Many listeners will know Kidd Kidd from his appearance on Lil Wayne’s “Mrs. Officer” or his 50 Cent-assisted buzz single “Better Walk,”
but his debut album The Reallionaire is notably devoid of any cameos. This approach may be evidence of the former Young Money emcee (now signed to Sha Money XL’s Big Money Ventures) looking for a chance to prove himself as a soloist instead of a sidekick. Unfortunately, this album only shows that Kidd Kidd’s got a lot of work to do before he can capably hold together an entire project on his own.
While Kidd Kidd’s “realness” may not be a point of contention, his song-making skills are dubious. When lyrical subject matter is limited to stereotypical street talk, the music often goes down easier if the artist has creative delivery, charisma, or engaging production. Unfortunately, The Reallionaire boasts none of these. Kidd Kidd tends to repeat the same words within bars to rhyme with each other, and colorless wordplay—“on some real shit, I love yo’ ass/I mean real talk, I love yo ass” on the bachelor’s anthem “Faithful,” and a chorus that refrains, “put me in the game coach, and I’ma win the game coach, you need me to win the game coach” on “Big Bankroll”—makes his bars tough to swallow. Kidd Kidd’s off-kilter flow resembles Plies’ teetering yells, but he rarely carries the charisma necessary to mask his lyrical deficiencies. He changes up with a syncopated delivery on “Neva Stop” and a singsongy flow on “Money, Gunz Weed;” but the former gets without a chorus, and the latter falters with uninspiring rhymes.
Rap isn’t just a line-for-line game though, so it isn’t just a matter of witty rhymes. The bulk of The Reallionaire just doesn’t have the elements to make its songs enjoyable. Non-album guest appearances by Lil Wayne (“All On Me”) and 50 (“Better Walk”) would have done the album well – with Kidd’s strength in working with others – and those guests’ ability to make songs that are solid from beginning to end. Instead, listeners are subjected to formulaic, repetitive tracks that lose their luster quickly. Shallow songs like “They Say” and “N.O. Swag” aren’t catchy enough to demand repeated listens, and introspective offerings like “Voices” don’t convey enough detail to evoke emotion. The most consistent facet of the album is the production, and even that is only serviceable at best. The slightly above average beats on The Reallionaire are nothing that can’t be found on other albums with more enjoyable wordsmiths.
Kidd Kidd saves the best of The Reallionaire for last. Despite weak punchlines like “How could the boy that missed so many Christmases be this gifted,” his heartfelt aspirations for success and to stay true to himself raise “Platinum” above mediocrity. Album closer “From Here,” sees him joining emotive rhymes and a soulful chorus to mourn the affects of Hurricane Katrina. The hook’s soulful soundbed makes the song a masterpiece that would stand out on any album. Unfortunately, these two songs come too late in The Reallionaire to make it worth the download.
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