Knox Hill - Chaos Theory 2 (Album Initial Thoughts)

 I was supposed to listen to this album on Friday when it dropped, but I was exhausted from work and just wouldn't have gotten anything out of it... It's Sunday now, as I'm writing, and this post will be out on Tuesday.

Checked and he hasn't put the lyrics anywhere yet (I think he probably will, he has a lot of fans who want them).

The album cover

The album cover is Knox standing on a ledge. The scenery before him is a city that's been recently ruined and thrashed, with collapsed shells of high-rise buildings and fires everywhere, no people in sight. He's wearing regular dark clothing, that's perfectly immaculate (no stains or dust or rips) and has just taken off a fallout mask. He looks like he's just been looking down at the city, but is about to turn around and see us standing behind him. He can see us from his peripheral vision. Then it just has his logo and the album title Chaos Theory 2 in plain white all caps letters, AND a yellow Roman numeral II with the Chaos Theory logo in the middle (the fractured infinity symbol we already know from his first Chaos Theory album). Together, they look like the letter H, like, Hill.

My interpretation on the album cover:
- I wonder if Knox destroyed the city or just survived the disaster... Knowing him, the lore is probably that he knew this would happen, tried to warn other people but they wouldn't listen, thought he was a lone survivor of the disaster/apocalypse, but then us, his followers, survived as well. And then we start to talk about it (assuming there's even a hint of a concept here - I've listened to his previous albums as well, but haven't really thought about the possibility of an overarching concept...).
- If he didn't destroy it and we didn't destroy it, who/what did?
- I am aware of the chaos theory, of how it works. Despite it's plot holes, I think the movie Butterfly Effect demonstrates it nicely. Or any time travel movie classic in general. How even the tiniest change in the course of history might change it completely.
- I think he chose the orange-y yellow for the Roman numeral II because the fire is orange-y yellow, so it visually fits the color scheme of the album cover. But there could also be a symbolic meaning. If we go with the interpretation that the Roman numeral and infinity symbol form an H like in Hill, and that the yellow represents fire: There are two sides to Mr. Hill, two sides that look identical (two yellow I's - like "I", "me", Knox Hill). But chaos has arrived in him, separating the two sides of him from each other. And because the infinity symbol is broken, that means the H is broken and that means Knox is broken. Something that has happened to him has broken him.
- That's pretty much it, that's my interpretation. I don't know if it's even close to what he meant by any of it, but it might be. This would sound spot on for something a metal band would do, and Knox kind of has that dark metal-music-y vibe sometimes - not musically, not really lyrically either, but... He just gives off the same vibe, you know, of that same melancholy and even nihilism that metal artists do. And nihilism and the chaos theory actually fit together, now that I think about it - chaos theory says that any small change can lead to any big change in anything, basically, and nihilism believes that to be true and therefore nihilists think that because the world is unpredictable, nothing really matters, everything is meaningless, pointless and in vain. 

The songs

1. Survivor's Guilt.

It's very hectic... Sonically, if we consider this a concept album, this would be the disaster happening - not because the song'd suck, that's not what I mean. I mean that this is the disaster in the sense that it sounds action-packed and anxious in the same way that a movie with a scene like this would be action-packed and the characters in the movie scene would be anxious. It creates a mental image of panic and disorder, because of it's sound.

Lyrics go so fast I can really only catch a word here and another there, nothing I could take and analyze...

2. Drive Thru.

"McLabel" lol. That's such Knox kind of humor. Dad jokes.

I like the lyrics! I'll get into them a little bit.
But the chewing sounds 🤮I can't, I HATE the sound of people chewing, I can't even deal with someone talking too close to the mic - it's fine sometimes, it really depends on the clip, but chewing and any kind of mouth smacking sound people make when they talk, ewwww! So gross!

The hook is a bit boring, but the first verse had some lyrics that might make it a tad better.

