The Mood Doctors, more commonly known as The MD’s, are a Long Island based hip-hop group that consists of Lucious “Luck” Mercer, Neal “Purp” Forrester, Savander “Van” Parker a.k.a. Grippy Grip and DJ Evil Dee – one half of the Beatminerz and 1/3 of the legendary NYC group Black Moon. The group’s founding members, Bronx-born Luck (who is the brother of De La Soul member Posdnous) and Jamaican born Purp, are life long friends. Together they have over 20 years in the game – and listening to their latest EP, Containment, it definitely shows.
“Just because you wrote a song, don’t make it a record, no disrespect kid, tighten up your crew and get connected…”
– from the song Refuse
The album is both reflective of the NYC underground sound, and collective industry experience – both of which are prominently displayed throughout the entire 6 song project. The MDs flip through different styles like the boom bap sounds of the self-produced tracks Refuse (currently getting burn on Beatminerz Radio) and Time Refill, which tackle topics ranging from the industry and NYC life to social/political issues. The project is light on features, in fact there is only two: Likwuid knocking Take Me To The Mardi Gras sampled Ayo A Yo and Marlem on the slower neo-soul-vibed bonus joint Thirsty.
Although there is no direct Beatminerz production on this album, Evil Dee provides all the cuts, and a cohesive mix of the entire EP. He’s the man behind the iconic How Many MC’s cuts – so you know he comes correct.
The album is refreshing – but it’s not for everyone, and not for the radio. It’s for real heads, and it’s disappointing to know that projects of this caliber may never get the mainstream attention they deserve. That’s not the fault of the artist, or even necessarily the listeners; however, that’s a whole other topic. It’s a great listen though, and I highly recommend it.
