Kold Kut

Hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana, Sleeper Cell is a foursome of white Midwestern rappers. Keen, Abztrakt, Soul Sauce, and Seyce share the stage, producing rhymes that are clearly enunciated, though colored by a slight Indiana twang, so that fans can hear every word. The tracks on their full-length debut album, The Time Is Now, are paced slightly slower than other hip-hop acts I've heard but that enhances the ability of their lyrics to be understood, which seems to be something these guys really want to happen. Within each song, the microphone duties flawlessly move from rapper to rapper, often with two or three rapping in sync. It will be interesting to see how Sleeper Cell develops as they mature in their craft. They are currently working on a new album.

- Skope Magazine

Ever since Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith teamed up on Walk This Way, the genres of hip-hop and rock were destined for collaborative beauty (see Busta Rhymes & Linkin Park’s We Made It, or Kevin Rudolf & Lil’ Wayne‘s Let It Rock for further proof). On a smaller scale, Indianapolis rapper Hum.V has admitted to being strongly influenced by rock icons such as John Mellencamp, Smashing Pumpkins, and Nirvana, all of whom have influenced his indie release, One Verse at a Time. On his current single, Look In Your Eyes, Hum shows how much of a gentleman he can be, but, more importantly, why a change in pop music is on the horizon. While most rappers love the one-night stand, Hum.V prefers a serious (preferably lifelong) relationship. Featuring Lynda Saayah on the hook and fellow indie emcee C-Ray on the piano-looped beat, Look In Your Eyes has assisted Hum in securing a meeting with Capitol Records later this week.

- DJBooth.net

**** 4 1/2 NUTTS (out of 5)
C-MOB
WHEN THE HEAVENS RAIN
70 Mile Ent.

This is the best album I've heard in about 4 years. C-Mob is from Marion, Indiana, a White rapper, and this is his second album. His first album was called "In the Mist of Madness". When I first heard him I had to compare him to Eminem because he's so lyrical. But he raps as fast as Twista with the same kind of clarity. He's on the level of a Tech N9ne or a Twista. Some people can rap fast but you can't understand a word they're saying. C-MOB is super clear with his delivery. Then the beats on here are real dark - death and evil and destruction! The stuff he's rapping about might seem to be dark and twisted, but it's actually got a positive uplifting side. He's talking about all the atrocities he's faced in life and how he's overcome them. It's all about the streets and selling crack and grimy shit, but there's hope in there. The lyrics have a real quality that's rare at this time. C-Mob is representing the Midwest to the fullest. If you like Snypaz, Twista, Court Dogg from Kansas City, Thugged Out, he's right up your alley. Don't miss this one. -Scott Bedja - Murder Dog Magazine

C-Mob - In The Midst Of Madness
Reviewed By: SWORDTHEKON
Album Rate: 4 Stars
I used to think Chicago had the hardest rappers, because of Psycho Drama, Black Pirate Militia & Snypaz. I'm not that sure anymore, I'm a huge fan of gangsta/reality rap and the last cds I bought where all from Gary or somewhere in Indiana. C-Mob is a new rapper from the murder capitol, his debut ''In The Midst Of Madness'' features Dirty Phlynn and Tequila, production by Kold Kut, Steve king, David McGray and others. I've never heard of those rappers and producers before, so I didn't know what to expect. Will C-Mob bring something new to the table or that classic Gary sound ?

1. Serenity Prayer
The first track is a normal intro with C-Mob talking. There's no beat, all you hear is raindrops in the background.

2. Take Me Away
This is one of my favorite songs of the album, it has the type of beat that will get you hyped up, something you can listen before going to war, it's start with some thunderstrikes and they're followed by fast piano loops and drums. C-Mob starts things off slowly, he speeds it up in the middle of his first verse, he reminds me of Young Droop, but his vocals are much clearer and better. The chorus is something like this : Lord can you take me away ?/Take me from all of this pain/The sun don't shine where I'm from/All we can hear is just rain/In the wicked place we have grown/Everything we got on our
own/Some say we're living in hell/

3. Whatchu Rappin For?
C-Mob tells you he's rapping for the riches and not them bitches, he's basically dissing those whack rappers who say that you have to be commercial to succeed. He spits : I don't understand why/ motherfuckers just stand by/bopping they heads to a song when they know the lyricist is just a damn lie./ The only downfall is the beat, it's too quiet, it's almost not there, all you hear is the same few notes over and over again, I thought it was an acapella, even I can make a beat like this with MusicMaker. This song is still bumpable, because of the lyrics and fast flows.

