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- 😄 mc abdul / the pen & the sword review
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we’re back at it! and i’ve got a really sick song for you. like i’ve been saying, trying to branch away from rock and indie all the time, so we’ve got some more really killer hip hop, next week will probs be something different again, i’m thinking maybe folk-y or country-y or sometihng, and over on the premium list, this weeks new song is going to be metal, i’ve got it picked already. in any event, this song is really sick, it’s one of those heartfelt hip hop anthem moments that is really laying out something big and important. also quick note on the header image here, i didn’t know if this was the best image to pick but it’s been used in a bunch of other publications that have talked about this artist, but they do have press images. i just couldn’t get my hands on them for love nor money, did you know big platforms like instagram and spotify really lock away artist imagery? anyway, i think it’s a good image to use and reflects this song, but it’s not strictly speaking a press shot, so if i get my hands on a proper one i’ll update it, but for now this is the best i could get!
pro tip for artsts: get a website, make a page with the images you want people to use in high resolution and make the header of that website read “[artist name] press shots (or press images)“ it makes it wayyy easier for publications to get a good image of you in there, let’s you choose how your image is presented on publications and increases your chances of getting featured. the reason is simple: the easier you make it for journalists, the more likely they are to feature you over someone else who might’ve made it easier.
this is a really great example of taking very different styles of music and blending them tastefully. the influence of arabic instrumentation and tonality on the flutes working alongside the very western tonality of the piano and chorus is handled quite well. i also really liked the influence of the chorus on some of the percussion in this. it’s a very common thing in a lot of hip hop beats to have a single clap going on as a snare, but in this that same element is multiplied out in line with the vocal chorus, and it adds a nice touch of making the song feel a lot bigger and also more real and physical. you get the sense that the chorus is physically standing behind the main vocalist and clapping along in a live recording. i don’t know whether or not that is the case, but you feel it when you listen to this and that’s a feeling lots of artists strive to achieve while falling flat, where this lands it with ease. on top of all that, the vocal performance here is so good. between the personality and presence coming through and the really great lyrics achieving a solid flow that feels natural and powerful. the real thing for me that made this song stand out a bit was definitely the slight breaks in this artists vocal take. the little bits of frazzle and squeak that eek their way through the recording, just on the outside of the take make the fact that this artist is very young again something that’s felt rather than stated outright. it’s those detials that make the song feel physical and real.
my only real gripe with this, and this feels like a gripe i have with a ton of hip hop songs is there’s rarely any real developement of the musicianship happening on this. and i get for sure that that’s not the point, the point of a lot of hip hop is that it’s a vocal led genre, you’re not meant to worry massively about the musicianship and musicality so much because that’s set dressing for the main event, but to that i’d argue two things on this songs account. first of all, the vocal work is top tier, but it’s short when it has to carry the song all on it’s own; the songs barely 3 minutes, and the second thing is that the musicianship is gooddddd, like it’s a very well developed beat that does a great job of retaining the listener on a shoestring. the mix is solid, the details make it feel alive and it really works for the vocal. my point is give me more of this. you’ve got a great vocal track, lay that up with some more interesting instrumentation and musicality and you’ll be really cooking. unfortunately it doesn’t, and that’s fine, the songs cool anyway.
damn dude i dunno, like, i had this thought that i thought was sick which was like, whoever thought the pen was mightier than the sword didn’t know the power of a camera or something, is that anything?
this song really reminded me of introvert by little simz, because both of these songs have that really elevated almost epic sound that makes songs like this really pop. the strings in the background, the use of vocal choruses? it’s all there and it all sounds great in both.
i think this artist is gonna be big, they’re already a few steps above where i’d typically be looking to feature artists from, 300k listeners on spotify for example, but i also think they’re really cool and given the state of what’s going on in gaza atm i figured we could have a lil exception, and the songs good. i found them from this spotify editorial playlist which you should defo check out, it’s really good and full of palestinain artists that i’ve been vibing to. in any event, check out mc abdul and free palestine.
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this song goes hard from the very start and it’s hard to keep up but well worth it if you do.
this song makes every second of that 7:11 feel worth it and well placed. not an easy thing to do, but one that this does with ease.
i’m not even really going to describe this one to you, it’s an experience and a great one, a lil journey for you to go on, so go on then. go on.
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