Mayhem is back in 2020 with another really dope project titled ‘Singleton With a Pen‘. Having already dropped ‘Audio Murals‘ alongside Reckonize Real, this time the Boston-born rhymer teams up with producer The SOULution and while the feel of the album is quite different, the result is ultimately the same. A brilliant hip hop record from beginning to end with killer lyrics, mesmerising storytelling and a banging soundscape.
Check out our interview with Mayhem from earlier this year.
You always get cleverly crafted lyrics when you cop a Mayhem record, but this time it’s gone to an even better level, like he has upped his pen game because the bars are heavy. It’s grown man, mature music and it’s clear that Mayhem has a story to tell. He creates songs that are like ‘mini-movies’ and his impeccable use of soundbites from movies like ‘Poetic Justice’ at the beginning of ‘You‘ or the iconic ‘guns n butter’ monologue from the cult classic ‘Baby Boy’ to conclude ‘To Me‘ – and they work flawlessly.
Another string to his bow, is his choice of features. On this joint we are treated to an enigmatic verse from G Fam Black on ‘Smacked Fo Ya MAGA Hat’ while Weapon E.S.P & Vic Monroe join Mayhem on ‘To Me’ for a standout track. Don Streat ‘Rest Assured‘, Maree Lawn ‘You‘ and Si Philli ‘Shining‘ are the others to grace the album. Every guest adds a unique element that is an addition to the project, but it’s Mayhem that keeps this thing flowing like champagne at the NBA Finals afterparty.
If you rock with Mayhem then you already know that this is going to be a quality joint, but if you’ve been sleeping on him, now is the time to wake up. Make sure you head over and cop ‘Singleton With A Pen‘ when it drops on October 16. You don’t want to wait weeks until it hits the streaming services!
Bangers: Smacked Fo Ya MAGA Hat, You, To Me, What’s tha hook
Score: 8.5 / 10. A really solid score for a really solid album. I enjoyed every minute of this release and it is likely to stay in the rotation for some time because it just doesn’t get old. If you loved Audio Murals, you’ll REALLY dig this joint.
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