Hurt but all the wiser for it, Ka uses the conceit of chess to tie together this document of his journey from hard-as-nails thug to saved rapper.
The Night's Gambit is the best example yet of Ka's take-it-or-leave-it rap-auteurist style. Content-wise, it's hindsight-fraught, regret-filled hip-hop from a man, now in his early forties, who better understands his past transgressions now, even if he doesn't feel any better about them.
The Brooklyn rapper's thoughts scan well on paper, then unspool in a delivery that lets the internal rhyme structure provide the emotional emphasis.
I said it before, but Ka is one of the most unique artist in the whole hip-hop genre. He’s the best at doing what he does.
The Night’s Gambit is one of his best albums, but the thing is that Ka doesn’t have no bad album so every album of his could be considered his best.
As always, in this album we listen to an introspective, vulnerable and teaching Ka. Full of bars over beautiful and dark instrumentals
Favorite songs: Jungle, Nothing Is, Soap Box, Knighthood, 30 Pieces of ... read more
Ka is one of the greatest lyricists of our modern age. The way he tells his stories with creative metaphors and references is nothing short of brilliant, and his vast knowledge of culture, religion, music, and history is on full display through his witty double entendres. Every word is carefully placed to detail the struggles of growing up in the streets, having watched and made sacrifices just to survive, even when the odds are stacked against black. The careful precision in the storytelling ... read more
While not a supremely exciting listen, Ka's 3rd project "The Night's Gambit" features tons of food for thought rhymes, strange, yet captivating rapping style and use of samples, somewhat obscured but great production, as well as a smooth yet gritty vibe flowing throught
Not really game changing for the time it was released, but a really solid listen overall
Light 8 outta 10 for me for sure
Not quite as good as some of his other work like Descendants of Cain, Honor Killed the Samurai, Orpheus vs the Sirens, Languish Arts/Woeful Studies but still a good album. Standouts are jungle, soap box, 30 pieces of silver, and knighthood.
1 | You Know It's About 3:33 | 90 |
2 | Our Father 3:13 | 88 |
3 | Jungle 3:47 | 89 |
4 | Barring the Likeness 3:26 | 81 |
5 | Nothing Is 2:41 | 82 |
6 | Soap Box 3:37 feat. Roc Marciano | 79 |
7 | Peace Akhi 4:04 | 88 |
8 | Knighthood 3:20 | 85 |
9 | 30 Pieces of Silver 3:30 | 86 |
10 | I'm Ready 3:52 | 85 |
11 | Off the Record 4:00 | 90 |
#7 | / | Red Bull |
#8 | / | Spin |
#9 | / | The Needle Drop |
#11 | / | Drowned in Sound |
#11 | / | FACT Magazine |
#21 | / | Complex |
#37 | / | eMusic |
/ | NPR Music |