"don't conform to the norm.... imma make this music the way that I want to”
Intellectually, The Fresh Substance Mixtape (TFSM) is light years ahead of most projects that are available today. Love, war, poverty, power, and consumerism are but only a few of the topics touched on by the slick wordsmith. Sitting through the entire mixtape, the flow of one track to the next pulls you along for a mesmerizing yet sobering listen. No question, without a doubt there is a skillfully laid message within the music.
From beginning to end TFSM is a vivid experience; a mind numbing trip through the thoughts and feelings of Brutally Honest. It is a brilliant showcasing of one man's worldview backed by poetic verses and delivered with smooth clarity.
Complete with great hooks and bh's natural singing ability, most of the music can translate over wonderfully live. Nonetheless, this is not south queens drug cellar black hoodie rap...nor is it Canadian music* (pow bitches). At points one yearns for that ONE track to stand out, for that one radio HIT that you can dance to, or even something with a sexually witty hook; maybe something about how shorty a quarter, her ass fat, and how she gotta be Harvard grad with such crazy brain power. Where is the self boasting, the track about his pluto colored sports car, snow storm ice, shoes, etc.... you look for it but it rarely if ever comes. It never happens, in fact , maybe this says more about us than it does bh who all throughout the mixtape makes comments regarding the roots and cause of such a mentality....e.g. : “The Show”, “Stay Blind” “2023.”
There are those who will listen, get lost in the content and caulk it up as backpack music. With that said, one could easily substitute the word listeners for friends in the following quote; "I lost so many friends, fuck it, maybe they lost me." At points TFSM feels like a drug induced dream e.g. “Age of the Machine” from which you continuously wakeup due to the alarmingly hard truths in tracks such as “Vermont.” So in effect, ultimately, The Fresh Substance Mixtape is a skillful work of art, a masterpiece for how well the songs are arranged in order to build and support one another.
recommeded
* Just joking, some of my best friends are Canadian. |
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