Records Broken / Alpha Pup :: 2002
daddykev.com :: buy this record

The isappointed fans, though, can always go back to his first releases. They can rediscover some imperfect but pleasant albums: Souldoubt for example, and its many hits, the record which should have made him a star; or Slanguage, a testimony of the time when Daddy Kev melted rap and free jazz. And, last but not least, Number 3 on the Phone, the closest thing to a classic he would ever deliver.

This record, though, was not made to conquer the world. Originally, it was just a CD-R, available in 300 units only on Alworus' own label, and later rereleased by Germany's VinylKings on vinyl, before Daddy Kev's Alpha Pup made it available again, exclusively in a digital format. The record had some hits, like the latin sounding "Decompose", but it was overall much quieter and more laid-back than its predecessor, Souldoubt, with jazzy tracks like "Suck My Brain" or the remix of "Wild is the Wind", sang by an unknown girl with a velvet sounding voice.

However, and with the help of Daddy Kev's production, Awol One was at his best: he was this complex character, who was able to move in the blink of an eye from anti-wack braggadocio ("Idiot Breath") to self-depreciation, alternatively rapping in a direct and self-confident way, or mumbling like a loser. Also, more than most of his other records, Number 3 on the Phone had a limited number of weak tracks. "Zygote", maybe, was the only one. And this album also disclosed one of Awol One's strongest songs, "Carnage Asada", a long rambling about some lost love, delivered in a trance with some kind of sing-song, with voluptuous piano sounds.

"If I die without having a Grammy, or if I never be on TRL, that's OK, I know who I am, and my friends and my fans". Thus prophesized Awol One prophesized on this record. Indeed, he would never blow up; he would stay a cult rapper. He wouldn't extend much his fan circle, but those would know how to cherish Number 3 on the Phone, and how to appreciate a rapper, by then at the top of his talent.