Being yourself in the music industry is probably the most difficult thing for a major-label act to do. With the label heads reaching their hands out for a catchy single, fitting in the narrow restraints that define musical genres, the constant fear of writer’s block stalling an album’s progress, and the paying public wanting to hear something similar to what they heard the last time they turned their radio on, it would be easy for an artist to fall to that pressure of changing themselves for the almighty dollar.

However, when artists throw up their middle finger to the people trying to change them and just make the music they want to make, it can have some interesting results. The Knux, a two man group of leather jacket wearing, white girl loving, New Orleans rappers followed the more risky path of creating their own sound and sticking with it for their debut album Remind Me In 3 Days.

Remind Me In 3 Days was composed, musically and lyrically, by Krispy and Al. The album flows somewhat smoothly, with intros and outros to just about every song, but it goes by so seamlessly that it’s hard to decipher one song from the next. Although their delivery is interesting and their beats are complex, one leaves the album with nothing to digest. The songs all follow similar playboy-lifestyle concepts and never really delve into any sort of emotion or give a listener any chance to get to know the artists. Given their back story, having suffered the fallout of Hurricane Katrina, it’s a shame we learn nothing more about them other their names.

The basic formula of any given Knux track is as follows: hard rock guitar + Hip-Hop beat – a decade of drum pattern progression + long-winded, winding, all-encompassing hooks doubled and bubbled ad nauseam. The arch of the album is a messy incline of up-tempo guitars, synth noises, bass, and out of control drums, peaking by the seventh track, “Train,” and taking a dark, heady downturn into awkward auditory angst. “Train” is a standout because it deviates from the rest of the album as an elevated BPM, booty-jiggling jaunt. But with noir tracks like “Shine Again” and “Life In A Cage” the Knux wink at rock/rap hybrids like Insane Clown Posse, without pushing into the white suburbanite thrash and trash of horrorcore. The front half of the album is a bit sunnier, though lost to lukewarm concepts and production value such as with singles “Cappuccino” and “Bang Bang.”

In all, the left field wanderings of The Knux strike a strong chord; whether for or against their rockabillyrapathon. Unfortunately, though the rappers are talented, the music errs on the side of migraine-induced, tunnel-vision confusion. There is a niche for The Knux, but whether or not the industry and general public are ready for The Knux’ progression and regression remains to be seen. And whether or not The Knux are ready for the industry and public is as big a mystery.

2.5 CIGARETTES