This EP was released on January 4th this year. This is pretty much the first notable Hip Hop release of 2019. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Moodie Black, they’re a group consisting of rapper Kdeath & guitarist Sean Lindahl. They’re credited as pioneers of the experimental subgenre of Hip Hop known as “Noise Rap.” I’ve listened to every project they’ve released since 2013. This is the third entry in their series of self titled EPs. I can’t really call myself a fan, but I’m obviously checking this out for a reason. I’ve never been blown away by a song from them, but most of their projects have at least a couple of songs that I like. My favorite project of theirs is definitely their 2018 album Lucas Acid. M B I I was my least favorite project they’ve done, so I’m hoping this one is a big step up from that EP. Even though I wouldn’t really call myself a Moodie Black fan, I will say that Kdeath is easily my favorite trans rapper. I guess that’s not really saying much since the only other trans rapper I’m familiar with is Big Freedia, and I’ve never really been into her. I think Kdeath is dope though. Anyway, I can’t really say I’m expecting this to be that good, but I’m fairly certain it won’t be trash.

1. m o s s

The production on this track is super dark. It’s called “noise rap” for a reason. It’s kinda like listening to feedback from a guitar amp. The way the distorted noises are sculpted gives the song an abrasive, atmospheric backdrop. “Moodie Black” is really the perfect name for the group. Their music literally sounds like the color black. I’m not gonna pretend to understand what the hell the lyrics during the first verse mean. Kdeath sounds good rapping over this beat though. The hook is kinda cool. The second verse contains lines relating back to Kdeath’s trans identity. That line about how her father is in shambles because his son is his daughter now was dope. The crescendo after the second verse is really harsh. The final verse is pretty short, but I like it. I’m not completely in love with this song. The production can be really grating at times. I definitely like this song to some extent. I think it’s good. I wouldn’t call it “great,” but I like it. This is dope.

2. p i n k p o u t

I’m gonna be honest… This song gets a “no” from me, dawg… I like the way the production sounds during the verses, but man… After the first verse ends you just hear a bunch of static and harsh, cacophonous noises along with some screaming in the background. It’s fucking painful to listen to. Her flow on the first verse is kinda cool, but the entire song is lyrically incomprehensible to me.

I may stop berries poison taste face all hot
I can’t hear high pitch I gave body all this
no swagger to carry sane battered aim I’m not
No bad to burden desert cleansed all gender bent chin lift out

It seriously just looks like a bunch of random words thrown together. It’s kind of hard to see those lines and believe that they actually mean something. This is just as if not more difficult to understand as that milo album from last year. I honestly don’t like this track at all. I didn’t get anything out of this. I never wanna hear this again. This shit is wack to me.

3. p r i v i l e g e

The production on this track is super harsh and abrasive, but it’s not as ear piercing as the previous track. Kdeath’s flow is nice on this first verse. However, I still have pretty much no idea what she’s talking about. The lyrics are really hard to decipher. I mean, she’s obviously rapping about the idea of privilege; that’s the overall theme of the song. I just don’t really understand what she’s actually saying with most of these lines. The hook is nothing special, but it gets the job done. The second verse was kinda cool. I don’t think this song is bad. It’s definitely not as difficult to sit through as the previous track. I just don’t think I’d ever feel the need to listen to this again. It was kind of a cool experience the first time, but it’s not something I see myself coming back to. I didn’t enjoy it enough to want to return to it. It’s a decent track though.

4. gasp, then

The beat on this track is actually pretty cool. It has the same static sound that’s been present throughout this project. The way it builds around that repeating piano key is really dope though. The first verse on this track is nice.

Not Drake light, no indie rapper; sad with a trap aesthetic
See, what I’ve done is my own will with a feather finish

Kdeath’s flow on the second verse is really good too. I don’t really care for the hook on this track though. The way Kdeath’s vocals slowly rise over and over again isn’t really that enjoyable to listen to for me personally. I kinda feel like this song lasted a little too long too. I think this is an okay track, but overall I feel the same way about it as I did about the previous one. It’s kinda cool, but it’s honestly not something I’d wanna hear again. It’s a decent track though.

This is a tolerable project. I pretty much got what I expected honestly. It’s a lot of super ambiguous lyricism over cacophonous production. This isn’t a bad EP at all, but it’s definitely not as good as the two albums I’ve heard from Moodie Black. Even though I’ve never really fully enjoyed a project from them, I’ll probably continue to listen to each project they release in the future just because I find their style so interesting. Most of their music isn’t really enjoyable for me, but it’s just too different and weird for me to not be curious about it. This is super inaccessible music. It’s not for the average listener. Only people with a certain level of intelligence can truly appreciate the brilliance of Moodie Black. Just kidding. I’m glad I gave this project a shot because I like the first song. Most of this shit just isn’t pleasant to listen to for me though. This isn’t bad, but I definitely wouldn’t call this good.

Favorite Song: M o s s
Least Favorite Song: P i n k p o u t

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