Photo Credit: Evan Mattingly
“All I can say is…I put my life into this to share it with you…I do this for you…and I’ll keep doing this for as long as you have me…”
—Mike Bandanna
Much like the Weeknd during his epic early rise to internet infamy, rapper Mike Bandanna’s image is shrouded in shadowy ambiance — but that seems to mesh well with his overall sound. Sonically Mike sounds like a lost member of the TDE squad, with [almost] aggressive blend of self-conscious bars and soulful, yet dark and bassy, production sensibility he’s gravitated towards. As he describes on his site, he began his journey two years ago after receiving some advice from a close friend, “If you don’t do it then no one is gonna get it done.” As he goes on to describes, “I allowed my creation to be my destination. Through this…I find myself at the beginning of a new and the end of old.” Along with the [kind of] creepy, dark photography, his latest project, Two Feet, when looked at as a cohesive package, comes off as an art project; complete with visual and audio components worthy of a gallery exhibition.
Across the nine-song EP, he covers an array of topics, painting lush rhyme schemes around concepts of mortality and self-reflective sensibility — with a dash good old fashioned emcee ego — to create a well-rounded audio journey. His cadence, which almost reminds me slightly of Kendrick in spots, is well complimented by the production of tracks like “Great,” dope operatic sample base, the seven-minute “Not Enough/Timeless,” or “Fade Away,” which was one of my favourite tracks on the project. He also blends a rap/singing vibe on the R&B tinged “The Passing,” which is also seven minutes in length.
Mike Bandanna is a combination of many different things that have — historically — helped many artists recognize a certain level of success. Two Feet is a solid project that he can definitely [metaphorically] hang his hat on and use to further springboard his brand. A worthy addition to your playlist this upcoming week!
