Rapper, producer, and beat-maker Marvel Mike’s latest album, V, doesn’t simply represent his fifth release – it also represents the peace sign, as Marvel Mike positions his fingers appropriately and says, “Peace out.” Yep, it seems V is Marvel Mike’s final hip hop hurrah, but he leaves us with something lyrically potent, rapidly rhymed, and the successful final leg of a journey that began 20 years ago. Ready to hear the latest beats, an emphatic, affecting flow, and lyrics that both lament and enliven? Let’s listen, and hit the highlights.
Wait. What’s the meaning, the inspiration behind, and/or the intent of V?
Per Mike, “I gave this one my all, and I think I’ve saved some of my best work for last. It fulfills the pledge I set out to accomplish two decades ago, which was to deliver intricate rhymes and an eclectic array of beats that almost anyone could appreciate. I reached back a little further for this one, and took painstaking time to raise the standard on all the sounds and wordplay.”
Listening, and talking about it (i.e., hitting the highlights).
The album begins with “Dub to Speed,” and it’s a clever incorporation of dub production while bringing listeners “up to speed” with a blending of tracks taken from his previous albums. And, with such an appreciation for dub, it’s also an excuse to suffuse this track with the characteristics of Mike’s second-favorite genre: reggae. Does it succeed? With pulsing bass, glistening guitar strums, and air-echoing horns, “Dub to Speed” shows Mike’s impressive beginnings, and his obvious and significant artistic evolution.
“Worth the Wait” begins with almost mechanical accordion puffs before Marvel Mike’s impressive lyrical assault rains over and between a tightly cornered, sock-muted kick drum and sand-shaking snare. It testifies to the extended time between Marvel Mike’s releases – which really doesn’t require any elaboration, considering he tackles every aspect of the creative process himself.
“This Game,” using sports analogies to describe life’s various struggles, wins, losses, and any instances of nerve-wracking overtime, features familiar and stadium-filling horn strikes – as if signaling the game’s beginning, or the very next anxiously awaited inning. And it’s the chorus that brings home this pervading comparison quite effectively:
“A lot of people in this game we play.
A lot of players takin’ aim today.
Some movin’, some are in a rain delay
Some built to last, others fade away.”
“Now and Then,” with its light and staccato organ touches, speaks to Mike’s appreciation for history (he’s a history teacher, after all). And as a newer father, Mike waxes on how drastically, strangely, life can change and twist, leading to such a surprising, still-fulfilling present:
“As I sit back and ponder fate, can’t help but contemplate.
N’ this here’s where my ideas will congregate.
Back in the day this rap thang was a nifty dream.
Now I’m vet, not a cub like the Wrigley team.
A lot’s shifted from those youthful days.
But my game’s still the same in its truthful ways.
Now Mott the Hoople plays on my record player.
Limited scope back then, but time helped me respect the flair.”
Album closer “Globetrotter,” reflecting on Mike’s experiences teaching internationally, begins with a passing plane, deep analog bass blotting, and tinty, mechanical snare. And then, Mike’s lyrics tell the tale of a man empowered to expand his experiential locale:
“For many years your man he stayed local
Until the point of breakin’ free was made focal.
Fast forward, and the travel’s prolific.
Koreanair, KLM, Cathay Pacific.
From dirt roads to the bustlin’ metropolis.
Street, rail, or waves to help me stay on top of this.”
Not only does “Globetrotter” successfully commit Mike’s traveling to song, it defines additional aspects of his evolution – as a person becoming more in tune with a larger world, and an artist able to adroitly express such mind-broadening experiences.
But is it good?
Yes, this may be the end (for now?) of Marvel Mike’s formidable and furious flow; the final “Marvel Mike mic drop,” if you will. But with its consistent and personal lyrical power, beat-driven self-reflection, and incisive self-awareness, V is one heck of a hip-hop-infused high note. It stands with the greats, and firmly makes great the significant career of a unique and capable creative voice. If Marvel Mike were to return – perhaps after his new-ish born can “go potty” unattended – I know his fans would immediately, and very excitedly, welcome him back. But whatever he does in the “now,” before that desired but currently fictional return, I’m sure it will occur with the level of care, consideration, and artistic merit found throughout his stunning and all-too-brief rap career. Highly recommended, and we wish MM all the best in his new and forthcoming adventures.
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BELOW: Listen to Marvel Mike and check him out on Spotify, Bandcamp, and Apple Music. Please support Marvel Mike by visiting these platforms online and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing his music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.
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