Home is Where the Flows Are

Kansas City natives Ubiquitous and Godemis kept it local when they signed with fellow KC rapper Tech N9ne’s label Strange Music under the moniker CES Cru. In fact, their latest album Constant Energy Struggles is dedicated to their hometown. 2012 saw both members releasing a solo mix tape followed by the well-received EP 13, but even after that these two still had a lot to say; like diarrhea, they are just full of sick flows that can’t be contained no matter how hard they try.

“Lotus” is the first track leading the bombardment of lyrical artillery that is taking aim at the listeners’ eardrums. Godemis leads the assault claiming “those rhymes are fucking recycled/no wonder you niggas bore me.” The next track on deck is “Juice,” and it’s a welcomed refresher of old school hip hip. From the beat to the sirens, all the way to the DJ tearing up the record it has everything one has grown to love about that classic sound, and even Tech N9ne himself blesses the track with a verse.

Two stand-out tracks on this album both contain contributions from the talented Liz Suwandi. Suwandi’s voice is captivating and deserves to be more prevalent in the future. Both “Smoke” and “Daydream” have a more laid-back groove than the other songs on the album, though slowing down the beat doesn’t mean Ubiquitous or Godemis slack on the amount of words they can cram into a verse.

When the last track on Constant Energy Struggles ends, you know you just witnessed something special. Not everday does an album in its entirety put a smile on your face; not because the content is cheerful or whimsical, but because goddamn these two are talented.