Innanet James - 'Keep It Clean' Review

Innanet James has managed to both stay under the radar of the rap game whilst also hitting the mainstream in quite peculiar fashion. His songs have featured in media such as Madden NFL 19 and in the hit TV show Dear White People, whilst his collaborators include Pusha T, Kaytranada and Lou Phelps. Yet most have never heard of the D.C born rapper, let alone listened to any of his music. His Twitter and Facebook accounts have under 4000 followers each and the video for his single ‘Amazing’ - exhibiting powerful symbolism of slavery and imprisonment - only amassed just over 5000 views. I accidentally discovered him upon hearing his track with Kaytranada and Phelps titled ‘What Time Is It’, leading me to stumble onto his impeccable 2016 album Quebec Place. I could not believe I had never heard of the rapper, so I dug a little deeper and conducted some further research, bringing to light his poor performance at Bonnaroo that shocked many of his fans that had come to see him as his DJ seemed to play for longer than the rapper himself. It seemed like James’ performance was similar to his namesake; as an internet rapper, he had not learned the art of performing to a crowd. Yet the calibre of his music was there for all to see and his newest release Keep It Clean picks up where Quebec Place left off.

The opening track ‘The Cool’ sets the tone for the album as James exhibits his rapping ability in one flowing verse over a hard-hitting instrumental that feels like it closes the gap between modern and ‘classic’ Hip-Hop. Although the rest of the tracks on the project fit a more traditional structure, kicking off with this kind of energy really got me intrigued by the rest of the album and had my undivided attention. James seems to sound unique whilst also not having any sonic repetition throughout the album as the project moves onto groovy, funky bass-line synths on ‘Memories’ that includes an upbeat guest spot from Taliwoah, probably heard best on loud speakers; this could rightfully have been the single from the album and I don’t think many would have complained. Features are an aspect of this project done exceptionally well as Rexx Life Raj and Pusha T each come through with quality flows and wordplay to compliment James’ raps, whilst KALLITECHNIS’ silky hook on ‘Better Without You’ hits a nerve on the theme of acceptance regarding a prior relationship.

The limited information online about this album means its production credits are somewhat anonymous, but every instrumental is of the highest quality and each compliment James’ raps to convey its message perfectly. The soulful, muffled sample on ‘Amazing’ and the stirring, expressive keys on the final track ‘Kept Clean’ help demonstrate the emotion James puts in to his lyrics and compliment the message he conveys. However, these tracks are successfully juxtaposed by ‘Where We Go’ and ‘Way Up’ respectively, which adopt a modern R&B/Hip-Hop hybrid sound with elements of trap drums. The lead single ‘Bag’ somehow manages to capture traditional Hip-Hop with a great piano sample, mainstream rap with its trap-like hi-hats and bass whilst still maintaining the eccentric composition and tone of the rest of the album in fantastic fashion that really demonstrates James’ growing ability.

I had high hopes for this album before its release and, although only 22 minutes in length, it captures everything I could have wanted it to. It ranges from thoughtful to excitable, with incredible production and masterful flows that would be much more critically acclaimed had they come for a more mainstream artist. Innanet James appears to have a small but extremely loyal fanbase that are just as pleased with this album as I am and it seems that his impending ‘blow-up’ into the rap game is more a matter of when than if.

Favourite track: 'Where We Go'

8/10