ARTIST: Kid Ink
ALBUM: My Own Lane
LABEL: RCA
RELEASE DATE: January 7, 2014
Makin’ His Way
Written by Jeremy Weeden
Kid Ink is back on the scene with his latest album My Own Lane. As the title states, Kid Ink is finding his niche with his own brand of radio friendly, melodic hip-hop. “Show Me” with Chris Brown is the album’s first single and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #19 and Kid Ink hopes to continue this success with My Own Lane.
The opening track, “Hello World” is a catchy tune that Kid Ink’s sing-song flow goes perfectly over. This upbeat song is perfect for Top 40 radio and is a prime example of Kid Ink’s lane. Kid Ink celebrates his successes with lyrics like “You ain’t gotta wait no more I got what you came for/I said fucking with me promise that you’ll wake up with a hangover/Champagne, we celebrating for every day that we never ate/It’s evident Imma never change gonna be this way forever baby.”
The album continues with “The Movement” a bass-heavy track produced by Danja, Timbaland’s former protégé. The beat is classic hip-hop with hard drums and synths while Kid Ink raps about his movement and what he is about. Things get freaky on “Iz U Down” Kid Ink’s ode to bisexual girls. He raps “I could tell by the way you’ve been lookin’ at yo girlfriend/I could tell by the way you’ve been dancing wit yo girlfriend/Can I ask?/Iz u down? Iz u down?”
My Own Lane slows down with “We just Came to Party” featuring New Orleans crooner August Alsina. “We Just Came to Party” is a smooth flowing song that sounds perfect for the clubs or cruising in the summertime. This track, produced by The Runners, has an excellent hook that is sure to have everyone singing along.
The next song finds Kid Ink linking back up with Chris Brown for “Main Chick.” This song produced by DJ Mustard showcases his signature sound also featured on “Show Me.” “Main Chick” is in a similar vein to “Show Me” and while the beat is slower, it has all the makings of a hit as well.
“No Option” featuring King Los finds the two rappers trading bars and is one of the standout tracks on My Own Lane. King Los proves the hype surrounding him is well warranted with a scathing verse: “I might have dropped outta college, but I mastered cash/I get the old school scratch Grand Master Flash/You looking like Kris Kross with a bag of hash/Because you must be high with yo backwards ass/ballin niggas work at Walmart, where they play at/Turn em into a Target when I show them where the K at/Say jack I’m wheelin in the fortune lay back/Rain like April but I might bring May back or my back/Cause my neck and my back aching/My mack and my tech for my slab of bacon…Damn Ink, what these niggas ain’t learned it before/I make home look good like the furniture store.”
“More Than a King” is another one of the strongest songs on the album. The beats and movie samples on this creative song recall that of classic Wu-Tang tracks. Kid Ink also notes this as he raps, “Let somebody else check the check/In my city protect yo neck/It’s more than a method, man of the year I’m the man of the hour/Sold-out shows before I sold one album.”
With My Own Lane Kid Ink proves he has successfully made the jump from the underground mixtape circuit to the main stream. The album has excellent production and a lot of catchy, melodic club ready songs. Kid Ink should be able to fill the airwaves with singles from My Own Lane as well as continuing to pave his own way.