Cex - Being Ridden

Cex
Being Ridden
Temporary Residence Ltd.
Grade: A-

Rjyan Kidwell (aka, Cex) is back on his fifth release to unleash more geeky white rap mixed with an amazing sense of harmonies, folk roots and indie rock. Kidwell released his first album "Role Model" in 2000 while a freshman at Johns Hopkins for Kid606's label Tigerbeat6. Over time, Kidwell has redefined and sharpened his craft, thus producing one of the coolest records of 2003 with Being Ridden. Though the construction of Cex is centered on electronic hip-hop, it is better characterized and completed through a plethora of musical styles. Some songs are straight up hip-hop, others employ piano, others acoustic guitars. Hence, each song is different from the previous or next and thus each is a memorable experience. Though as a pure rap lyricist Cex may be slightly below par of the top players in the genre, for pure ingenuity he ranks among the very best. Some songs you would characterize as "silly," others may be noted for satirical wit. With guests on the record including Craig Wedren and Venetian Snares, Kidwell often prefers to provide his own backing vocals, which fits the music concept perfectly. Among the hip-hop orientated tracks includes "The Wayback Machine" which is a nice introduction to Cex and contains a great mid-song onslaught of electronic thrash. "Earth-Shaking Event" is a very funny number that delivers hits against pop and rap music as well as shots at Kidwell himself. "Not Working" is a song about Kidwell as the artist of Cex and all the potential bad things that accompany such a personality and lifestyle. "Stamina" kicks off with the unforgettable line of "I'm driving a hearse full of bikini-clad girls" and then goes on to dazzle. "Cex At Arm's Length" is essentially an emo song with a well-laid electronic beat underneath. This song easily cross-pollinates so many genres that it transcends inherent musical biases. The acoustic instrumental on "See Ya Never, Sike" and "Nevermind" adds to this mystic. Being Ridden is such a spellbinding release you would do well to pick up this magic.