Rakim & Ken-Y - Masterpiece (CD)

All Music Guide

A few short years after jumping feet first into the recording industry, reggaeton duo Rakim y KenY have found themselves the object of a lot of attention. Having clawed their way up the ranks from a nowhere deal with Money Machine records to catching the eye of reggaeton mogul Raphy Pina of Pina Records, Rakim y KenY are an almost overnight success story. Going from virtually no airplay to breaking onto Billboard's Top 200 within the space of 2 years is almost unheard of in the recording industry, but reggeaton's rapidly growing popularity and fan base are ever hungry for new and fresh heroes. Rakim (Jose Nieves) and KenY (Kenny Vasquez) follow a popular model, with one member covering the vocal duties (KenY) leaving the rapping to the other (Rakim.) Their breakthrough hit, "Down" sets the trend for their debut record, Masterpiece, with clean lyrics that shy away from common themes of partying and violence in favor of more romantic material. The production, mainly handled by KenY, is a... little less sophisticated and vibrant than the average. The tracks tend to be simple, featuring KenY's vocals more consistently than his counterpart. The lyricism is similarly "what you see is what you get." Rakim and KenY seem to be on top of the world, thanks to their debut success. However, king of the mountain seems to be a fast paced and dangerous game in the world of reggaeton. - Evan C. Gutierrez, All Music Guide Read more Less