Florida: Hip Hop's Best Kept Secret? [Part 1 - CYNE]

CYNE (Cultivating Your New Experience)
"Steady" from Movements 12" (2003, Botanica del Jibaro)
"Automaton (Four Tet Remix)" from Running Water 12" (2005, City Centre Offices)

I had the pleasure of getting my hands on an advance copy of CYNE's sophomore album, "Evolution Fight" in March. We're at the end of July, it's yet to leave my rotation. Consistant conscious lyricism backed by soulful beats, this album is solid end-to-end and not to be slept on. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up when it drops, it has "Top 5 of 2005" written all over it (at least in my opinion).

It's a shame their music isn't readily available in the United States. I had a hard time purchasing their music, even through online Hip Hop retailers. I finally managed to cop both a Japanese version of their debut album "Time Being" and a Japan-only collection of b-sides entitled "CYNE Collection (1999-2003)" through the online retailer Forced Exposure. $21 a pop is a little steep, but it was well worth it. If you enjoy the music, definitely go out and (attempt?) to cop a release. Hopefully their sophomore effort will be a little more easy to come by stateside.

To learn more about this Florida-based Hip Hop crew hit up CYNE's Official Website or their MySpace. "Evolution Fight" is due out August 23rd, 2005 on City Centre Offices (CCO).