J Spades is back with long awaited ‘MMMP3’ mixtape. After numerous listens, I’ve come up with 7 reasons as to why you shouldn’t sleep on it. So after reading this make sure you go and buy it!
1: The features.
When I say the features I do not mean just for their verses, I mean the power of the feature. The rap scene across the border in the states has been a gap not many UK artists have closed, and on a couple of the features J Spades has bridged that gap, getting features from King Louie and Big Lean. On the contrary the UK features Spades has on his tape are arguably the strongest you could get; with the likes of Krept and Konan, Professor Green, Tinie Tempah and Blade Brown dropping bars
2: The production.
Every single song is a banger. Personal preference will differ on what song you prefer more but at the end of the day, every song has 10/10 production. The mixtape sounds like a movie. From the memorable deep 808’s to the kicks and snares that give it the trap influence, it’s obvious how much work has been put into the production and it’s paid off.
3: The progression
Everything sounds polished. The beats are amazing, the choruses are catchy, even the small things down to the adlibs, everything sounds perfected and polished. This is progression and something that was very evident from the first listen. Spades has always had the streets on lock with his projects, but he has now developed from what could have been classed as purely “hood music” to what now is accessible in clubs and a lot more open to the listeners without taking away from what made Spades authentic in the first place. The progression is great from a fans perspective and it gets us excited to where he could go next.
4: The versatility
Versatility is something a lot of rappers don’t seem to obtain or want to dabble in, they’re comfortable in their section and that’s it. What do we know Spades for? Some of the most entertaining UK Rap. Subject matter? What most UK rap is about; pain, money, girls, success. This is the formula for most UK rap releases and it’s proven to not be broken. However J Spades (following the point of progression) has shown his versatility in this project. Don’t expect any acoustic sessions or heartfelt melodies but the topics that Spades touches on shows what he’s come from and what he aims to be; as well as making songs more accessible for the female audience he is growing at the moment.
5: The independence
We may forget at times with the features and the quality of work Spades releases, that he is unsigned. To release a project of this caliber and quality and be unsigned is something the UK should be proud of. It also gives the light and inspiration on the other artists who may be eager to sign a deal that you can release quality pieces of music in your field whilst being unsigned. He released MMMP3 on his independent MMMP Records, yet he’s got features from some of the biggest artists in our UK scene and features from across the border too.
6. Contender for best UK project of this year so far?
We’ve had a few UK projects this year and they’ve been successful to say the least, but this is definitely up there. Everyone has been waiting for MMMP3 and it doesn’t disappoint. I personally feel after a fair few listens that this is up there with some of the best from the UK rap scene this year. The longevity of this project is also a bonus, MMMP is now a trilogy, and if you’ve slept on Spades start from the beginning and educate yourselves and you’ll understand the point I’m making.
7. The bangers
The key point. Every song is a banger and every song is one that you’ll find yourself driving along too, playing at a club, with your friends, etc. You don’t want to be the idiot in the club when a song comes on and everyone goes mental to it and you’re standing there lost for words, so to save yourself the humiliation, buy MMMP3 and get prepared.
Overall the project is not only strong, not only impressive, it’s a project I will listen to again and again. J Spades has outdone himself this time and created something that is versatile yet sticks to the true core of J Spades and the charisma we know him for. Apparently with more money comes more pagans, but in this case more money comes more success.
Buy it here.