| A Piece of Strange | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 24, 2006 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 54:09 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Producer | Kno | |||
| CunninLynguists chronology | ||||
| ||||
A Piece of Strange is the third studio album by the Southern hip hop trio CunninLynguists, consisting of Kno, Deacon the Villain and Natti. It was released January 24, 2006, by The LA Underground, a record label based in New Mexico. [1]
The “high-concept record” [2] tells the "tale of the pathway to and from sin". [3] The album was produced entirely by Kno, and vocals are by Kno, Deacon the Villain and Natti, who joined the group prior to the recording of the album. [4] Featured guest vocalists include Cee-Lo Green, Immortal Technique, and Tonedeff. Deacon and Kno have both cited the album's importance to their careers in interviews, with Kno calling it a "turning point" for the group. [4] CunninLynguists toured domestically and overseas in support of the album, appearing with acts such as Depeche Mode, Kanye West, Bun B, and Pharrell Williams. [5] [6] [7]
The album's cover art is by Becky Cloonan. Cloonan's collaboration with CunninLynguists occurred following her listing their song "Love Ain't" as something she was listening to in an issue of her comic Demo . [8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Hype |  [9] |
| IGN | (9/10) [10] |
| HipHopDX |  [11] |
| RapReviews | (8.5/10) [12] |
| Okayplayer | [13] |
| Scratch | (8/10) [14] |
| SputnikMusic |  [15] |
| URB | [16] |
A Piece of Strange received widespread acclaim from critics, with XXL calling it "soulful", "raw", and "sophisticated", [17] URB calling it "a piece of beauty", [16] Scratch calling it "top-shelf", [14] CMJ calling it a "beautiful...dense opera", [18] and The A.V. Club calling it "vast and ambitious". [19] Since its release in 2006, the album has been mentioned as one of the most important underground hip hop albums and praised for portraying a narrative not visited in any previous hip hop album. [20]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Where Will You Be?" | 1:03 |
| 2. | "Since When" | 4:02 |
| 3. | "Nothing to Give" | 3:30 |
| 4. | "Caved In" (featuring Cee Lo Green) | 3:17 |
| 5. | "Hourglass" | 3:21 |
| 6. | "Beautiful Girl" | 3:24 |
| 7. | "Inhale (Interlude)" | 2:02 |
| 8. | "Brain Cell" | 4:23 |
| 9. | "America Loves Gangsters" (featuring Tim Means) | 4:28 |
| 10. | "Never Know Why" (featuring Immortal Technique) | 3:51 |
| 11. | "The Gates" (featuring Tonedeff) | 4:05 |
| 12. | "Damnation (Interlude)" | 1:38 |
| 13. | "Hellfire" | 2:29 |
| 14. | "Remember Me (Abstract/Reality)" | 4:26 |
| 15. | "What'll You Do?" | 2:43 |
| 16. | "The Light" (featuring Club Dub) | 5:30 |
| Total length: | 54:09 | |
Notes
Credits for A Piece of Strange adapted from AllMusic. [21]
Underground hip-hop is an umbrella term for hip hop music that is outside the general commercial canon. It is typically associated with independent artists, signed to independent labels or no label at all. Underground hip hop is often characterized by socially conscious, positive, or anti-commercial lyrics. However, there is no unifying or universal theme – AllMusic suggests that it "has no sonic signifiers". "The Underground" also refers to the community of musicians, fans and others that support non-commercial, or independent music. Music scenes with strong ties to underground hip hop include alternative hip hop and conscious hip hop. Many artists who are considered "underground" today were not always so, and may have previously broken the Billboard charts.
CunninLynguists is an American hip hop group from Lexington, Kentucky. The group consists of Deacon the Villain, Kno, and Natti.
Pedro Antonio Rojas, Jr., better known by his stage name Tonedeff, is an American rapper, producer, singer-songwriter and record executive.
SouthernUnderground is the second studio album by American hip hop trio CunninLynguists. It was released on April 1, 2003 via FreshChest Records. Recording sessions took place at Deacon's Crib in Lexington, Kentucky. Production was handled by member Kno, who also served as executive producer, Domingo, Freshchest Prose and RJD2. It features guest appearances from Cashmere The PRO, Masta Ace, Supastition and Tonedeff.
