Knowledge the Pirate’s The Round Table is a razor-sharp collaboration with longtime friend and producer Roc Marciano. It’s a cold, calculated, and tightly wound album that keeps its focus locked on mood, structure, and stripped-down street poetry. Across 14 tracks, the duo stays in their own lane—grim, minimal, and confident. The beats don’t chase momentum, and the lyrics don’t reach for attention. Instead, they hold steady, drawing listeners into a world that doesn’t explain itself twice.
Originally from Harlem, New York, Knowledge the Pirate has been part of the East Coast Hip Hop circuit since the ’90s, with ties to Interscope Records and Will Smith’s former bodyguard Charlie Mack. After stepping away from the scene, he returned in the 2010s as a close Roc Marciano collaborator, contributing to the early formation of Marcberg’s signature sound. Since 2018’s Flintlock, Knowledge has dropped a steady stream of solo albums—including Black Cesar, Hidden Treasures, and Wolves Don’t Eat with Shepherds—known for their grimy production, coded lyricism, and mafioso flair. A member of the Five Percent Nation, his worldview is rooted in spiritual discipline and firsthand experience, cutting through his verses with a grounded sense of purpose.
On The Round Table, Roc Marciano produces the entire album, and his fingerprints are heavy throughout. The production leans toward loop-based, drumless frameworks—dusty jazz samples, chopped vocals, soul loops pitched into strange pockets. Beats like “Eating Etiquette” and “Addicted to Danger” ditch percussion altogether, letting the loops ride while Knowledge moves at his own pace. There’s no rush here. The lack of traditional rhythm forces focus on cadence, and Knowledge uses the space wisely. His voice stays calm, but his presence never fades. He walks through these beats like he owns them, landing lines with a quiet authority that speaks volumes.
Songs like “Golden Rules” and “The Outfit” stretch out in the mid-tempo zone, balancing minor key loops with small, eerie details. The absence of hooks makes these tracks feel more like chapters than singles. Every song feels like part of a larger conversation—a private one. Knowledge isn’t trying to draw people in with volume or shock. He delivers lines like he’s explaining something to someone who already understands the code.
The production swings slightly wider on “Takes a 10,” which adds a funkier bounce to the mix, giving the album a small shift in tone without breaking the larger rhythm. “Magic & Kareem” carries a rich, pitched-up vocal loop that sits right in Roc Marciano’s wheelhouse. “Food for Thought” leans deeper into that chipmunk soul territory. These flourishes add color without cluttering the project.
There’s a cold humor running through songs like “Ride wit a P” and “1 on Me,” but it’s never played too big. Everything on this album is understated in a way that demands close listening. “Young Thugs” slides into the final act with a warning tone, while “Servitude” slows the pace and moves toward a lighter, more reflective sound. The final track, “Receipts,” closes the record with strings and a crooning sample, ending the album on a quiet note of calculation and presence.
At a time when many projects try to do too much, The Round Table does exactly what it intends. It keeps the scope tight and the energy focused. Roc Marciano’s production is deliberate and unhurried, while Knowledge the Pirate delivers verses with control and clarity. This is grown-man Hip Hop built on experience, delivered without fanfare or apology. The themes—trust, survival, discipline, power—are there if you listen closely, but they’re never spelled out. It’s music that assumes you already understand the stakes. For us, this is the best Knowledge the Pirate project yet, also thanks to Roc Marciano’s excellent work on the boards.
8.5/10
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