In 2007, during the golden age of Myspace, DJ A-Trak released a single from a loud mouthed Chicago babysitter with acrylic nails that even the most stylish Harajuku girl would die for. In fact, Kid Sister‘s single was an addictive, manicured mix of her precocious flow and house-y Chicago style club beats,  devoted to the prestige of her “Pro Nails.” It even had a top coat of post-Graduation, pre-”Imma let you finish” Kanye West to give it more pop credibility. I had nothing but high hopes for a Kid Sis full length. After the release of two more singles “Control” (remixed by Chromeo) and “Beeper” (remixed by The Count and Sinden) the interweb was buzzing. Ultraviolet was originally slated to be named “Dream Date” and included “Beeper” but was changed during the recording process in favor of the resulting clubby Fool’s Gold flavor. Despite this decision (for marketability?) there are still a number of  gritty hip hop tracks on the record that put current auto-tuned fembots to shame.

“She’s a bit nasally and predictable, but the focus isn’t on her rhymes as much as it is on her ability to MC. These tracks are meant to get you hyped up and dance, not just stand there and nod your head.”

She’s been heralded as Kanye’s protege, but that is a bit of a short-sell of her individual talent. Kid Sister applies her refreshingly carefree finesse throughout the album in a way that Kanye’s ego wouldn’t allow him. On “Let Me Bang 2009″ she isn’t rapping about bogus wads of borrowed industry cash or designer jean endorsements, she’s rapping about “doing her laundry with pockets of change.” The closest she even comes to mentioning her new-found fame is on “Life On TV” which is more advice of keeping it cool in front of the cameras (“don’t pat your weave”) than a jaded starlet cursing the paparazzi. “Switchboard” is a juke anthem throwback to her Chicago roots where she started MCing parties hosted by her brother’s DJ duo Flosstradamus. To be fair Kid Sister does not have a legendary flow. She’s a bit nasally and predictable, but the focus isn’t on her rhymes as much as it is on her ability to MC. These tracks are meant to get you hyped up and dance, not just stand there and nod your head.  My only complaint about this album is that they cut “Beeper”  (“you ain’t gonna get none, cuz you paged me 69!”) which had one of my favorite music videos of the year (provided below). You need this album for all of your cabin fever parties this winter.