Melanin 9 aka M9 is a prolific lyricist hailing from North London who is ready to drop his Magna Carta LP on December 3rd 2012. The release is timed with the aligning of the planets Mercury, Venus and Saturn and set to be a body of work to resonate with all 7 chacras provided you give it the time of day and night it deserves. For those of you who don’t know the reasoning behind his name, “Melanin” is the key organism that gives genes colour and pigment, thus “Melanin 9″ is the body and colour of a black man.
M9’s release entitled The “Magna Carta” has features from Madame Pepper, Triple Darkness, Roc Marciano. The Release is beautifully crafted with production from Jehst, Anatomy, Heyzues, 7th Dan, Parental, Ohbliv and Tony Mahoney. “Magna Carta LP” is set to be a major release for M9 and is a weapon of mass destruction in this underground emcees arsenal of well crafted vocal excellence. Speaking from the perspective of being a rapper, this is what rap has been missing there is a sinister beauty captured throughout this body of work that made me re-evaluate the way I construct the message I put across.
M9 has been very active in the game from an early age being influenced by such artists as Mobb Deep, Nas, Lord Finesse and Wu-Tang are very evident in the way that he spits. M9 captures the ideology of lyrical skill that mass media has replaced with the glorification of material pursuits and over indulgence. Don’t get it twisted I have the utmost respect for any artist making traction doing what they love in any way shape or form, I too from time to listen to “commercial hip hop” but what made me fall in love with Hip-Hop was lyricism, flow and an message. This is what I believe M9 has put into this project as well as his previous releases which I urge you to listen though ( Orphans Of Cush, 144,000, Anethema, High Fidelity) to get a full picture of M9’s ideological roots to further process the time and effort in the construction of each bar and execution.
Even as this review is being written “Magna Carta” is being played over and over again, (it only feels right to do so). The first track “Gene of Isis” gives the listener the adequate time to adjust their listening to be ready for what they are about to hear as well as being the only track I have ever heard that would be the perfect soundtrack to reading the first few chapters of Jonathan Blacks “The Secret History Of The World”.
I made the mistake on first listen to have the album on shuffle (rookie error) then listened back through the “Magna Carta” in its intended order and discovered more. The best way for me to describe this is when you look at a work of art (for example a painted picture) briefly then you walk back past it a second time to fully appreciate its distinct artistry and innocence of pure expression.
The “Magna Carta” is far from what most would call an innocent project, yet it covers (for me anyway) a reflective standpoint looking at the world from a spiritual, astrological, historical and analytical perspective encompassing comments on divides between socio-economic groupings spiritual/esoteric awareness, materialism and knowledge.
“Raise a glass stem to bastard fatherless men” was such a powerful line when first heard on “Heartless Island”. To me it congers powerful imagery of the wasteful society we now live in and how M9 is on a personal journey in his world of self discovery whereby he “uses scalpels to carve gems, form planets to pick locks to doors banished”.
I think there is a wonderful balance of lyrical artistry on a canvas of exceptionally produced beats and intelligently crafted rhymes from not only M9 but everyone featured on the “Magna Carta” has definitely brought their “A-Game”. It has not only made me re-evaluate the way music can make a person feel, as a lover of rap and student of the game it has definitely encouraged me to study more and learn from such an outstanding teacher.
I think the stands out tracks for me on this body of work are as follows:
- The 7 Blues – (Just pure beautiful music)
- Cosmos – (If you engage in recreational pharmaceuticals this is your JAM!!!! For the record I am not promoting it, I am merely saying if that is something you already do; you will connect on a deeper level with this song).
- Organised Democracy – (Powerful)
- Loves Stencil (For me an updated, a detailed articulate M9 version of Dead Prez Mind Sex)
- Heartless Island ( HANDS DOWN MY FAVOURITE TRACK )
This Album gets a Sampleface Salute of 4/5