Yes yes! MysDiggi A.K.A Mystro, mutha luvaz! One of the U.K's finest and definitely one of my favourites is releasing the 'F.D.T EP' on December 14th this year on Don't Bizznizz.
For those unaware;
The E.P opens with 'The Truth,' starting off with some looped keys which gradually evolve to include some nice horn hits that give a nice sense of progression to the tracks. Mys spits effortlessly over this one with couplets that seem to go on forever! And just when you thought the track couldn't get better, the hook drops which i guarantee you'll find yourself humming/whistling/singing to yourself at a later date. HE AINT LYIN! (you'll get it when you hear it!)
The first of 3 skits which are nicely spaced out on the E.P comes in next with Mystro skipping through radio stations until he comes across 'F.D.T Radio' hosted by a familiar sounding chap! The characters that crop up in the skits such as Stelios; CEO of 'SqueezyJet' and Giles Freeman are mad funny and instead of being filler for when the artist has run out of ideas - the skits serve their intended purpose of injecting some humour (of which Mystro has a tremendous sense of) and providing a narrative for the listener to follow. This, along with the variety of sounds, samples and topics displayed make the E.P seem very mature and far more accomplished when compared to other so called 'efforts' by emcee's who wouldn't even know what E.P stands for!
'Banishment' is my favourite. The beat (HEAVY!) drops and Mystro comes in with "I'll smack you in ya teeth, jack you for ya sneaks, put some shackles on ya feet and then drag you through the streeeet!" And you know it's a banger. I always hate when people call things an 'instant classic' as the word 'classic,' by definition is something that has been "judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of it's kind." Meaning that it has to have existed for a significant period of time before it can be judged in comparison with anything of it's kind. That being said (rant over) 'Banishment' really is an instant classic. Something that i can easily see being played in years to come which really says something about the quality of work being put out by Mys since a track like this is on an E.P. Once again, a VERY catchy hook on this one. RUN HIM OUT THE HOOOUUSE!
Things get darker now with some church bells leading the beat for 'Live & U Learn' as Mys spins yarns for us about a racially confused boy called Jack, a two faced girl called Jo and pregnant Jenny among others. There's a nice mix of humour and subject matter contrasted well with the beat which is kept pretty minimal for Mystro's lyrics to take centre stage.
It's back to pure bars next on 'Thorish' which is a monstrous beat consisting of some hard drums and rapid fire keys before the beat breaks for some horn stabs that reminded me of the Dragnet theme tune. Again, Mystro continues with rhyming couplets long after most would have run out of places to take it!
"Maintain" is a very close contender for my favourite track. Not only as the beat is BEAUTIFUL but the subject matter is something i've always tried to get across in tracks myself but it's done here perfectly. The first time i listened to it, i found myself nodding along to it agreeing with Mystro's descriptions of us independant artists with an actual LOVE and respect for Hip-Hop as a culture.
Just read the lyrics from the second verse...
"Shout out's to the rapper who loves to maintain...
Though he's up all night,
creating bombs that make you wanna turn it up more high,
and he don't really wanna fuss or fight,
just touch more mics and make sure that every one's all right
and keep the future stayin much more bright - with no stressin
but the few that make enough doors slide just won't let him
still he's treating it like a profession,
knowing doors soon will open up wider - no question,
time for no restin - just putting in work
foot in the dirt - all good if it hurts, could have been worse,
he cant fret since the rookie has learnt,
to never treat his last step as if it should have been first,
shoes in the mud but always moving above,
using his mind to keep him shining more than jewellery does
and like the last man standing in a pool full of blood,
claim the task as handled cos he'll do what he does to maintain." *
*(apologies to Mys if I got some of the lyrics wrong!)
Like I said - couldn't have said it better myself.
"Aquarius" brings the mood down as the E.P comes to a close; not down in a negative sense, just more relaxed with some nice rhodes chords and a strolling bassline as Mys drops nice verses touching on alot of social issues from weapons of mass destruction, to 911, underpaid NHS workers and the legitimacy of medication. It's another solid track among several and closes as we go into the final skit before 'The Urge' drops.
"I'm not a killer but i do get the urge!" As Mystro runs through alot of life's problems that we all have to just deal with day to day; it's easy to identify with the feeling of 'getting the urge'. The beat is nice and aggressive which obviously fits the mood perfectly and is an interesting choice to finish the E.P off but as you end up wanting more as soon as it fades out; it was a good choice.
Keep in mind that you will constantly have to remind yourself that this is an E.P - it really is that good. Every track would sound perfectly at home on a full length album. Not only that but Mystro is able to captivate attention here with no other artists featuring on tracks for support. For those key reasons and for all the reasons listed above - this is music you need to hear. I know there are people out there that want good British Hip hop - it was the reason i set up this blog.
Well, i have good news. Good British Hip-Hop exists. And it's name is Mystro.
The F.D.T. E.P will be available from all major digital stores from December 14th 2009 on Don't Bizznizz.
You can follow Mystro on Twitter HERE
Add him on MySpace HERE
Watch his videos on YouTube HERE
Check out the Natural Born Spittaz blog HERE
and become a fan of Mystro on FaceBook HERE
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