REVIEW: Mickey SoLow, Last Breed EP

Mickey So Low is one half of Paid In Full a rnb and Hip hop duo. As Paid in Full started out they (Felipe and Mickey SoLow) were carrying forth RnHop (RNB and Hip Hop sound). The duo never mentioned a split or interest in going solo.

Fast forward its 2017 and Mickey SoLow dropped his first full length project without any features. Last Breed EP is his most directional project. Some look up to him as a street king, street rapper on the path to being best ever. Amidst under ratings and sleeping on talent – Mickey did this project for those who are down to raw and real talent.

His Last Breed Dropped on Good Friday (April 14) and digesting it has been going on and this is what we think the EP offered greatly. The EP is a 8 tracks projected with production from different producers.

In the order respectively, J The 45 produced Intro, Sliq Teq produced Heard Me, Muntu Nsolow, No Hook, Paid In Full (part one) and Well Known. The DustVille singer and producer produced the last two tracks on the EP; Interlude & Gone.   Baru had his hands on Paid in Full for Mixing and Mastering and 90% of the mixing and mastering by J The 45. There is also appearance from Rex Beats. 

“Most rappers soaked their soap/ So their bars are soft” Intro

Mickey Opens up the Last Breed with an Intro, which is a statement to his fans, the process and finally ushering us to the tape with a freestyle which by its rawness is understandable. It doesn’t sound polished enough but makes the impression he is worn out and taking a break so that the listeners can pay ear to the rest of the EP. In the background the sound track is Heard Me which is track two on the project.The intro woul have come at the end but he

Heard Me is the most hyper and provocative, self aware and self raising track on LB EP. Here he talks about the sloppiness in the insdusrtyry. Mickey is definetly rebelilious however all he has on his mind is getting the money, work hard. He takes a chance to boast: “illest in the game no need to remind me”. This sentiment is carried forth to Muntu SoLow  – a phrase to suggest Human Animal/ beast/ Half Human Half Animal. The cover art of this project has a crocodile wounded and he seems to be the only one living mamal.

“illest in the game no need to remind me” – Heard Me

Last Breed as a notion starts resonating at Muntu Nsolow. He manipulates the moment with Pryce Teeba’s added vocals commending him to go on devour these beats and Pryce acknowledges: “Gwe Muntu Solow” / You are Muntu Nsolow. He also addresses the fact that young rappers hashtag “their ages” – this would be a shot at the  the 25 Under Tucker vs Code situation

Things slow down a bit with the highly synth saturated, No Hooks. He rants about the  unreal people around him, things he is seen, Ntinda and Paid In Full.  The lead single Paid In full Part one fits in well on the track arrangement even though No Hooks production is deviant. The synths are dominant and spread all over the track. Paid In Full Part one is just as reminiscent of Mickey’s come up – this is exactly what Last Breed as a Project entail.

Im Mickey Solow thats my name Yo – Muntu Nsolo

Mickey manages to pace past, present and hope for a better future. One can hear his depression, anger, hunger and self assurance.   Last Breed comes off as a two way street for Mickey: He takes us into his affinity of Ntinda and his will to get in touch with the world outside Ntinda.

To put it precisely, He is Well Known as he spits on the track, Well Known : in Ntinda.  “I am So ghetto please don’t get to me” he raps. This places the persona as an introverted person utilizing his craft to confront some of the universal emotions: anger, hate, love.  The Interlude on the EP is merely a clipping of from a verse on  Gone. The utterance is: “check Yourself, Im bout my self“. One would argue it wasn’t worth being singled out.

Daddy asking you an artist why you never draw/ I just paint my perfect  pictures with these words and flow  – No Hook

Interlude actually preludes Gone. At the moment it hits, we realize this has been a solo effort, solo experience of Mickey SoLow (no pan intended). Him being the last breed as the project puts it, he dedicates one track for  his unrequited love from unnamed person.

Easy come easy go there she goes  – Gone

Uniquely Gone end the EP in a dramatic mode. We expect more after this emotional outburst. “Picture your body shape / legs wide open in some ni**a bed” as he raps shows how depressing loosing his love.  He continues to rap “The convo [versation]brief as an interlude” just like the one he offers us and they are the exact words reechoed before the last chorus.

Last Breed is very enjoyable with wit lyricism, at some point reflection of surreal situations of growing up in Ntinda. The project documents a back and forth build for Mickey as a Last Breed – he takes it upon himself to declare that.  The Ep however is so much buried in dressing hate, bad energy and proving the point to nay sayers.

They wonder why  Micheal  never paid  for beats/ I asked them, if they ever heard Jordan pay for sneaks/

Last Breed comes off well and Gone, Last Breed, Heard Me set it in diversity, the rest of the tracks complement the whole project as a whole.There is a lot of intelligent,   witty and  memorable lyrics on LB. He has potential for more, Last Breed is definitely his stepping block. He is vocal enough and if you remember his energy on Pray, Last Breed then you certainly know he has opportunity to use his craft to address even sensitive issues besides the introverted tales on LB.

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Ayella

Founder NuveyLive.org. I am Ayella NuveySHAWN. I love music, I write a lot about Ugandan Hip hop. I am opinionated. I Content Create, I teach , write, love ,invest, I make music, I manage talent and I am a poet.

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