I’m not an aficionado of rap or hip-hop. Let’s settle that straightaway. It doesn’t mean that I hate the form; far from it. There are several acts spanning the genre’s history that earned my favor. However, it isn’t my first “musical language”. I grew up weaned on rock of various stripes and the blues.
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/feez_da_popstar/?hl=en
I do respect it, even acts I don’t like. Feez da Popstar, the pseudonym for NYC DJ Jay Faire, is a performer I like and respect. The reasons are manifold. I can’t help but admire his near-seamless transition from his onetime role as a mixer and club show bastion into his new guise as a rapper, songwriter, and producer. Many contemporaries and peers have responded in kind. His successful collaborations with such rap/hip hop luminaries like New Boyz, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown, among others, illustrate the level of respect he commands.
The fluid and physical nature of his new single “MTF (More Than Friends)” shows there’s a lot to like. The single has an outstanding structure attesting to Feez’s skills as a songwriting craftsman. A brief but memorable cut, “MTF (More Than Friends)” begins as it ends, and the smooth shifts from precocious R&B influences throughout the verses into the outright rap of the song’s refrain locks in step with the intro and outro. It’s a fully realized aural experience and intensely musical.
It’s intensely rhythmic as well. Feez never attempts to overwhelm us. He establishes much more subtle connections. The single’s idiosyncratic approach to percussion gives “MTF (More Than Friends)” an unique pulse that few other rap songs enjoy. It’s more straightforward during the chorus, but the verses employ percussive qualities more akin to jazz than traditional rap. The touch is light and teasing. It strengthens the song’s identity rather than sounding like a distraction.
“MTF (More Than Friends”) breezes by in little more than two minutes. There is never any sense of Feez rushing the track. Feez da Popstar has condensed his musical vision into a small, glittering sonic diamond that illuminates the listener’s imagination from the outset and avoids any hint of solipsism. Feez isn’t stroking his ego or trying to entertain himself. It is a crowd-pleasing cut at every turn representing a new peak in his burgeoning career.
The single poises this New York City, New York-based producer, songwriter, and performer to be a force in rap and hip hop. He should come out of this experience on the radar of every meaningful fan of the genre. “MTF (More Than Friends)” is an one-of-a-kind single that sounds thoroughly contemporary and doesn’t attempt to imitate any of his peers or perceived betters. Feez da Popstar is staking out his territory with each new single, and I see plenty of opportunity for him to expand on the potential exhibited throughout this song. It will reaffirm his existing fans’ faith while making many new converts. Let’s keep an eye on this performer because he’s clearly aiming for greater things and is capable of accomplishing them.
Mindy McCall