4. Freek Show
This is the worst track of the album, it's a shake your ass type of song. it has your average club sounding beat, which is uptempo. Dirty Phlynn is featured on this one, he really doesn't impress me, he sounds like a rapper from the South, because of his flows and slang. C-Mob comes out with some tongue twistings, but they aren't saving this song from being whack. Listening to this cut after hearing the 2 previous tracks will make you wonder what happened ? It's like listening to Tommy wright III's ''Show me something'' after hearing the first few tracks on ''Genesis''.

5. In The Car (Skit)
This skit is funny as hell, C-Mob got a girl in his car who said that she didn't want to listen to the murder murder shit like Yukmouth, Brotha Lynch, Psycho Drama, etc. She wanted to hear some Nelly, Chingy or J-kwon. C-Mob told her to get the fuck out of his car, cause she was getting on his nerves.

6. Someone Like Me
C-Mob let you know that he's searching for a girl who likes the same things he likes. This song has a RnB beat, it's alright, mid tempo, nothing amazing, a RnB singer won't blow up using it. He sounds just like 2pac on the hook, it goes like this : Will I ever find someone like me ?/A real female and she knows how this life be/mob with me daily and then fuck me nightly/she might be the one that I can call my wifey./ Some of you will like this song, others won't. I can relate to this song, but I just think there are much important topics he needs to address.

7. Strugglin
Finally, we're getting something that is similar to track 2. The beat has a midwest sound, I love the bass,it's on the level of a Traxter's beat and it doesn't even need to have some vocals to keep your head bopping, but C-Mob just keeps snapping with hardcore lyricism. C-Mob raps on the hook : ''I'm steady strugglin'/Do what I can to keep my empty pockets bubblin'/I gotta eat so now I'm back on the corner hustlin'/Try to make it in this wicked world/My life is troublin'/I'm steady strugglin./ He raps fast as fuck on this one telling you it's all about his hustle, listen to his 2nd verse, Twista you got real competition now.

8. Shadow of Death
The beat is real dark and eerie on the hook, but you don't hear much during his verses, but unlike track 3, you'll still be playing this song over and over again, it has a fast tempo that matches his quick delivery. I can't believe how tight C-Mob's raps are, he comes with the sick shit, his flows and lyrics are flawless. He's asking the lord to deliver him from evil, because it's driving him crazy. He reminds me of Young Droop on this one too.

9. Don't Speak
This song has the type of beat that can be used for a mafia movie soundtrack, it's one of the best beat on this LP. C-Mob didn't waste it, he dedicated this song to them backstabbers, fakers, wanna be gangsters and whack rappers. C-Mob is coming at them without mercy. He says : You claiming that you pimpin but ain't got no mistress/ My click is vicious/With game I been blessed/I'll aim at your chest/ Bring pain to your flesh/ Call me the angel of death/ Insane, cause I'm stressed./ More tongue twisting !!!

10. Monster
This is the darkest song of the album. The beat is eerie just like track 8, you actually hear the beat on this one during his verses, tight piano loops. C-Mob drops violent lyrics, rapping about what he will do to you. He spits on the chorus : I'm a monster, you better run from me/ I'm a monster, what has become of me ?/I'm a monster, just pull a gun on me/Take a look at what this wicked world done to me./

11. Back In Time
The beat is slower, it's made of flutes, you can floss to it, it almost sound like some old West coast shit, a beat that you can bump while you're riding clean. C-mob raps about the things he went thought while growing up. he doesn't sound as mad on this one, you can tell that he calmed down. He spits : Everyday it's the same thang/No time to chill/I gotta go work/Get down on the grind/I gotta go hustle to pay the bills./ A song that all you hustlers can understand and enjoy.

12. A Step Ahead
This is a song where C-Mob disses those haters who wanted to get on a track with him after talking shit about him. The beat is dark again, it has a fast tempo, it's your average dark beat with piano loops. C-Mob spits in the hook : Smiling in my face/talk behind my back/who you fooling ?/you are fake/I know it's a act/I'm a grown man/I don't have time for games/I'mma step ahead/leaving behind you lame./ It's a nice cut, but it's about something I heard from so many rappers already.

13. If I Hated The World
C-Mob and Dirty Phlynn talk about all the bullshit in life. The beat is much slower on this one, they're still coming with that dark shit. The chorus is :If I say i hated the world/would you agree with me/and if you did/could you tell me what your reasons be./ They're telling you they're so tired of the shit they're going thought. It has one of the better beats of this cd.

