More Than Just Rap

Remind Me in 3 Days (Interscope Records)

The Knux

By Kory Wilcoxson

"Displaced" is a good way to describe rap duo The Knux. Siblings Krispy Kream and Rah Almillio fled New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and landed in Los Angeles, a city with its own kind of natural disasters (the L.A. Clippers, Danny Bonaduce, etc.). The Knux's music is also homeless in the sense that it doesn't fit neatly into any of the categorized bins at your local music peddler's shop.

To call their music "rap" doesn't do justice to the group's multiple layers and influences. Their music is both hodgepodge and homage, meandering from the De La Soul geek rap of "Cappuccino" to the beat box and Fat Boys shout-out on "Life in a Cage." What makes "Remind Me" so enjoyably eclectic is that you never know what the next song is going to offer.

While their lyrics may not break any new ground, The Knux' delivery is fast and fluid without losing its edge. The duo mixes in plenty of electric guitar and synthesizer to keep the sound fresh across the 17 tracks and most of the songs hold up well after repeated listens. While their debut is by no means perfect, it certainly stands apart from a lot of other current rap albums.

It's at www.theknux.com.