The lyrics have a food scheme and doubles all throughout, that's why it's called a "drive thru". I'm not gonna listen to it again, one time hearing those god awful chewing sounds was enough, but... The song is about music labels and how they lure an artist in with promises of getting more followers, monetary gain, etc, but then they push/force you to do all these publicity stunts like getting into beefs and such, because those bring eyes to you, those sell records.
All they care about are album sales, and at least I think we can't really blame them - that's their job. The artist's job is to care about making good art and then make good art, the record label's job is getting the music out there and getting as much people listening to it as possible. They need to do that job with their brain instead of their heart or they'll end up backrupt like the Finnish label Love Records. Their contribution in the history of Finnish rock music is immeasurable, but Atte Blom is just REALLY not a good businessman. Anyway, I digress.
In this song the record labels are the ultimate evil and they just want to OWN the artist, own their souls and make money by using them as pawns. In the end the artist dies and the record label guy is basically like "Aww shoot, he died... Oh well, we'll capitalize on his death for a little while longer and then find another one to exploit". 

I hope that's not the disaster we're seeing in the album cover... We KNOW you're a strong independent man, Knox, you mention it in approximately 50-90% of your songs. Labels take away some freedoms an artist has but they bring other freedoms as well (talented people to work with, great performance and collab opportunities, bigger budgets for music videos). Joining a label is not always the end of the world, it's simply a choice. And as you are well aware of, you're not the only independent artist out there.
There are the Atte Bloms of the world out there who become music producers and found and go backrupt with record labels just because they want to keep releasing new great music that would not otherwise be released, even if the music won't make back the money the label puts into them until decades later, if ever. Just because the music itself is so important.
There are also people like the ones Kesha fought in court against for a decade. She was a pop singer in the 2010s and signed to a label. Her contract stated that she had to work with this certain producer on the albums, as the label liked her songs with his production put together. Then the producer raped Kesha. And Kesha wanted to get off the contract, but the label wouln't let her. She took them to court and after a decade of fighting, she won. It is insane to me that this is even a question. He attacked his coworker. He should be fired and go to jail. Not to downplay what she had to go through, but as someone who was a fan of her music back then and only now gets why that was, it was weird for us too. She just sort of disappeared, because she refused to work with him and was not allowed to work without him or talk about things relating to the court case. And in hindsight, she was one of the pioneers of the hyperpop movement, the thing that I think is the future of pop music. Another one I consider to be a pioneer was Lady Gaga, and look how big she got. Kesha could have been the next Lady Gaga. Instead she's now missed a decade of her career and the public has forgotten about her, so she basically has to start all over again. On top of all the other suffering she had to go through with the rape and the court case and all that crap.

It shouldn't be a shot in the dark like that, though, whether your record label people end up being Atte Bloms or someone who side with your rapist instead of you. Or the shit that kpop artists have to go through. There should be stricter laws on what labels can or cannot do to the artists.

3. Wastelands ft. Viktus & Shelby Morgan.

This a banger! By the end of the first chorus, I was nodding my head up and down. I like the beat, it's upbeat and summery... Even though the song isn't that positive, I think? I'm trying this new thing where I at first listen to the song as normal (=don't really listen to the lyrics, I'm more of an atmosphere and vibe kind of person), and then I re-listen to the song right after to hear the lyrics again, if I think there's something there that I want to pay attention to. I.e. if it's a Knox song, because there more often than not is something interesting there...

Oh, this is riddled with references to different places and things I want to talk about! If he releases the lyrics to the public, I'm breaking this down! I sort of get what it might be about, but I want to interpret deeper before I say anything...

4. Love Is Blind.

This was released as a single over a year ago and I wrote a post about it. Here it is: Knox Hill - Love Is Blind (zinethasmusicblog.blogspot.com)

I've since seen a Patreon video of him talking about the song and how it came to be, so I think I know too much now to have any new original thoughts about it, that I could write about without mentioning anything that he said on that video...

To me, the song is still about addiction and how it pulls you back down over and over again.
No matter what the song is actually about.

As for the musical aspects like flow, I like this song more than when it came out. Partially maybe because I've heard it dozens of times by now and can catch all the bars (although, he did break them down on the video, so I've also heard him say them out loud, you know), but I've also been getting more into these more calm and relaxed cadences in general. 

