With hip-hop groups that use live instrumentation becoming commonplace, it’s not easy to stand out amongst a sea of keyboard toting bands. The quintet Crown City Rockers (formally known as Mission) are one of these bands fighting for distinction. On their new album, Earthtones, MC Raashan Ahmad, producer Woodstock, keyboardist Kat Ouano, bassist/producer Headnodic and drummer Max MacVeety offer listeners a gentle music experience by utilizing recognizable hip-hop melodies and clear-cut lyricism.

     Much of this album’s production is highlighted by the group’s smooth, keyboard driven sound, which is full of familiar hip-hop breaks. The problem is it’s hard to always tell whether the re-use of these breaks was intentional or accidental. Nonetheless the Crown City Rockers know how to play them with finesse. As the first song, “Another Day” kicks in, for example, we hear the same beat that Atmosphere used for “Ode To The Modern Man (Lightning Blend)”; then on “Balance” (featuring Scarub), we hear a melody reminiscent of the production heard on Tribe Called Quest, A’s Beats Rhymes and Life album. Innovation may not be the Crown City Rocker’s forte, but delivering familiar melodies with skill is. 

     Lyrically, Raashan sounds the most passionate when discouraging inadequate MCs from stepping to the mic. On the neck snapping “Simple” he does just that with clarity. As he says in the chorus: “If you can’t write rhymes then you shouldn’t write rhymes/ It’s as simple as that–just appreciate rap.” Raashan is a bottom line type rapper who’s not going to leave you guessing what’s on his mind or what he’s trying to say.

     On their sophomore album The Crown City Rockers deliver their self-dubbed “move ya head to this music” nicely. While much of the album is considerably down-tempo, there are high-speed moments like the wild, feverish “Fortitude” where Raashan is able to keep up the pace of a young Rakim alongside Gift of Gab of Blackalicious. For the most part, however, Earthtones is an album to cool out to while you reminisce about slices of hip-hop’s past. But if you’ve been listening to hip-hop for more than a few years it may also leave you wondering, ‘Were they aware that those melodies have been used before’.