verse, the man wakes up out of his coma, kissing his wife and feeling the tears as they drop on his face. This song talks of his feelings of bliss that he experiences when they both leave earth together. "These are the things I think of/ When I choose to speak out on our love". The whole song is sung by Kay, and has a nice feel to it, finsihing up our main character's life on a heavenly note. It's a very different type of closing song for a Hip Hop record, but different in a very good way.
Way to go Nicolay, you did it again. Keep em' coming, I can't wait for the new Foreign Exchange record.
PS - Sami, now you should pop this one into the stereo. I promise you'll appreciate it _________________________________________________
Downloads:
Nicolay & Kay - Time:Line
Nicolay - Dutch Masters Mixtape: Vol. 1
Nicolay - Here (2008)
Youtube:
Nicolay & Kay - "The Gunshot"
Nicolay & Kay - "When You Die"
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