I know, I know, this came out years ago in Internet time (really just August). Fuck you, and fuck that. A great project is not simply discarded because it's been out for a few months. And yes, I am calling this mixtape, the most recent work from the duo of Squadda B and MondreM.A.N, great.
I've been listening to this project non-stop for weeks, and I simply can't stop. Both MCs are raw, energetic guys from Oakland. Neither are supremely talented on the mic, but they are also not slouches. They dish out clever rhymes, and both of their deliveries are charismatic and powerful. You can feel how passionate they are, how important it is to them to tell their story, and you begin to realize the ceiling for these two may be out of this world. I don't want to get hyperbolic, but when I listen to their blunted, odd ball sound, it feels like a glimpse at genius. (continued after the jump...)
It is a glimpse that music fans crave, a glimpse that feels very much like a secret we've been let in on. Rap gods somewhere are whispering to us: "you would never guess it, but here is the future".
They rap about drugs and gangs, but it is their talk of dreams and aspirations that will strike you as so potent. And as young guy at university, it is a easily-relateable, and much needed message. These guys are hell-bent on doing something great, they are certain they will do it, but they're just not sure exactly what it will be at this point. It's a strange, intangible feeling that lies like a blanket over a campus, a feeling any university student can relate to.
I have a lot of hope for them. Perhaps in another era, they would have no chance of success, at least not in this incarnation. But in today's world, where Odd Future wins awards at the VMAs, A$AP Rocky signs for $3 million and everyone and their grandma has heard of Lil B, the window is open to them. Oddball rap is on the up-and-up, a fringe movement that is exploding, its meteoric rise plotted for collision with pop culture.
Already these two have been tapped by hipster-hopster royalty (Noz and Pitchfork, among others) for greatness. But unlike other unlistenable artists these tastemakers thrust upon us, these guys are worth the listen. Their artistry is captivating, and they can't even legally purchase alcohol.
I have to mention the production. It is worth the download simply for the production. The beats are luscious and magnificent soundscapes that wash over you. Squadda and Mondre are left to either engage them excitedly (which they do on most occasions), or simply paddle within them (which they also do to great results). They will have you hunting for the production credits. Clams Casino shows up, on a song feautring A$AP Rocky, Squadda B produces some absolute standouts, and the rest of the production is handled by a lot of guys I have never heard of. When Main Attrakionz blows up, these guys will too.
Because I feel their success is inevitable. They are one blog hit away from being a breakout story. And in today's world, where blog hits like Yonkers and Peso, suddenly become mainstream hits, this is a very good thing. I hope they get the success they are looking for. Their music is simply too juicy a secret not to share.
i wasn't expecting you to get this release, so good job. but noz is just a rap nerd, he is the opposite of a hipster.
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