Dom Kennedy
From The Westside With Love
It is a damn shame that Mr. Cube has not been able to warm up to “The New West” because if he listened to Dom Kennedy, chances are he would be pretty excited about what Cali is serving up these days. Though the 25-year-old rapper from Leimert Park has HAD the internets going nuts ever since 2008, From The Westside With Love will take care of any stragglers that may have missed the boat with his earlier projects. From the very first track, “In Memory Of,” it is evident that Dom reps his west coast roots to the fullest without doing anything generic or tired. Usually, when a rapper ends most of his lines with the same word/group of words, it has lackluster results, but Mr. Kennedy keeps his lines strong and consistent enough to pull it off nicely. While he covers some go-to hip-hop topics (sex, lyrical prowess, relationships, personal progression), you cannot deny the man’s talent with lines like, “I left some people behind/ I guess I Hov’d n****s.” Filled with heavy drums, permeating melodies and fat synths, From The Westside With Love gives you exactly what it promises: some proof that even though the left coast still thinks girls, lyrics and pride are important, the way these tried and true topics are conveyed is far too incredible to deny. And not like he needs the help, but with features from Overdoz, Skeme, Polyester and Carter, it is evident that Dom Kennedy is very particular and smart about the roster he enlists to jump on tracks with him. Whether new or old to west coast hip-hop, From The Westside With Love will paint a very accurate picture of life in the “Ooohwee!” state.
[...] of universal hip-hop. What he has brought to the table through his most recent project, From the Westside with Love, is pure fire, and evidence that he knows what he is talking [...]