From That Summer (vol.1) Compilation “Ease My Mind Review” by 0 Hype
YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQjS2vDpJyg
Ah, the Toronto hip-hop scene. How mightily it has commanded our attentions in these last couple of years; it’s hard to believe now, in hindsight, that it took Drake breaking away from Degrassi for those of us south of the Canadian border to take any interest in the rich, culturally diverse music scene that its grandest city has to offer. Music knows no boundaries or borders, and proving that he has all of the passion and drive to take his sound to the international stage is none other than 0 hype, who alongside Chris Chand create a brassy and stylish blend of colorful R&B in the former’s new single “Ease My Mind.” 0 hype is quite the ironic moniker for the songwriter Rudi Jubran, who under this billing is generating quite a bit of hype and buzz around his daringly street-smart style of rap. “Ease My Mind” sees him teaming with a more than able partner in Chand, whose melodic abilities add a comforting glow to this track that makes it stand out from all of its competition hitting radio airwaves this summer.
The end of the decade means the end of an era of popular culture and the music that came along with it. If you’ve been feeling like Top 40 sounds a little fractured lately, you’re not alone. The old guard is dying off, and in their place, gutsier acts like 0 hype are playing on in their stead. Now is a critical time for artists of his caliber to be capitalizing on this turning point and putting out their most inventive and experimental work yet, so that we as an audience have something to cling onto as we shift into this next chapter. “Ease My Mind” makes the transition between contemporary hip-hop and the psychedelic influenced trip-hop sound that many of us in the journalism community are coming to associate with rising and “future” R&B artists. It’s got some mighty beats that are difficult to contain, perhaps alluding to 0 hype’s true home outside of the studio and up on the stage. As big as these beats are though, it doesn’t disruptive the meditative melody that Chand is directing between the furiously dispatched verses. The contrast is beautiful and kinetic; a perfect accompaniment to these thoughtful lyrics.
Indie rappers of 2018 have a lot more in common with the beat poets of midcentury America than they do with a lot of their 1980s east coast and west coast predecessors in that reverent lyrics and a rejection of thematic detachment is more important than getting widespread exposure or even attention from a major record label. Their grassroots ethics make them far more authentic and true to their craft than perhaps any who came before them seeking to record the same type of music, and that’s saying something considering the heavyweights that they have to live up to. 0 hype is one of the shooting stars to watch right now, and while his name might be a little deceptive relative to his talent, “Ease My Mind” does just as advertised.
That Summer, Vol. 1: https://open.spotify.com/album/2BuQkIZjet7yHSU7cGroKj
Jamie Morse