'Fly' As They Are... (Mixtape Of The Week)

A while back I did an interview with the amazing Gibran Harris (iBeast to the wholly unaffiliated). Having listened to his excellent debut effort Pimp Said So: The 1st Supper I was anxious to speak to the man behind such a juggernaut of a tape.

So I interviewed his as well as the lovely India Catrice, a vocalist featured on the tape.
In the interviews both spoke humbly and intelligently about the music and their styles. It was refreshing to me, to say the least.

One of the things that I really liked hearing about was the #NewGA, a movement that is about telling the truth in your music. He [iBeast] told me they were on the rise and I believed it.

That rise is now firmly attached to M.o.M MuziK , card carrying members of that #NewGA movement.

I met the brothers Barz Damu and TrailBlazzor Muzik via social media. We all knew a lot of the same people and connected through mutual respect. Since then these brothers have been blessing my timeline with real shit. Mostly it's thought provoking posts and thoughtful status posts.

The most real things they post are their music and the visuals, all from their stellar Fly Minds EP.

As a whole the project puts me in mind of one of the best EPs that Outkast never made. The production, handled by Z3 Trackz, is a strong counterpoint to rather impressive rhymes by both Barz and TrailBlazzor.  Each track is quite well written but for the sake of whetting your appetite I'm only discussing about four songs off the twelve track masterpiece.

Let's dig in.

Oddly enough, I'm starting with a skit. "F%ck A Skit". I like this skit simply because it tickled me with the sort of tongue in cheek delivery. I say this because having listened to A LOT of mixtapes and I have encountered those long and verbose skits and interludes. That is present but, to me, it's a jest at that particular done expertly well. You (or rather I) see it in the grossly mispronounced names towards the end of the 2:05 playing time.

"True 2 The Code" plays like a really cool track. The lighter production on this one belies (or rather aids) the strong rapping from the guys here. Earlier today I was doing some writing in my free time and this one was the soundtrack of my inspiration. Amid the eloquent storytelling is an excellent track for a cruise in the car amid the summertime heat. It's a perfect track for the season.

"Fly Minds" is probably my favorite on an EP of favorites. The furious rhyming bursts in immediately alongside a beat that sounds like something that wouldn't be put of place on a Shaft soundtrack somewhere. Being a fan of the blacksploitation genre appreciated that part of the track and almost felt the need to say, "Damn right..."

"September" is a horn heavy beast of a track. Listening to this one puts me in mind of Fabolous and tracks from him like "Breathe" or "B.I.T.E.". I am utterly floored by the way Barz and TrailBlazzor transform effortlessly with each track. Here they give game over insistent trumpets and great percussion. Another track that truly gets to me.

Usually at this point I would suggest a few more songs here. In lieu of that I will suggest that you listen to the album as a whole and pick your own favorites.

The Fly Minds EP is, not to put too fine a point on it, fantastic. Everything from the production to the features are well done with perfect delivery and pitch. As previously stated Barz and TrailBlazzor are versatile in their abilities and the way their style as a duo works onto matter the direction the production takes. As a member of the #NewGA movement, these two fly minds are ones to watch.