The Detroit/Florida rapper borrows philosophical and ideological ideas from the iconic Detroit label, Motown.
“[We only] make hits here, no flops,” exclaims Motown founder Barry Gordy describing the creation of Hitsville USA, the location where some of the most legendary albums in the timeline of Black music were recorded.
Indeed, this same blend of confidence and arrogance is gleaming from Florida-based, Detroit-born, rapper Major D-Star, who is taking his music back to the roots of his hometown’s iconic past with his new release, Motown Sound.
Sewn together with a series of soundbites from a documentary film about the Motown label/studio, Major delivers a solid 16 track project that highlights his diversity as an artist.
While not a direct Motown influence, as it isn’t laced with an egregious amount of unclear-able soul samples, it seems to—rather—borrow from more of the philosophical and ideological elements the imprint embodies: a fiercely focused circle, and by design only making hits, no filler.
Songs like the bouncy “Jackson 5,” the ‘dirt all by my lonely’ anthem “solo,” the 80s R&B tinged “Messing With A Freak, and “No Fly Zone” [a reference to Detroit’s Trick-Trick led movement] all have different vibes. Then there’s the New Jack Swing infused sound of “Dream Come True”—right down to the chorus. However, they all gleefully come together to create a cohesive cover to cover listen.
Hosted by Motor-City mainstay DJ Steady Rock, the project serves as a worthy follow-up to I’m So Major 2, which was hosted by DJ Smallz and the late Slim Dunkin.
The project is avialble now, via DatPiff. Tap that play button.
