MUSIC REVIEW: Glory to the King by Maluda feat Kayvo Kforce

Artiste: by Maluda feat Kayvo Kforce

Song: Glory to the King

Rating: 5/10

Gospel rapper, Maluda bursts into the scene wearing a sleeveless half-coat and black jeans, with an attitude to boot.  A silver chain glitters on his chest, and dangles like a pendulum as he moves around, singing to the lyrics he is spitting.

It’s a show of force from the up-and-coming rapper whose lyrical delivery is smooth and convincing, but dramatically, fades in comparison to his collaborator.

That’s because when Kayvo jostles in with the second verse, his energy and charisma easily surpass Maluda’s as he uses his crispy high tenor to give us gospel rhymes we can take to the bank.

Maluda wouldn’t be too happy to read this, but the track should have been described as Kayvo feat Maluda due to Kayvo’s superior performance.  

There’s also the issue of how the final mix was determined. Maluda’s main vocals in Glory to the King are way too high above the mix, which in simple terms means that the beat is overshadowed by the vocals.

The strings are louder than the kick drum, and the final master has a peculiar, impure filter to it. It’s not that noticeable, but not too faint to be ignored either. Ruth Matete’s Yamenogea song had similar issues in mastering, where the entire song, although well

written, sounded like an imbalanced orchestra performing under water. Also, in keeping up with secular hip-hop culture, Maluda occasionally forgets he’s on a gospel track and grabs his crotch area like most secular rappers do when they’re performing on

stage. It’s unsettling.