One of my favorite eras/movements in Hip Hop history is what might be best classified as the 2009 XXL Freshmen period. The Hip Hop publication had chosen 10 really interesting and engaging artists to grace its Freshmen cover, and while the artists themselves (of which included Wale, Asher Roth, now crazy man B.o.B, Curren$y, and now underground hero Blu) were diverse sonically, they all seemed to be united around a general sense of creativity, marijuana use, and a fun preppy nonchalance. Ultimately, none of them reached the heights that other global superstar XXL Freshmen did (like Future, Lil Yachty, or Kendrick Lamar,) but their general sound definitely lasted and was carried into even today by bigger names like Lupe Fiasco and ultimately Kanye West. As such, I was pleasantly surprised that today's Breaking Ground artist, Gold Midas, sounds like he could fit perfectly in with that sound.
Midas is a rapper and producer from Broward County, Florida. I had never heard of him before Dimxsk sent me the rec. The album covered today is 2020's "The Search Party Is Over," on which Midas handles the raps and the production. The project is ultimately a spacey diary of Midas' general struggles, overcoming of said struggles, and reflection on where he is now - all over some super solid synthy production. Spoiler alert: This one is definitely a keeper.
My personal two favorites of the 2009 Freshmen are Kid Cudi and Charles Hamilton - and Midas definitely has heavy shades of both of them. This is perhaps nowhere clearer than on the album's opener, "Hey Sunshine." I love this as an opening track because, while Midas has vocals all over it, you really get the feel that the instrumental is the star. The heavy ethereal synths and trippy breaks give you a good sense of the tone of the album and the overall mood. Midas' constant humming and "whoaaing" sound like a Kid Cudi demo track! Lyrically, Midas bemoans his losing track of his "sunshine" and declares that he's found his last straw on the edge and that, "The sky is all I have left/Countin' down my last breath." It's perhaps fitting that the lowest point on the album comes first and is best conveyed instrumentally.
Not to be classified solely as a producer, however, the album follows things up with "RAMPAGE!" Over a heavy vocal sample loop, Midas gives perhaps his most "aggressive" (which still isn't very aggressive) rappity rap performance. He tackles racism and militarized police, and contemplates how debt and low paying jobs can be just as detrimental. This all leads to his paranoia and general depression setting in. "We ain't stoppin' til them kids out the cages/White man wanna se us burnin' in the flames/Til he realize he got a billion of us to erase!"
From here, Midas sets out on a journey to find some sort of meaning amongst the political/social chaos and his own personal confusion. On "Full Circle," over some jazzy samples and melodic synths (and a great hook,) the man embraces the nightlife and smoking lifestyle, sensing that it can help him get closer to whatever he's searching for ("I ain't never comin' down no way/I'm too busy comin' up all day...Sun goes down, that's when I go up.") The Wiz Khalifa vibes (without the total corniness) works their way into things around this point of the project. On "Dancing Man," which features probably the most "traditional" and toned down Hip Hop beat on the project, Midas points out, "I was searching for faith/Every angel I met had a smirk on his face." Perhaps marijuana is ultimately a better spiritual filler for Midas than traditional religion?
Things then move into "Heaven Gotta Wait," where Midas spits a bit about finding his soulmate. Things quickly turn to that (or a) relationship not working out on "Sorry World," however, where Midas addresses having to deal with rejection - romantically and socially due to his criminal record acting as a hindrance in society. Even so, over the soulful sample, Midas begins to find worth in himself. Autotune pops in here and works wonderfully in my opinion as does the distorted Kanye-esque outro. The heavy "Gone For Days" mirrors this general sentiment of finally coming out on the other side of reflection and introspection.
As things get better for Midas, celebration begins to enter the picture on "Search Party." Over a funk-filled beat this time, Midas notes, "All I ever wanted was a piece/Now I'm en route for the whole thing...you can have anything you want here /All that I ask - have no fear." In addition to some added in "Ooohs" that again sound like Kid Cudi exited the mental hospital and the wording fit for one of Charles Hamilton's 2000 mixtapes, Midas toasts to a life of a struggling, but still successful, artist - and notes how this has helped him overcome his issues. On "Burden Club," he points out the role that smoking has helped in letting his demons go and pushing forward in life (this one has a real earworm of a melody too!)
