Classy, literary, cultured, narrative-rich, experimental, dramatic, dynamic and stylish hip-hop by the Richmond-born, Chicago-based rapper in this follow-up to the acclaimed Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? (2023) in a release exploring the fate of key characters and the idea of what constitutes magic in the turmoil of daily life. There’s a richly imaginative mix of jazz and other instrumentation and sampling at play, instantly in evidence in the gentle harp, flutes and spoken word of opener Watch My Hands, leading into the excellent, energetic jazz swing of Sugar Water with Quelle Chris and Anjimile, decorated with gospel soul backing singers, piano and a double-bass groove with a rapping momentum reminiscent of The Pharcyde. Crooked Stick (with Ghais Guevara and Alfred), jazz-rich and powerful is backed dynamic hip-hop saxophone and is harp-drenched. Central to the narratives are characters who wrestle with the idea of raising a friend from the dead, to lift him through the floorboards of existence like some divine being. “We ran, we danced/Survived, we thrived.” Dixon exalts over confident saxophone and sprung bass, “That’s Magic, Alive!” Other standouts include the gentler Recitatif (with Teller Bank$), the ripples of Listen Gentle, which plays with the idea of “pulling a quarter behind your ear”, and the nostalgic, upbeat, optimistic, at times even tender Could’ve Been Different, featuring Blu and Shamir, in which the former raps: “McKinley, you showed me the importance of self-belief / Be loved, be jazzed, you don't gotta be me” (with reference to the last album), and in the final verse, the other two reflect on alternative outcomes: “Now we're standing in the meadows where the flowers know our name/ We ain't ran from where we grew up, shit, we'd probably go insane / Oh my God, oh my God, I just wanna jump off the roof.” Filled with poignant wide-ranging emotions and panache of delivery, it’s another sensational release. Out on City Slang.
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