Paul’s Perspective #20: DYING STAR by KPMADMAN

DYING STAR is an album shining with eccentricity. And this is a good thing. The production is unique. The stylization of the tracklist is unique. The verses on the album are unique. The lengths of the songs are unique. KPMADMAN formulated this album with full intention and every part connects to the next in a way that not only works well in a visual sense but a sonic sense too. Each track title is only a single letter but these letters actually spell out “DYING STAR” which looks especially cool when looking at it in order on SoundCloud. Each letter also has the symbol for “degrees” beside it, continuing the theme of the album title – and cover. The features are also hidden in the tracklist itself as KPMADMAN told me “I don’t like listing features on the songs themselves because then people don’t listen to the body of work as it’s conceptualized.” Additionally, all of these songs except two are less than two minutes long which means what we hear is straight to the point with no room for filler – or error. 

Paul’s Perspective #19: “TALK2ME” by Dave Coresh feat. Mother Wata

Dave Coresh is an artist who stands out whether you see a picture of him first or hear his music first. His distinct appearance paired with his genre bending music make him an enigma amongst a world where sounds, looks and styles can easily overlap. His latest track “TALK2ME” is another testament to this uniqueness.

Track 052: Paul’s Perspective: Eunoia by Quay Miller

Nowadays, everyone has their own way of doing music both literally and in terms of marketing. People purposely attempt to go viral on Tik Tok whether they are 5 months or 5 years into their careers and there is nothing wrong with this. Some stick with a more common but still somewhat rare method: Dropping a whole album…with no singles. Enter Eunoia by Quay Miller. Quay had no singles on DSPs before dropping this album but still previewed its sound by dropping snippets leading up to the album’s release. For someone as calculated as him this method was purposeful and worked out well.

Track 050: Paul’s Perspective: Expect the Unexpected by Isaiah The Prophet

Isaiah The Prophet is an artist you can always count on to speak on the many trials of being black in his verses. However, on his latest project, Expect the Unexpected he looks to show he is capable of doing more than that but still can do that very well. He’s also got more features than usual on this one, another testament to how this EP shows his expansion as an artist. Even the album’s cover isn’t the traditional box shape we see all the time.

Track 049: Paul’s Perspective: The Organic Sounds by Jacob Ezra

Jacob Ezra’s EP The Organic Sounds is an excellent example of influences coming together in a concise manner. At six tracks we get a taste of all the things or rather, sounds Jacob likes. As the project’s producer, we are getting them essentially from his head directly to our ears. He’s not telling someone else what he’s going for – he’s creating it himself. 

Track 0048: Paul’s Perspective: HI-RES by Marahsol feat. CC.ME

“HI RES” is the first widely released single from multi talented creative Marahsol. You may know her as The Samarah Poe. Like everything she does, the release, music video and promotion of this song was strategic and precise. As someone who prides herself on genuine self expression this is another lane of creativity where she can do that to the highest level. The song and its music video first premiered on the XOD Network app before hitting streaming services shortly after. I would say the song falls into the lane of neo-soul if you decide to put a label on it but Marah gives us a rap verse on it. It also features a verse from CC.ME, a multidisciplinary artist from Takoma Park, MD. 

Track 047: Paul’s Perspective: ALL That Glitters IS NOT Gold by Forbidden Gold$

I think it’s safe to say at this point we’ve all had an Indigo phase and depending on our life path we kept some mindsets from this phase as we got older or expanded on the knowledge. ALL That Glitters IS NOT Gold, an album by Forbidden Gold$ is filled with elements of this as the subject matter revolves around being anti government, self empowerment and being aware of the people/world around you. The production sits in a lane that blends the mysterious with space and even jazz at points. Naturally there are moments of high energy too but these are few and far between and overshadowed by the slower paced tracks. The album’s title is of course a tried and true proverb/virtue but Gold$ cites two very specific sources for his direct inspiration “I was listening to Kanye’s “Family Business” and those words really stuck with me for years. The final instance was when I randomly came across that weird ass Spongebob episode that was titled the same thing. Those words just stuck with me for years and I never thought that those words would faithfully express everything that I went through in life.” 

Track 046: Paul’s Perspective: AMERIKKKA by Isaiah The Prophet

Isaiah The Prophet is a man of many hats –literally. Not only is he a model but he’s also a fashion consultant and has his own clothing line VisionforStyles. But, right now we’re here to talk about his music, specifically his debut album AMERIKKKA. A stylized title that’s all too familiar in 2020, the project tackles the struggles of being black in this country through a series of tracks, speech samples and subject matter enhancing features. At only 10 tracks he gets straight to the point with his message every time. “When listening to this project I want people to actually listen and take in everything I’m saying, because I was always was one to make sure my songs have meaning and substance in every song, verse, or hook. I want to be the artist that can relate to the younger generations as well as the older generations, standing out from other artists in my creativity, word play, delivery and flow.”

Track 045: Paul’s Perspective: Stop Killing Us by ConSCious feat. Mahjestiq

Protest songs can come in a variety of forms. They can be rooted in a combination of accessibility and truth like “Fight The Power” or “Alright” or show a new side of an artist like “The Bigger Picture”. They can be rooted in unity rather than aggression like “Glory” or a combination of the two like “Take the Power Back”. Protest songs will continue to be made as long as people continue to be oppressed. However, the most heartfelt protest songs often only have one or two people giving their take on the world they live in and a hook that reinforces their points or no hook at all. Rapper ConSCious takes this approach in his single “Stop Killing Us” whose title tells you exactly where he stands on the matter. And yes, the “SC” is capitalized for a reason as he hails from South Carolina and wants people to know that off rip.

Track 044: Top 5 from Two Sides w/ Mystic

When December arrives it means the Album of the Year lists are coming out. It’s fun to have healthy debates over who did what best and see how people rank various projects. I especially enjoy doing this with people who I know will have a different perspective than me so I can gain a new viewpoint. This year I have recruited Mystic to do this with me. Mystic is both a visual and music artist and also has a YouTube channel. I’ve been following him for awhile now and can find him sharing/jamming out to music on his story practically every day. He’s wanted to do a written piece with me for a while and I figured this would be the perfect chance for this to happen. We have both picked five of our favorite projects from this year and reviewed each other’s choices. Hopefully, reading our takes puts you on to something new or gives you a new perspective on something you’ve already heard!