Wednesday, February 17, 2021

McKinley Dixon - "make a poet Black"

Photo by David Muessig

Every now and then, the universe works out. Over the weekend, I was listening to a podcast interviewing Lucy Dacus, and she mentioned how when she was starting out in Richmond, VA, she was playing multi-genre DIY shows. One of the artists she would play with was rapper McKinley Dixon. I mentally filed this name away to check out later, which means I immediately forgot it. Yesterday, we received an email alerting us to a new song from Dixon. 

Apparently, us bringing you "make a poet Black" is kismet. McKinley Dixon isn't going to sound like anyone you have heard before. Sure, free jazz and hip hop have been blended for decades, but not like in "make a poet Black." Dixon's flow is intense. It sounds almost like a freestyle or a stream of conscious. The start of the song is going to sound like early Wu-Tang Clan, but it quickly branches out into a sound all its own. The music is simplistic while having a huge cinematic sound. The song just keeps adjusting and morphing constantly, all while sounding like the same track. Even if you're one of those weirdos who claims to not listen to hip hop in 2021, you owe it to yourself and everyone you know to listen to this one.

You can watch the video for "make a poet Black" below. For My Mama And Anyone Who Look Like Her is due out May 7 on Spacebomb. You can pre-order the album here. For more on McKinley Dixon, check out the artist's Facebook and Twitter.

No comments:

Post a Comment