Mountain - [KWAMZAY]
Texture is fluid.
Maybe a summer garden from 2006 has happened upon your memory and you’ve decided to paint it. Once finished, you feel everything is right - except the tulips. They look flat, uninspired, and unable to be captured by color or shape. Maybe you feel this way because the tulips were the most important part of your memory. Maybe they stood out the most and as a child you fixated upon them. There was a magical feeling that you experienced for the first time, and now you want to bring that magic to the present.
To fix this you decide to use a painter’s knife. Slowly you push the paint together in little puddles and swirls that bring out the character of the flowers. Your hands and mind stay in sync as you glide the knife along the paint, smoothing out rough edges and creating depth in your image. When you set the knife down, you can see the difference in your tulips. They’ve morphed from the background into something closer to the sentient world, something that can take control of your feelings and thoughts.
…
On KWAMZAY’s “Mountain” their manipulation of texture and its fluidity sets it apart from many other underground hip/hop releases as well as their 2021 tape “Motherland!” which has built them a significant audience in both L.A and online. Much like the process of utilizing texture for paint on canvas, “Mountain” uses grimey mixing and unpredictable flows to spotlight specific feelings.
Mountain is a tape dedicated to invoking feelings about time and growth. These feelings are threaded through the five short songs, with the tape only coming in around seven minutes. Of course, this leaves room for what “could have” been done, especially because it feels like the conversation this album brings to the table isn’t completed by the end. We can only hope that the next release KWAMZAY has in store expounds upon ideas explored in this project. With that being said, the tape has an artful and genuine effort put behind it.
From the beginning of “Mountain” the atmosphere is unsettling. On “Get Like You” a choppy sample is distorted by a chorus-like sound while an heavy 808 plays one note throughout the whole song. Kwame Adu, the duo’s vocalist, introduces us to the setting before he runs into a full sprint with his flow while kicking one liners and describing his present life. There’s a lack of clarity in the mix that screams proudly about the abrasive experimentation at hand. The intro is admirable and Kwame’s indignant flow especially makes the track stand out from other inspirations such as Earl Sweatshirt, Pink Siifu, Mike, and more of the experimental alternative hip-hop artists that have made their own spots in rap since the mid 2010’s.
As the tape continues the mixing develops the mood and tone of each track well. On “Citrus” Kwame’s vocal lines are panned on opposite ends with his higher, louder, and more enthusiastic vocal panned to the right while his more sentimental vocal is panned left. Eventually his vocal lands on the middle pan near the very end of the track. On “Peanuts” a similar method is used but Kwame is stuck much more in the middle with ad-libs coming through every few bars. This mixing style reveals the different feelings Kwame has about themes discussed in the tape.
The aforementioned panning on “Citrus” shines a light on Kwame’s feelings about his potential and what type of person he could grow into. Opening the track, Kwame raps “Ain’t me talking, it’s a word from the sun.” It’s easy to assume these lyrics serve as a purposeful division of Kwame’s image of himself. One that has always and only grown, and one trying to find their way in the present. He goes on to express hunger to be recognized for being a symbol of growth. Near the end of the track on the lyrics “living in the moment right like chingy” his vocals come back to the middle with “breathe..” being repeated. This switch in mix seems to be signified by the lyrics; so whether it was intentional or not, the division of self-image on “Citrus” is expressed masterfully.
Behind the sounds is ZAYALLCAPS, who shows extreme risk and precision in his production. A mix of warmth on “Peanuts” to the cold and abrasive on tracks such as “Get Like You” and “Im Still Alive” every so often reminds us of the hidden anxiety in “Mountain.” The back and forth of these sounds on the album mixed with Kwame’s multiple references to doing music for success and taking care of his mother are pointers to the duo’s fight with the present and the uncertainty in their lives moving forward. It’s worth noting that “Im Still Alive” is quite a sporadic change from the rest of the tape. With its heavy drum n’ bass drums and repetitious sample the track serves as a reminder that the duo is resilient in their fight with expectation and responsibility.
In closing, KWAMZAY has put together a strong, albeit short, tape that is consistent in its themes and discussions. The consistency is so glaring that in ⅗ of the tracks Kwame makes a painting reference, akin to how Tyler, The Creator made traveling references on his 2021 release “Call Me If You Get Lost.” From lyrics to mixing to beats the tape exudes focus. Oddly enough the tape closes on a verse by Young Wabo who, though delivers a strong verse, doesn’t tie knot on “Mountains” themes. Even though it wasn’t the best choice, the decision is easily forgivable and I look forward to KWAMZAY’s next project. You should definitely listen to this tape when you get a chance.
