Polymath – Noun; Renaissance man; A person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. Does the Orlando, FL emcee, Kim, fit this picture proclaimed in the beginning of his debut album? Channeling his inner Van Gogh, Kim grabs the listener’s ear by utilizing cryptic lyrics as acrylic pastels, flawless flow of rapping and singing as variant brush strokes, and a checkered past for texture to create an impressionistic masterpiece titled The Polymath. In-house producer, Jove Beats, provides the canvas Kim paints his album on. Jove Beats is responsible for each 17 tracks on the album including exemplary songs like Throne, Crown, Mic, and Control Yourself. Jove Beats uniquely intertwines the threads from distinct 90s R&B and hiphop samples from artists such as Biggie and Nas, with modern day pop samples like Miley Cyrus’s ‘We Can’t Stop’, Kanye West’s ‘New Slaves’, and Pharrell & Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’, with the final thread from 808 produced boom baps thus allowing Kim to portray his vision superbly.
The Polymath is A self portrait of the Gemini emcee, Kim. Each 17 tracks harvest ‘the truest expression’ of Kim’s experiences, talents, and versatility. The suicide of Kim’s Filipino father, Stephon, adds the rugged texture of reinvigoration whilst an earthy crimson color flushes the canvas embodying a newly enliven passion as Stephon’s son uses the tragedy as a catalyst, taking his exhilarating flow from broad strokes of witty wordplay to precise singing with punctual delivery that exclaims a definite direction to convey his dream into a reality. Taking a step back to admire the exquisite blending of faith, and journey on The Polymath leaves an eternal impression of feeling better forever and forever better.
Artwork by Anand Sheth