Kam Moye: Splitting Image

Formerly known as Supastition and as a battle MC and knight of the underground, the artist now known as Kam Moye focuses his energy in a positive direction. A lot of this album deals with making mistakes and earning forgiveness or second chances afterward. On songs like “Stars”. Moye will be very easy to relate to for some listeners. He’s clear in his message and backs it up with reasonably clever lyrics.

The problem with this album is that, content aside, it doesn’t stand out musically, save for the sample for “Let’s Be Honest”. “Reality Check” sounds like a b-side to Torae & Marco Polo’s Double Barrel. “No Substitute” blends Black Milk and Oddisee, perhaps incoherently. While Veterano is the unlikely hero both times he produces, it’s hard to hear M-Phazes rehash Jay-Z’s “Song Cry” on “Don’t Forget”. Substantial just can’t shake that Bobby Glenn sample’s ghosts. “Nobody’s Fool” faces similar struggles, which is a shame because both songs aren’t doing much wrong besides fail to live up to previous entries in their genealogy.

These aren’t harsh criticisms of Splitting Image, though, because this is a personal album for Moye, and he’s really on his A-game with most of the tracks here. He’s not the most impressive MC, but like Fashawn or Blu, he’s articulate when it comes to laying out a life story across a record. Fans ought to be pleased, as well as fans of that QN5/Justus League southern hip-hop.