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8.5/10
Underground but obnoxiously talented Virginia-based rapper McKinley Dixon comes through with a jazz rap album that sounds like it would be produced by a one with a full production team, and lyrics guaranteed to pull heartstrings.
"Hanif Reads Toni" is a captivating spoken word track to kick off the album, with uniquely deep yet light synths that just flood your ears. Lyrically, it's dense and intense as well, as poet Hanif reads a passage regarding discrimination and struggles of living in a city as a person of color. "Sun, I Rise" in contrast is not as intense, but contains angelic and haunting harmonies from singer-songwriter Angelica Garcia. McKinley's boom-bap-esque flow hits hard along with this, and the drums are mixed in a fuzzy way, adding this nostalgic and slightly jazzy feel to the track. "Mezzanine Tippin'", again is a completely different feel, with the track opening up with an aggressive chorus from Teller Bank$. The production is intriguing, with what sounds like broken glass hitting the floor and heavy but quiet drums, and a synth that sounds like a squeaky door. Alfred does well on his verse, coming through with an involved and passionate delivery.
"Run, Run, Run" returns back to the soulful feel "Sun, I Rise" contained, with a lovely catchy chorus with pretty harmonies. The verses are solid but not as captivating to me as the previous tracks; they're a bit hollow. "Live! from the Kitchen Table", however, contains a stunningly emotionally filled verse from underground Philly rapper Ghais Guevara. The incorporations of jazz on this track are very strong too.
"Tyler, Forever" picks the energy right up with McKinley coming through with a faster-paced flow and ecstatic chorus that just slaps you in the face along with theatrical horns and hard-hitting drums. The song breaks down into a jazzier sound coming into verse 2, but McKinley holds on to his fast-paced flow which I love. "Dedicated to Tar Feather" opens up with harmful horns and strings along with lovely self-reflective lyrics. The nice, soft vocals on the hook from indie singer Anjimile tickle the ear. In McKinley's second verse, the strings come to life, adding a warm and grandiose feel. "The Story so Far" follows a serene interlude, with McKinley starting off with a somewhat awkward flow, later saved when the subtle drum beat comes in. Seline Haze, an incredibly small artist with 60 monthly listeners on Spotify, comes through with a satisfyingly soft and fast-paced verse.
The title track "Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?" closes out the project beautifully with a children's choir and a display of lovely vocal range from singer Jaylin Brown. The calming saxophone solo in the middle of the track is gorgeous, and I love the vulnerability and emotion displayed in the second verse from McKinley.
After seeing mixed reviews on this project, I decided to give it a try. Not being the biggest fan of jazz rap, I thought it would be just an ok project, but McKinley exceeded my expectations with the beautifully mixed instrumentals and solid feature decisions. Don't be surprised if he's the next big name in the hip-hop/rap scene.
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