Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of January 19th-25th, 2014:
Mike The Martyr - Marbury
01. Marbury Intro
02. Players Of The Past
03. Nautica Van (w/Ali Vegas)
04. YSN
05. Dogg Pound
06. The Devils Plan (w/Joe Blow)
07. Karlton
08. Calendars (w/Muja Messiah & Termanology)
09. Build Clinton (w/Toki Wright)
10. Pager Codes
Flatbasset Radio's first hip-hop AOTW of 2015 comes from Twin Cities veteran Mike The Martyr. As a semi-dedicated follower of the Twin Cities music scene I've heard Mike The Martyr's name about a thousand times over the years, but this is the first of his solo albums that I've spent any time with.
My curiosity was piqued a few months back when I spent a week with Manny Phesto's Southside Looking In back in August as an AOTW. Mike The Martyr produced the entirety of that record and inspired me to write this:
"Mike The Martyr brings a sturdy set of beats that sound like they've been influenced equally by RZA & Kanye's early "chipmunk soul" sound. In fact, the only real break in the beats are the interludes, otherwise Martyr continues to do his thing throughout without throwing in the token "slow song" or "banger." It's just consistently excellent, good time beats."
Southside Looking In was definitely an album meant for summer spins and, in some ways, Marbury picks up on that same vibe. Mike's flow is definitely more conversational than anything else, which suits his storytelling well. Subject-wise, he sticks to such tried-and-true topics as how hard he works, how his crew is better than your crew, and the day-to-day struggle to get by.
Where Mike The Martyr's rapping really shines, however, is when he waxes nostalgic. The easy highlights of Marbury are "Nautica Van" and "Build Clinton," both of which feature other rappers (which give a nice contrast to Mike's laid back tone) and which tell stories of the fun & innocence of growing up.
As you can hear above, "Nautica Van" is built around the childhood goal of, well, owning a Nautica van. Mike & Ali Vegas trade verses like old friends who remember that dream like it was yesterday.
"Build Clinton" features local legend Toki Wright remembering what Minneapolis was like back before hip-hop & Target came to be the city's defining traits. Here again, the excitement in Wright's voice plays nicely off of Mike The Martyr's matter-of-fact tone.
All of that being said, the real star of Marbury is yet another set of stellar productions. Where I mentioned RZA & Kanye above, it's clear on this album that Mike's heart lies on the West Coast (a fact he makes crystal clear in his G-Funk homage "Dogg Pound"). Clearly a devotee of Dr. Dre's work as a producer, Mike puts his own Midwestern twist on the sound by scaling back the bass, thereby removing the warmth of California, and giving the individual instruments a cold, crisp feel that, intentionally or not, definitely reflects the feeling of Minnesota in January (give "Nautica Van" another listen, but this time just focus on the beat. You'll see just what I mean.).
Mike The Martyr's been a player in the Twin Cities scene for a long time now. He's been aligned with the luminaries of Minnesota hip-hop forever. While I have no idea if Marbury is going to be the album that finally causes the gate-keepers of Minneapolis to sit up and take notice, it won't be for lack of effort on his part. Marbury is a thoroughly enjoyable album front-to-back and I definitely suggest you give a spin for yourself.
Marbury is available at Mike The Martyr's Bandcamp page as a "Name Your Price" download. He's also having a Marbury release party February 14th at First Avenue, so, happy Valentine's Day on that one.
