• Courtesy
• Kinetic Fource, Kinetic Fource

(Self-released, digital)

Kinetic Fource is a self-titled debut album with deep roots and a long backstory. The crew behind it could fairly be called a Vermont hip-hop supergroup, but really, this record is part of Montpelier-based duo Boomslang's continuing legacy.

That party-rocking pairing of Sed One (raps) and JL (beats, also some raps) had an unimpeachable reputation, both for playing explosive live sets and for being great guys. Since JL, aka Johnny Morris, died in 2021, Sed One has been carefully curating their huge body of unreleased work.

All the tracks on Kinetic Fource were born during the era of pandemic lockdown cabin fever. Burlington producer Rico James and JL spent weeks sending each other raw drum loops and building up fresh beats from scratch. Around the same time, prolific MCs Sed One and Learic resolved to work on a new record together.

Stripped of all that context, Kinetic Fource would simply be a dynamite rap album with two hard-charging MCs giving their all over some bruising beats. From the slow, crushing synth grooves of "Round Here" to urgent up-tempo earworms such as "Baklava," the tracks make it strikingly clear that the two producers aren't just taking turns making songs. Every track is truly a joint effort. Rico James' beats have seldom banged so monumentally hard, and JL's beats have seldom been so unabashedly hip-hop.

That same spirit animates the rappers here, too. Sed One has always been a high-voltage performer, but in recent years, he's perfected his brash, raspy instrument, bobbing and weaving around the snare. Although he is a careful student of hip-hop, his style draws equally from reggae toasting. It's a dramatic contrast with the cool, calculated Kool G Rap fundamentalism of Learic.

It's tough to say what the two MCs have most in common: their love of hip-hop or their martial arts-grade dedication to delivering a knockout performance every time. The energy of this album is undeniable and pure. Throughout, Learic experiments with left-field flow patterns to match Sed One's fluid mechanics. The two play ideas and phrases off each other as deftly as JL and Rico James layer samples. The producers' work in the margins makes every second of the album count.

It all closes on potent high note, "This Is Dedicated," which features DJ Kanga with a flawlessly funky scratch hook. "I've been sharpening my skills since my date of birth," Learic raps, "and it's been worth the wait to find out what my weight is worth." The album is packed with quotables, but that's one of the best closing lines I've heard from anyone this year.

A joyful blast of rapid-fire lyricism and lushly detailed bangers, Kinetic Fource is a massive release. It comes at the perfect time, too, because this is a summer soundtrack, party music with a somber note. Like 2022's Boomslang III, this new record stands as a powerful monument to the legacy of JL and his bombastic creativity.

Kinetic Fource is available at soundsofrico.bandcamp.com.