Assen K aka Addaboe - Self Driven

www.myspace.com/selfdrivenmusic
Location: Ottawa, ON

Assen K's 'Self Driven' album has a scattered feel, as few of the 23 tracks eclipse the 3 minute mark. This appears to be a calculated move as Assen K's voice and message seem to fall to the background with tracks that are much longer. Or maybe I'm just too distracted and the lack of focus is on my end. I'm gonna go with the belief that it's up to the emcee to grab my attention.

That being said, this is a nice little album. His voice and flow on "No Life" had me scanning my brain of Atlantic Canada emcees. Finally a day later, I figured it out. His sound is eerily similar to Halifax's Jay Bizzy on this track. I was thrown off by the fact that on the following track, "See You Right There," Assen K had me seeing visions of Winnipeg's John Smith. "3 Strikes" is probably my favourite track, as the ridiculous beat had me reminiscing on Jay's "Sunshine," although the theme is flipped. The collaboration with Ottawa mainstay emcees S.T.A.Y and Bender on "Dyno Killas" also rang solid.