Hey everybody! Welcome to the first installment of "Singles Mixer," our new column in which we ask one of our regular contributors to review new singles from Minnesota artists.
This time around we asked TCDroogsma to give us his thoughts on the new single "Fine Print" by hip-hop group Mixed Blood Majority.
All things considered, I'm pretty psyched for this Mixed Blood Majority project. If you don't know it's a "new" group consisting of Joe Horton (of No Bird Sing), Crescent Moon (of Kill The Vultures) and Lazerbeak (Doomtree) on the beats.
"Fine Print" is the first song to be released by the group and I was left with two immediate thoughts:
1. This definitely lives up to my expectations.
2. This definitely doesn't surpass my expectations.
Let me explain what I mean by that second point. Both MC's have built their reputation as "serious" MC's who drop lines that are meant to be heard & thought about. Neither of them has the reputation for "Oh shit! This is my JAM!" type songs. To that end, both MC's bring exactly what they're known for.
The track is built around a subdued Lazerbeak beat (think more along the lines of "15 Blocks" off
Lights Out Paris and less "Shux" or "Stand Up (Let's Get Murdered)." It's a great beat, though. I have no idea how Lazerbeak is able to shift from Lava-Banger-mode to introspective while still keeping a beat that knocks.
Getting back to Crescent Moon & Joe Horton though.
Crescent Moon is a legend in the Twin Cities hip-hop scene, with his Kill The Vultures making their mark on the scene well back in early 2000's. Unfortunately, it seems like they've been treading water for years. I remember seeing them at The Uptown Bar (my last show ever there) and, even in those romanticizing-The-Uptown days, the place was still only half-full. It was a great show, to be sure, it just seems like Crescent Moon needs to be seen in a new light. To that end, it seems like Mixed Blood Majority may finally bring some long overdue recognition.
Treading the same territory he covers with Kill The Vultures, Crescent Moon delivers lines about the struggle of everyday life as it relates to both financial trouble and interpersonal trouble. Since he's an indie rapper who just got through a divorce I'm going to go ahead and say he's an expert on these subjects.
The first time I heard Joe Horton's rapping with No Bird Sing my first thought was, "Well, he clearly grew up on Kill The Vultures records." Hearing the two rappers on the same track doesn't completely disprove that theory, but it does provide an interesting dynamic. Both rappers seem to be fighting the same fight, but it is still possible to hear the young-man-optimism in Horton's voice as opposed to the older-yet-still-determined growl in Crescent Moon's voice.
When Crescent drops the line, "Did you read the fine print?" it's answered by Horton with, "Nah, but I signed it." Clearly, these are two men standing at opposite ends of the same street.
As I mentioned, they're fighting the same fight. This becomes especially clear when the rappers come together in the middle with these lines:
"Silent, silent, I will be silent, speak when spoken to never be defiant...
Focus, focus, I will be focused, only think positive, block out the hopeless...
Patient, patient, I will be patient, take my medication, wonder where the day went...
Famous, famous, one day I'll be famous, then all the pretty people will remember what my name is..."
Like I said at the beginning, this song doesn't surpass any expectations. However, context is everything, and since this is the first song to be released from the project it does answer the most basic question, "What would Crescent Moon & Joe Horton sound like over a Lazerbeak beat?" Now that we have an answer for that, let's hope the rest of the album pushes the boundaries and presents us with more questions rather than the same answer over and over.
Final Score - 3.5/5
Mixed Blood Majority will be unveiled to the world October 3rd at The Icehouse. Follow this link for more info.
For more TCDroogsma he can be found on Twitter & Instagram (@TCDroogsma) or on his own blog Flatbasset.
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