14. Bounce
After giving us a couple of dark/wicked songs, C-Mob is back
with another shake you ass song. The flows and the beat are tight, but the contents ruin the song, it sounds like some fake No Limit shit. The
beat isn't even club souding, he could have used it for a gangsta song and it wouldn't have been bad. C-Mob and Dirty Phlynn are telling them hoes to bounce. You may want to listen this once when you play this cd, but it sure won't get some replays, track 4 is worse though.

15. Unleashin Demons
The song starts with someone talking with a distorted voice like he's possessed by a demon. The beat is very simple, some parts of
it reminds me of the beat of TI's Rubberband Man, but with a touch of
darkness, it sure won't give you the same feeling, I just think that
some of the notes are the same, but they didn't use the same instruments. The lyrics are very similar to what we heard on track 12. 100 % killa killa shit. Both C-Mob and Phlynn didn't disappoint.

16. At The Club (Skit)
This skit is basically the intro of the next song, C-Mob gets shot at the club.

17. Death Bed
C-Mob let us hear his story telling ability, he raps slower over a sad sounding beat. He talks about what happened at the hospital after
he got shot. He spits : I'm laying here look up to all these tools and
wires/cause I'm eternally bleeding/my body is bruised and tired./ This is a short but a very tight song, rap lacks stories these days. Hopefully, more rappers will tell some like C-mob.

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Overall, this is a very solid debut from C-Mob. He's one of the best
lyricists I heard this year, he's the type of rapper who doesn't even
need a beat to keep your head bopping like a motherfucker. He can rap slow or very fast and it has been easy for me to understand his words even when he twists. He usally raps about hs struggles to maintain and how life is fucked up, but he does have few songs for the club and them girls. The only thing that should have been better is the production, some of them are just too simple and repetitive, it seems like the producers he's working with are still in development. The standout tracks are : ''Take me Away'', ''Strugglin'', ''Don't Speak'' and Death Bed''. The only songs I didn't enjoy listening are : ''Freek Show'' and ''Bounce''. This cd is reality rap at its finest, I suggest to get it if you're a fan of Young Droop and Brotha Lynch Hung.

- Southwest Connection

Representing the Middle by way of Indianapolis (aka, Naptown) is Next Big Thing, Hum.V. Dropping his sophomore album One Verse @ A Time this week on iTunes, Hum.V (né, Greg Humrichouser) proves himself to be one of the great unsigned artists in the business. Getting his start some years back as the anchor to party hip-hoppers, the Cleptoz, Hum.V released his solo debut, Simple Man, last year to much acclaim (enough, in fact, that it remains a mystery why he remains unsigned), and even got some help from Chicago's own Rhymefest on "If I Had a Dollar". That album established him in the Indy music scene with his share of local radio play and high-energy live shows. Now Hum.V is poised to spread his word elsewhere, and One Verse should be the album allowing him to do so.

Today's hip-hop scene is in disarray, to say the least. With the industry transforming so rapidly, record labels seem to be utterly clueless as to what to promote unless Lil Wayne is involved. What's most unfortunate about this is that good quality hip-hop artists stay marginalized as underground. In Seattle, for example, acts like The Saturday Knights, Blue Scholars, and Common Market are kings of that underground. But without some help from the majors they'll be unlikely to break into the mainstream and subsequent millions. Despite the 2,200 miles separating the two, Hum.V would fit nicely into the Seattle scene. Both share an organic sound most easily labeled as 'Old School' and lyrics that possess a complexity and significance beyond money, hoes and rims again.

At essence, though, One Verse is a pop album, and Hum.V is (or should be) a pop star. A majority of the tracks feature the talents of friends, and the vocals from both Lynda Sayyah and Stacia Demos shine brightly. The impossibly catchy hooks of "Look In Your Eyes" and "Choices (In My Head)" both highlight their abilities. But Hum.V is the star most on display here. There is an intimacy to the lyrics that is extremely rare in hip-hop, as Hum.V opens the window into Greg Humrichouser frequently. "Little Things" and "Take Ya Back" are practically journal entries, but they work specifically because of how personal they are.

Don't get the wrong impression, though: Hum.V is no shoe-gazer. The rap star swagger never dissipates, and with the same ease that he rhymes his way through the slower jams he spits fire over the heavy beats. "U Can't See Me", "Get Back", and "Droppin' Knowledge" (featuring Sweet Eggz) are all filthy beats where Hum.V accelerates the lyrical content. On "Droppin' Knowledge":

I'm droppin' knowledge like a skydivin' Socrates
Take a listen get inside my philosophies
I'm not lucky so why try the lottery
Still this feelin' it's my time - it's gotta be
Check out a couple of tracks here, and go buy the album so this dude will get signed already.

- The Middle Coast