Once upon a time, the 57th Street Rogue Dog Villains ruled Kansas City. "Let's Get Fucked Up," a syrupy, low-riding ode from the 2000 album My Dogs for Life, could be heard blasting from cars from the suburban enclaves of Olathe up to Prospect Avenue. Like a prison after a riot, the Rogue Dogs had the city on lock. Soon, however, the group — and its hype — disappeared. Original member Tech N9ne went on to become one of the country's highest-selling independent rap artists, but, until now, his crew members had mostly labored in obscurity. The September 15 release of a new album from ex-Villain Big Scoob on Tech's label, Strange Music, marks a reunion of sorts between Tech and his former crew, a small reminder of what was once the city's most promising and popular rap group. Sonically, Monsterifik is close enough to the clapping rhythms and crawling gangster hymns of RDV to make old fans nostalgic. And while it's not original in content or form, the album smartly follows an already proven formula. "Street Life," for example, distills Killa City living into a soulful R&B hook, with loose, free-spirited flows about the gangster lifestyle. The simplicity is unapologetic and many times refreshing. Monsterifik is a welcome, head-bobbing trip down memory lane.
