Last night Mist took to his Twitter to announce his new project Diamond In The Dirt, which is set to release in the near future.
Following a hectic 2016, filled with growth and musical progression, Mist entered 2017 slightly under the radar, taking a more low-key approach after such a successful year, which saw him break the scene. 2016 was also an ample year for British music as a whole. Not only did it see the emergence of a number of talented individuals, it also gained a larger worldwide audience and global appeal. With this, the proliferation in population allowed for the growth and development in the scenes infrastructure and in turn, artists and producers were able to really home in on and refine their sounds, with Mist being a prime example of this.
It all starts in the second half of 2015 and the Mist cooking pot began to bubble. Even though we had seen some videos prior, it was his scene smasher, “Sickmade” video and his 1Take freestyle, which all dropped within the space of a few months on Midlands based YouTube channel, P110, that had the streets talking. In particular, in his 1Take, Mist offered a more vulnerable style to his artistry, through his documentation of a helicopter police chase he faced on the M6, which eventually led to his capture and time in which he served in prison. However, we also learned in this freestyle that Mist did not stop here, instead whilst reflecting on his life and the time he was forced to spend away from his daughter, he channelled his energy and upon release, met up with producer Shadow On The Beat to tell his story. Another important element of his 1Take was the introduction of the phrase “Apnas and Karlas”, Punjabi for those from Asian and Black backgrounds. The phrase, which Mist picked up as a result of spending time amongst Asian communities in his hometown, Birmingham, really solidified his fan base and epitomised UK rap culture. In a scene, which is so concentrated within its demographic, the phrase helped synonymise his experiences with his fans, uniting them in the most sonically pleasing way.
Shortly after, Mist appeared on SBTV, with his very own‘Warm Up Session. Once again, he elevated himself as a wordsmith, speaking upon the pain he felt after losing both of his parents as well as further documenting the struggles faced during his time spent in prison.
From here, Mist went on to drop the single “Living” with friend and fellow midlands rapper Jaykae before he was featured on Radio 1Xtra’s Fire In The Booth with Charlie Sloth; where we were teased with some new bars. Shortly after, Mist once again hit us with some visuals, but this time for his single “Smokey”. The track produced by Shadow On The Beat really brought Mist towards more of a mainstream audience and helped inject some buzz behind his musical campaign.
Fast forward to Summer of 2016 and suddenly people began talking about Mist and his videos on YouTube began gaining mass views. Having not dropped a video since the previous year, the scene exploded when the single and video for “Karla’s Back” was released, starting summer off with a bang. The video also saw a mainstream return for East London producer Steel Banglez as well as a cameo from Mostack, which had fans excited and talking about a possible collaboration, especially due to the success gained from Mostack’s single “Block Popping” which released only a few months prior, produced by Banglez’ co-producer Sevaqk.
With a steady cult following fan base behind him, coupled with a new vibrant, refined sound, Mist hit the scene once again with the release of his freshman EP M I S To The T. The six track EP, executive produced by Steel Banglez established a new musical camp on the scene and Mist’s Dirty Money brand began to take off.
Finding himself on a roll, he once again stunned the UK scene with his high budget, lavish visuals for “Ain’t The Same”, exclusively shot in Dubai, setting a new benchmark for music videos. Unexpected by some, the video reached a million views within 2 weeks of dropping also marked a checkpoint in his career, which also ascertained his partnership with Steel Banglez in the creation of a new, unique and polished sound.
Following his recent success with “Aint The Same”, which accelerated Mist to the heights of the UK scene, he rounded off the year with yet another impressive video, for a new single “Madness”. The song, again crafted by none other than Steel Banglez almost took on a victory lap feel for the Dirty Money camp where on it, Mist demonstrates a more reflective tone, giving thanks to what was a massive 2016 for him in establishing himself on the scene. He also used the track to celebrate his sold out Sickmade Karla Tour, which was forced to be extended to more cities due to immense high demand as well as multiple sold out dates.
Coming off the back from all of the rewards reaped in the space of just over a year, Mist did not allow for it to overwhelm him and instead entered 2017 with a more subtle presence. However, with this being said it does not mean he was quiet by any means, especially as the summer began to approach. Not only did he takeover some of the biggest British festivals such as Reading/Leeds and Lovebox, he also shut down the legendary Ibiza Rocks stage as well as performing at Stormzy’s #Merky festival alongside fellow industry giants J Hus and Dave. As if that was not enough, we also saw Mist and Mostack collaborate once again on “Screw & Brew” from Mo’s mixtape High Street Kid as well as collaborating once again, but this time with Adidas and Manchester United for an official team song in July.
Since then, the industry had been waiting to see what is next from Mist, with high expectations certainly present. To the delight of fans, his new project Diamond In The Dirt was officially announced and will be produced by GRM Daily’s Rated Award 2017 Producer of the year, Steel Banglez, courtesy of Sickmade Records.