“Native Sons” is a recording that captures everything that is essential to MC² as a project – the focus on flow, the spirit of adventure, the balance of toughness and gentleness, truth and love. Feeling like a giant leap forward, it solidifies the group’s track record for quality and greatness, as Louis “LQ” Iverson and Keith “Smeazy” Passmore, together with producer Tek Nalo G start their latest album with “inTEKtro”, to put our minds into a universal space filled with timeless world music sounds, before moving onto the exceptional title track, and personal anthem “Native Sons Ft. Taliah Gipson”. The track re-runs the history of this sparkling duo, and it inspires and draws its listeners into MC²’s world. The verses are autobiographical while Taliah lays her soulful hook, deep into the crevasses of your mind. They then proceed to blow the roof off with ‘pure cool’ on “No Substitute”, which is clearly a confident ode to a lover – “I must admit I’m in love with you. The strong feeling you get when I’m touching you. No other man make you feel the way I do. If you vibe with me baby, no substitute.”
The poetically charged “It’s O.K. ft. MoJo” follows, smothered in washes of electric piano and incessantly playful hi-hats. It’s beautiful, indisputable, and heartfelt. “Last Time” and “iLL Vibe” go in a classic direction, and there’s no mistaking that you are listening to a new type of hip hop royalty pouring their hearts and souls into making tracks that manage to sound fresh while bringing the legacies of their influences along for the ride.
In the current dark age of Rap and Hip-hop where every so called artist is stuck in the Trap and TR-808 overkill, “Reign Dance ft. Ulee (Of LikeMinded)” is a welcome change – it represents a return to the creativity, the vibe and the lyrical energy that originally made this genre so interesting and exciting between 1986 and 1994.
This is a both a happy and sad listening experience. Happy, because someone still cares about delivering carefully composed music with meaning. Sad, since it is a project that stands all alone, out in the rap wilderness. Superior in creative quality, sound and word play. “Native Sons” is just what the doctor ordered for the new school hip hop generation to lay their ears upon.
It’s a breath of fresh air that you’ve inhaled before, revitalizing and familiar. Just when you think rap music has lost its way, MC² brushes the ground to unveil a path that’s been covered and cluttered with electronic debris and auto-tuned garbage. Walk that path with Louis “LQ” Iverson and Keith “Smeazy” Passmore, as well as producer Tek Nalo G, to discover their stimulating and quenching art.
LQ and Smeazy combine the experience, wisdom, and knowledge of everyday life with the mastery of Hip Hop and Soul Music to make up the duo MC². As prior military members, the group got its start in Washington, DC. Now as civilians, and dedicated to the creation of music as well as other avenues of creativity and entertainment, both MCs reside in San Antonio, TX. Smeazy, originally from Raleigh, NC and LQ, from Wichita, KS, find their music influences from artists and groups such as A Tribe Called Quest, Little Brother, BlackStar, Common, J DIlla, The Roots, and many more.
OFFICIAL LINKS: WEBSITE – AMAZON – ITUNES – SPOTIFY
Social Media:
IG – @the.real.mc2
FB – /MC² cage
TW – @MC2_Music
