Photo Credit: Gracie Allen
Myndd
Hip hop as a genre has maintained an obsession with Halloween, but seldom does it amount to more than a few tracks or projects annually, with references to slasher movies and a short shelf life. Myndd’s latest project, however, could hit just as hard in June as it does in October. Dank features 10 tracks, produced by local beatsmith Spice God, which combines dark sounding beats with a flurry of both lyrics and energy. While the weather might be a little too cold for it, these tracks warrant rattling a trunk or two with the windows down. Myndd noted that the dark content was an intentional choice.
“(Spice God) and I have been crafting together for about two years” noted Myndd. “We just decided it was really time to put out something, because we’ve been holding onto so much. It was around one of my favorite holidays, Halloween, and it just made sense.”
There’s a duality to the darkness of the project, however. Not only does the dark production and at times aggressive lyrics fit the mold of a Halloween-sounding project, but allusions to an intense climate within Milwaukee find their way into these tracks. When Myndd says “don’t you know there’s a war outside” on opening cut “Bboy,” there’s no subtlety to what he’s talking about. The hook of “The Strip” talks about having a rough upbringing in poverty. These aren’t tracks that the Phat Nerdz member treads lightly with.
“In my perception, it’s a reflection of the times in the inner city right now” said Myndd. “It all just sort of fit together with the project.”
With a limited number of features, Dank also gives different takes on the combination of darker production with substance. Fellow Phat Nerdz member Verge appears on two tracks, as well as emcees Chevp and BoodahDARR, who make cameos on “The Strip” and “Walk” respectively. The features came together out of mutual studio sessions and finding the right beats for the right artist.
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“It was pretty organic. Spice God had a few sessions that I would sit in on” said Myndd. “With Verge, he’s a team member, so I just heard him on those songs. With BoodahDARR and Chevp, it was like ‘oh, I have a song for you’ and everything felt right, so we just laid it down.”
You can check out Dank on all streaming platforms right now, and preview the record below.