5. My Time ft. Kxng Crooked & Samad Savage.

Ooh, I remember this coming out! It's a great song! Here's what I wrote about it back then: Knox Hill x Kxng Crooked ft. Samad Savage - My Time (Initial Thoughts & some lyrical breakdown) (zinethasmusicblog.blogspot.com)

I love that beat so much <3 And both of their flows.

6. Fentanyl ft. Ren.

Just came out a week before the album, here are my initial thoughts: Knox Hill ft. Ren - Fentanyl (Initial Thoughts) (zinethasmusicblog.blogspot.com)

He posted a YT video about it and I don't know if I want to see it just yet... He promised to give us the lyrics and I want to try and break them down on my own before having the artist himself do it... Here it is anyway, for future reference: REN HELPED PRODUCE THIS?! | Rapper Reacts to Knox Hill & Ren - Fentanyl (Full Analysis) - YouTube

7. I Need A Minute ft. McGwire.

Came out in December, here are my thoughts and lyrical breakdown I did back then: Knox Hill ft. McGwire - I Need A Minute (Initial Reaction & Lyrical Breakdown) (zinethasmusicblog.blogspot.com)

This is one of the best Knox hooks ever. This song's great in general.

8. The Pot & The Kettle.

Came out in September last year, here are my thoughts: Knox Hill - The Pot & The Kettle (Initial Thoughts) (zinethasmusicblog.blogspot.com)

I remember Knox talking about this one and saying it's a bit weird and me being disappointed at how normal it is lmao 😂 But I get it now. It's different compared to other Knox songs, and quite unique as a hiphop song. I can't name a single other song that I'd compare this to.

I like this song. It's quirky and different.

9. Family Curse.

January this year. Here's the post about this one: Knox Hill - Family Curse (Initial Thoughts) (zinethasmusicblog.blogspot.com)

I like this one as well, the vibe and the musical influences on the beat are quite unique. Props to Samad. I don't listen to this that often, though, the sound is a bit too cheery for my taste.

10. Nightmares.

A new song for me, wasn't a single release.

Not a fan of the autotune effect on his voice. The producer's different, someone called Dominik Wirscing.

Yeah, no. Sorry Knox. I can't. You rock but this production is... no. Just keep working with Samad, Samad rocks as hard as you do.

11. Wow.

August this year, so just a couple months ago. Post: Knox Hill - Wow (Initial Thoughts) (zinethasmusicblog.blogspot.com)

Huh, another producer: Ivan Akhtiamov. Sounds good, I like the echo-y sung melody in the background. 

Knox ate. Viktus ate. Ivan ate.

Hook is fine, quite average.

12. On To The Next One ft. Jarren Benton.

May this year. Knox Hill ft. Jarren Benton - On To The Next One (Initial Thoughts) (zinethasmusicblog.blogspot.com) I REALLY wasn't feeling it 😂It's still not my favorite Knox song, but it's alright. It's not as bad as it sounded back then. Jarren is a dope MC, I like his flows.

Produced by Liam Powers. Different from Samad, but I still like it.

13. Bad Guy ft. Lex Bratcher.

My brain was like: Why do I think I've heard this song, I haven't heard this song?? And it's because of all the other songs called Bad Guy I've heard. Especially In the Middle.'s Good Guy Bad Guy, that song really made an impact on me, and it has a similar vibe to some Knox songs. Melancholic, but not metal at all, definitely hiphop. This chorus could easily be a Knox hook, but I'm glad it is it's own song. If the titles weren't so similar, I wouldn't mind a sample, though. That'd be dope. Anyway, I digress. Let's get to this Bad Guy.

