Baterya

You know, sometimes you listen to a project and you can hear within it the influences they had to make this final product. I feel I’ve been pretty spot on with the guesses I feel I can hear in the music and I have some pretty strong feelings on this one too! So let’s talk about it! This is the brand new album by MC -Memphis Reigns and Producer Mayo and together they drop this 26 minute, 10 track offering that features the likes of -Sentence Sixguns -JON?DOE -Staplemouth So when I listen to this album and the performances included I can’t help but be teleported to the early to mid 2000’s era of the -Lupe Fiaco -Kayne West -Jay-Z -Twists type artists. The ones who utilised those soulful verses across their songs that made each verse feel important and meaningful regardless of the content they were talking about! These type of artists have a sense of smooth rhythm that’s combined with immaculate timing and sharp lyricism that itself can tell a story that most can’t. We may not remember ourselves what these men above rapped about in our adolescent years but we all remember their classic albums! Why? Because of the nature of their styles and cadences! Across this tape we hear Memphis inherit that same gold standard bars where each word matches the same attributes as the beat itself to go hand in hand! You can hear in his voice his strong self importance and pride he has in his skills as an MC and how it translates across the tracks! He’s making sure not to waste a single second of the almost half hour time frame and showcase as much of his wordplay and penmanship as he can and it comes off beautifully! All the features on here I can’t say I’ve heard of before and yet they are smart in matching the same energy and emphasis on ‘power’ as Memphis brings! The chemistry is strong and the overall vibe across the first trios is strong! When we discuss the other side of the coin (the production) we see Mayo bring the ‘Salt’ and the ‘Pepper’ to make the instrumentals taste perfectly seasoned! (Sorry for the pun) but anyway here are a few tracks that stood out to me the most! First of all we have the track -Dreamzzz everything about this song screams the 2000’s to me! Kind of a specific combination of Kanye and Lupe! You’ve got that introduction vocal harmony that is ever so soulful and emotionally powerful! As the song evolves we get those sharp violin strings, hypnotically plucked strings subtly in the background and some thudding drum patterns! With this song I’m expecting to hear that classic Lupe chorus ‘Kick, Push and Slide’ it’s such a fantastic instrumental! You’ve got the track -Pedestal which has this incredible ambience about it. From those pulsing chords at the intro, what sounds like a synth fused vocal harmony loop similar to what Daft Punk sound like! There’s also more sharp violin strings and more mesmerising drums! This one sounds more 90’s then it does 2000’s but it’s equally as powerful! There’s even the track -52 Card Pick Up which has more lovely vocal loops that has a gospel feel to it that I couldn’t resist. There’s something about the way Mayo utilises those vocal snippets that I fell in love with! Included with that is some subtle plucked strings and heavy handed drums and even some scratches and cuts towards the middle and the end! I also loved the use of ODB for some homage paid to the legends! This is exactly what a track should sound like! Have you heard this one yet? I can guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised!