In the Crowd

AMG Review of In the Crowd

Clayton Purdom
All Music Guide

Kidz in the Hall's primary gift is malleability: Double O can sound like anybody, and Naledge can flow over anything. On tracks like "Drivin' Down the Block" and "Mr. Alladatshit," where they set their sights on Banger and Lupe Fiasco, respectively, the results are thrilling if uninventive. Elsewhere, the results are merely uninventive, as on "Snob Hop," which apes Camp Lo so bad the Kidz decided to just have Camp Lo actually rap on the track, or the hand-wringing "Inner Me," which contains such treacly musings as "Does heaven have a currency?" The record can be a bit diffuse, flowing more like another artist's greatest hits than a self-contained statement, but to their credit, they do mostly sound like hits. Kidz in the Hall straddle the indie/bling divide interestingly -- and, most importantly, entertainingly.