It’s hard to imagine a new generation of hip hop kids influenced by smooth, ‘90s-styles, but The Happy Unfortunate know how to use jazzy beats and neo-soul instrumentals behind a voice that echoes Camp Lo. At 15 and 19 respectively, DJ Envoy and Malcolm-Jay show musical appreciation beyond their years, sounding like the offspring of Dead Prez’s Mind Sex and A Tribe Called Quest’s Electric Relaxation. Malcolm-Jay is honest but Envoy’s lyrics and tone still need maturing. As a producer/MC duo I would’ve liked to hear more collective writing and arranging like their influences – rhyming together instead of verses that sound like they were recorded in separate studios. Songs are short, seemingly unfinished, making it easy to mistake tracks with interludes. I would easily enjoy a live show, martini in hand, because with the right idea The Happy Unfortunate’s potential could lead them somewhere.

Published in Volume 63, Number 24 of The Uniter (March 19, 2009)