Will Rap for Food is the debut album by southern hip hop group CunninLynguists, at the time only consisting of Deacon the Villain and Kno. It was released October 2001 on Urban Acres Entertainment. The album is mostly produced by Kno, with contributions from Celph Titled and Deacon the Villain, respectively, on the singles "So Live!" and "616 Rewind", which was released via Buds Distribution. Will Rap for Food was re-issued in 2005 by Freschest Records.
Dirty Acres is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group CunninLynguists. It was released November 27, 2007 on APOS Music and Bad Taste Records. The album is entirely produced by Kno and features guest appearances from Big Rube, Devin the Dude, Phonte of Little Brother, Witchdoctor of Dungeon Family, Sheisty Khrist and Club Dub.
Cody Foster, better known by his stage name Sadistik, is an American alternative hip hop artist from Seattle, Washington. He is not currently signed to a label.
Strange Journey Volume One is the third mixtape and the first installment in the Strange Journey Series from Southern hip hop group CunninLynguists, released on March 24, 2009. The release features guest appearances from Killer Mike, Khujo of Goodie Mob, Skinny DeVille and Fish Scales of Nappy Roots, Slug of Atmosphere, Tonedeff, PackFM, Substantial, Mac Lethal, Looptroop Rockers, Hilltop Hoods, and former group member Mr. SOS. It is entirely produced by Kno.
Strange Journey Volume Two is the fourth mixtape by Southern hip-hop group CunninLynguists, released on November 3, 2009. The album features guest appearances from E-40, Sean Price, Witchdoctor, Evidence, Geologic of Blue Scholars and Tonedeff, among others. The production is mostly handled by Kno, with contributions from Blue Sky Black Death and J-Zone. Strange Journey Volume Two followed the July 2009 release of Strange Journey Volume One.
Willis Garnett Polk II, better known by his stage name Deacon the Villain, is an American hip hop recording artist and record producer from Versailles, Kentucky. He is a founding member of the hip hop group CunninLynguists. Deacon has produced for the likes of KRS-One, King Tee, and J-Ro from Tha Liks, among others. Deacon the Villain has been featured in notable journalism sources such as XXL, Pop Matters, HipHopDX, and Exclaim!, among others.
Str8 Killa is the debut EP by rapper Freddie Gibbs. It was released on August 3, 2010 through Decon Records and Gibbs Family.
Death Is Silent is the debut solo album by American producer/rapper Kno, a founding member of the hip hop trio CunninLynguists. It was released on October 12, 2010. The whole album was produced by Kno and features guest appearances by Thee Tom Hardy, Tunji, Nemo Achida, Substantial, Sheisty Khrist, CunninLynguists members Natti and Deacon the Villain and QN5 Music founder Tonedeff.
Oneirology is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group CunninLynguists, released in 2011. It peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, as well as number 69 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Benjamin Howard Laub, better known by his stage name Grieves, is an American hip hop artist based in Seattle, Washington. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he has lived in Colorado, San Diego, and New York City. He is signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment.
Omar Rogelio Tull, better known by his stage name PackFM, is an American Underground hip hop artist and producer from Brooklyn, New York City. As a teenager in the mid-1990s, PackFM began his battle career, winning numerous prestigious freestyle titles. These wins include the 88HipHop MC Battle Champion, where he was inducted into their Hall of Fame after four undefeated months, Braggin Rites tournament in 1999, Everlast Harlem Lyricist Championship in 2003, and three undefeated months in the 24 Hour MC Battle sponsored by TDK.
Stanley Robinson, known as Substantial, is an American hip hop recording artist from Prince George's County, Maryland. He now operates out of Virginia.
Strange Journey Volume Three is a 2014 mixtape by American hip hop group CunninLynguists. It peaked at number 37 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart.
Ryan Dean Wisler, better known by his stage name Kno, is an American alternative hip hop rapper, producer, and singer. He is a founding member of the hip hop groups CunninLynguists and Built to Fade. Kno is currently signed to QN5 Music and APOS Music. In 2010, Kno was named "one of the top loop-miners east of the Mississippi" by URB.
Still Motion is the first studio album by American hip hop artist Natti, a member of the hip hop group CunninLynguists. It was released September 24, 2013 on APOS Music.
Anna Wise is an American singer, who has independently released music as a member of bands Sonnymoon and Built to Fade. She became more widely known for her collaborations with rapper Kendrick Lamar and hip hop group CunninLynguists. She won a Grammy Award for her collaboration with Lamar, "These Walls".