The intro bothers me - I know that man's voice from somewhere... Who is that? Sounds like a children's movie or a cartoon... -- Easy to google, it's from He-Man, that's Skeletor. Which is confusing, because I've only seen clips of it, and those were all dubbed in Finnish. Some were clips of the official dub, some were fan-made with new plots. Finnish Millennial humor of my teen years was just... So bad, but that's what made it so great. Lots of toilet humor, dirty jokes and just... nonsensical random sentences people would then repeat at just as random contexts when they couldn't think of what else to say.
I digressed again, lmao. I've been feeling a bit sick again (I was kinda sick for a month or so, and then felt better for a week or two, and I now I feel myself coming down with a cold again). But that's what this blog is often anyway - my brain, unfiltered. One thing makes me think of another thing and then sometimes it ties back to the original thing and sometimes it doesn't. Like, I'm not surprised Knox has a He-Man sample on his song - he was a boy when that show was on tv and all the boys back then watched it. I'm glad he's embracing his geekier side on his songs, that's a side I can relate to.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥!!!

Lex Bratcher is on my Three Song Listen list, another Knox fan recommended her to me when I asked for good female rappers. She said Sa Roc, Lakeyah and Lex Bratcher. And I'm liking what I'm hearing here! Nice voice, her flow sounds versatile and I really really really really love it when rappers get all dark like this <3 Speaks to the goth in me.

I love this song. 10/10, best from the album. There are other 10/10s as well, but this is the best out of the 10/10s :D

I just want to listen to this on repeat, but there are a couple songs left I haven't heard before and I should be asleep in an hour, so... Lets keep this going. I can listen to this on repeat tomorrow.

14. The Snap ft. Kvng Moses.

Knox's flows are fire! 🔥 The hook is good, versatile, not boring. I like Kvng Moses' internal rhymes and sense of rhythm. And Samad with the interesting beats again. Great song overall.

I'm getting tired, not gonna look into the lyrics today. If he drops them on a public platform like YT, then maybe. I'm too tired to commit to this decision rn, lol.

15. The Internet.

Came out almost a year ago, in mid-October 2023: Knox Hill - The Internet (Initial Thoughts) (zinethasmusicblog.blogspot.com)

This lyrics are great. It's a clear nod to Bo Burnham's Welcome to the Internet.
Hook's average. Flows are great. = A typical Knox song in that sense.
But the lyrics stand out, those make this above an average Knox song. I just really don't want to break down lyrics I haven't seen. I worked so hard on the breakdown of the Killshot Remix lyrics and tried to catch those bars from the audio and got so much of it wrong... Granted, my ability to catch bars is better than 1,5 years ago, but... I still don't trust my ability enough.

16. Not 4 Sale.

November last year. Another time when I was not feeling so well (mentally). I am super insecure in this post about every thought I have... But here you go: Knox Hill - Not 4 Sale (Initial Thoughts) (zinethasmusicblog.blogspot.com) Later it turned out I got more right than what I gave myself credit for. Like, how I first said it looks like a central street of a Finnish town, and then later questioned that theory because of Knox's bars and thought it was the suburbs, but that my idea of the suburbs was completely wrong... But no, this was filmed in Washington, D.C. My initial thoughts were right and I shouldn't have questioned myself.

17. Best Of Myself ft. John Schulze.

April this year. It's been so long? Knox Hill ft. Josh Schulze - Best Of Myself (Initial Thoughts) (zinethasmusicblog.blogspot.com)

This really made on impact on me - his writing was so life-like that my initial thought was that his wife actually died. And then I couldn't sleep for whatever reason and I started to think about the facts that I do know and realized that can't be right, and wrote an edit at the end of the post. 

Great song.

18. Imagine ft. McGwire.

I need to come back to these lyrics another day when my brain works better. They're clearly very deep. I need to do them justice.

(Edit, Oct 8th @5:05PM:)

Is it a concept album?

I don't think it's a concept album, but I think all the songs fit the theme. There's 'bad luck', chance/odds not being on Knox's side in each of the songs, and all them have a tragedy of some sort because of that. Or at least most of them do, plus I haven't seen the lyrics of most of these songs, so... This is just a random thought I had that I wanted to express. I never circled back to if this is a concept album or not.

If it were a concept album, the songs would be in chronological order, and therefore Family Curse should be first, right? Because those events take place before Knox existed.