One Son returns with a new album that puts forth a massive display of power as the record goes through the various struggles of most living people, and puts them metaphorically, into physical terms so it ends up being something that is so incredibly relatable that we can't look away.
The way the lyrics are approached is borderline genius simply because again, there is a lot of talk about struggle. This is very common with a lot of adults out there and, oftentimes in our heads, we will relate that to some kind of physicality. With this record, those struggles are churned into being in the ring taking punches, getting back up, and taking your swings.
The record is called Mic TY.SON and this is most certainly an album with a lot of layers to be peeled back especially if you listen carefully. There are stories to be told and there's a lot of detail in those lyrics that really help me paint vivid pictures in your head as the songs unfold.
I feel like this is one of the most impactful elements of the record itself. The way that the lyrical content is displayed, articulated, and delivered really leaves a heavy-handed impact.
The phrasing and flow of how the raps come out seem not only flawless but kind of seamless as well. It's a natural kind of flow and all of the raps are super in the pocket, but they also have a lot of their own life to them as well.
The album has personality. As a matter of fact, it is dripping with personality, and I think that's something that is a staple of One Son's music in general.
This is not our first rodeo with the artist. I can tell you that he always puts little pieces of himself and others into his music so that things are completely understandable, relatable, and maybe even cathartic for some people to listen to.
This is not your average rep record. The production is ridiculous. The beats, keys, and music really have a lot of different layers to them.
Some of the tracks feel spirited and fiery with such a fight behind them and that doesn't only have to do with the lyrics. Half the time it has to do with how the music comes through. Choosing the right raps on the right music is imperative for a record like this one and everything is done with great attention to detail on this release.
One of the other sorts of staples of One Son and his music is bringing in some old-school hip-hop and rap elements to the table and not being afraid to say whatever he actually wants without being overly aggressive about it.
This is an artist who is conscious about his wording and how he puts things. He uses his music to represent himself so he's very careful about lyrics, phrasing, and intensities.
I find this very cool because you don't come across artists that pay that much attention to this kind of stuff often.
One of the best parts about this album is that when you listen to the whole thing, from beginning to end, you get all these stories put together like a book. They are like chapters in a book. It's quite an amazing record and it really does get deep and pack quite a punch a lot of the time.
With the release of such an impactful album, we wanted to sit down with One Son and get into detail about how this record came about and more.
Here's what went down.
Buzz Slayers: Let's start with Mic TY.SON of course! This release felt honest to me and kept to certain themes of working through struggles at times. At least that’s how I took it. Where did this record come from?
Me and the producer DJ Ty Infamous came up with this concept two years ago. We’ve been talking about doing a project together, so we came up with the concept to combine our names TY for DJ Ty Infamous and SON from ONE SON and the Mic is the weapon of choice thus the title Mic TY.SON. We took it a step further to show you how the struggles of the Iconic Mic Tyson can parallel to the struggles of the common man. The nature of this project is Shakespearean.
Buzz Slayers: I'm picking up on some old-school approaches and aesthetics on this one! Can you give us some of your biggest musical influences?
Yes, we wanted to make this a vintage Hip Hop project not concentrating on radio singles, or catchy hooks just the pure artform and going back to the essence. My musical influences run deep from Curtis Mayfield to Rakim, from John Lee Hooker to Scarface, from Loretta Lynn to Lauryn Hill. In other words, I get inspired from great art.
Buzz Slayers: This felt like a pretty big undertaking! How long did this take to put together?
We came up with the concept two years ago, but the actual recording process was maybe six months. DJ Ty Infamous sent me tracks based on the concept, and I wrote and recorded to seven of the tracks. Khalid Salaam who is featured on All
Praises Due, and Heart of a Lion curated the songs by adding the Mike Tyson
interludes and Douglas Rogers mixed and mastered the project, so it was a team
effort.
Buzz Slayers: How do you record your stuff? Do you have a home studio?
I have a home studio in Fort Worth, Texas and in Africa. I happen to record this project in Africa. DJ Ty Infamous produced this project in Valley Alabama, Khalid Salaam curated and featured on this project in Atlanta Georgia and Douglas Rogers mixed and mastered this project in Virginia Beach, Virginia and I wrote and recorded the songs in Africa. I just wanted to give you a perspective of how we came together to make this work.
Buzz Slayers: Do you collaborate with producers for your beats?
I’m a part of a production company called Upperhand Productions that consists of myself, DJ Cassanova (founder) Khalid Salaam, Douglas Rogers, DJ Ty Infamous, J75, and Big Fella
Buzz Slayers: Are you performing any shows right now?
I’m not doing any shows right now, but I wrote a Country song called Eagle Cry for Todd Russell, and he’s outperforming that song. Also, I wrote an R&B song called Young World for Nancie B and she’s added the song to her set.
Buzz Slayers: Are you planning any music videos for this one?
Yes, I’m planning to do a video for Lord of The Ring and Heart of a Lion.
Buzz Slayers: We loved your last record! This is familiar to that in some ways but also a step in a different direction. How do you feel like your sound has evolved since you first started?
My last project I Got This was produced by Big Fella if I had to compare
the two projects I would do so with a sports analogy. I Got This is showing my
well-rounded game verses Mic TY.SON is showing the dunking highlights so both
are entertaining. I think the evolution of my sound grew from being a battle rapper to just becoming an artist, writer, and composer that can’t be pigeonholed.
Buzz Slayers: What's next for you now that this record is released?
Right now, I’m prompting the project, by doing interviews and letting online influencers do reaction videos.
Also, our production company (Upperhand Productions) is continuing to work
with Music Libraries to get our music in TV, Film and Video Games. We’ve
recently had placements on Amazon Prime, Netflix and the reality TV show Toya &
Reginae.
Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
I appreciate anyone that supports my music and movement. I was one of those artists that was asked by a record executive to portray a violate image but decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Taking the stairs makes it more about the journey than the destination. By not compromising I kept my soul intact, and you can tell by what I stand on, and what my music represents.
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