Ever since I covered this man and his single, I’ve been curious to see what his next full project will sound like. Will that one single be an abnormal-sounding track in the whole album? Will he go in different directions? So many questions, and now the day has come where I can find out for myself, and with that said, let’s talk about it!
This is the brand-new album by MC/Producer Unagi! With ten new tracks to dig your teeth into, and man, let me tell you, they don’t make music like this anymore! When this man says he’s ’cut from a different cloth’, he actually means it because he’s representing a style and performance that was prominent decades ago, and it makes me happy to know someone with the experience that he has is deciding to keep up with that nostalgic sound that reminds us of a time when hip hop used to be about skill and having a good time!
His production is so fucking mellow and colourful. Definitely reminds me of the 80s era. This man has instrumentals that you could play at family gatherings during a summer day BBQ! It’s so soulful, funky, and jazzy that you can’t help but bop your body to it!
From the lavish sounds of tracks like -Favourite 80’s Ladies with those rhythmic drum beats, infectious bass strings, and those high-pitch synth chord progressions that help provide that old-school feel! There’s also some light keys added to it in the background, one of those beats you want to listen to on repeat while you go through life!
Or what about the track -Lightweight where we have him talking about his early-year drug uses alongside those powerful bass, scattering piano keys that have a freelance feel to it! Which also combines these second-layer chords that blast every few seconds to provide that new feel of texture!
There’s also that middle part Jazz transitions that I loved!
We can even discuss the beat—punchlines which might have the most groovy instrumental of them all! With those intro vocal harmonies that move to a more subtle role as the song advances, and this song has some of the most hypnotic drums I’ve heard all year and those blasting bass that thuds your whole brain! It’s as he says ‘intoxicating’, truly remarkable! One of my favourite beats on the whole project.
If I had to describe this man’s MC’s work in one word, it would be ‘wholesome’. This man doesn’t have a modern bone in his body. Everything he does feels old school ( and I mean that in the best way possible) from his lack of swearing to his traditional laying down words on a beat to his cadence. It’s all reminiscent of an era even I wasn’t born in! But one that is credited for starting the genre we so adore, and the fact he’s sticking with this approach is hella respectful!
Again, he’s a man with literal buckets of experience and knowledge in this game. He’s realised he doesn’t have to act wild, cuss, or do any trend to get mentioned; he’s just doing him for the love of the game. His pen game is simply sensational because he’s just telling us about his life, experiences he’s had, and some memories down the line from:
-Having bad knees and back
-Thinking back to 80’s Ladies
-Talking about how the best drug now is a good night’s sleep
He’s bringing back more focused narratives to his lyricism, and this is again something missed in the culture today! No one wants to (or should I say, artists are too afraid to keep things on a more positive or grounded basis). There’s nothing wrong with telling short stories and experiences like these once in a while. It’s to the point, well crafted, well told situations that you can laugh, reminisce, relate to, and have a good time listening to! It kind of reminds me of the -A Tribe Called Quest/De La Soul days and bars like Q-Tip ‘If my mother is sick, I’m by her bedside’ that lyric has stuck with me for decades, and I can’t say that about a lot.
Long story short, I found this one to be a lot of fun! It’s infectious as all hell, and the lyricism is direct and clear. He’s bringing the old to the new, and I hope we can hear more of this style! Listen to it below!
https://unagi.bandcamp.com/album/western-mass-hysteria
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