On the closing tracks, Midas tells about how far he's come emotionally and where he currently is at in his life. "Post Peak Rain" finds him discussing how his self-worth was partially found via others, "And to think that I was worthless all to myself/Until I find that I am helpful on someone else's time." "Second Chances," which features almost a chiptune based synth on production, has him pointing out the importance of patience in the whole process of growing. Finally, on the album's closer, "The Trip That Never Ends," Midas declares, "I think I'm okay now" and thanks those who have helped him succeed, while also noting that growing and reflection is a never ending process.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed the listening of this one. The production is heavy and staticy, but also emotional, driven, and progressive (it builds up the story just as much as the lyrics.) Vocally, Midas is really gifted. The tracks here often fall into a three part phase - a really catchy sung hook, a more melodic chanting verse, and then a more straight forward rapping verse. Midas is great at all three, which is super impressive. In terms of the straight rapping, Midas has various cadences and flows and while the rhymes themselves aren't super intricate, the multis and word choice do more than enough to get the job done (e.g. "stars align"/"saw the light"/"hard to find"/"heart to fight" scheme on "Heaven Gotta Wait.") Midas is also really good at really painting the picture of what he's trying to convey - e.g. "Hell came down, well it was featherweight/Moodswinging just as fast as the weather change...find a diamond in the rough til it got swept away/I still feel it in my chest like it was yesterday."
Things aren't perfect, of course. First off, if you don't like Cudi or Hamilton or Kanye (for reasons other than him being a Nazi lunatic) or that whole sound...you should probably pass. If you do like them, but hate anyone else who follows that style or sounds too similar...you should probably pass. Second, while Midas absolutely tells an effective story here - he never really gets too personal or too specific. That's not really an issue for me as this is the first I've heard from him - and it hooked me without me having to worry about getting drug down in particulars. With that said, as I go into his back catalog (and the things he's done after this,) I hope to hear more overall about who he is and what he can do. Third, a couple of the longer tracks end up running a bit too long production-wise (and in terms of vocal sample play.) I'm all for letting a vibey album just blend and live a little - but I think that feeling could have remained in addition to everything hitting harder had some of the tracks been trimmed.
"The Search Party Is Over" is a great all around album, lyrically and musically. For those stuck in the underground, I'd suggest this if you like, say, a Cities Aviv mixed with a Fredo Algebra. Props to Gold Midas for making it and props to Dimxsk for the rec. You can download the entire thing for free via Gold Midas' Bandcamp linked below. Next week I'm switching things way up and having Dimxsk listen to a contemporary indie emo pop record. Now excuse me as I begin to delve deeper into this guy's discography!
The Search Party Is Over
A small underground rap request note: Napkins asked in the chat about a 2002 project called "Spirals" from NW Undergrowth (a project/collective made up by Mo-B of the Sandpeople.) I added the entry on Discogs and the photo in the picture is mine. Myself and a fellow collector friend Renee (Bballchic on Discogs) are the only two people I know of who have copies. Unfortunately, neither of them play or are even readable to any degree. At first, we thought it might be a bootleg or some fan-made compilation - but such songs do not appear elsewhere. Renee asked Onry if he remembered recording it and he said no. I asked Toni and she said she thinks she does remember it. Someone who was featured on the "A Drink Of Air" album from Undergrowth reached out and said he remembered the album. Finally, Iame said he remembered the project from back in the day - so it is a legit album. As to why neither copy plays? No idea. Both copies were free of scratches. It might be simple rot from the CDR type or the disc's sticker cover rotted it (as seems to be the case with one of the JFK "Anchor Head Chronicles" cdrs I found and several other older cdrs with the sticker label.) Anyhow, if anyone has a working copy of this (physical or digital) let me know!
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