MIC DOS "CONCRETE TREES" PREVIEW
With a heavy serving of East Coast vibes blended with silky Latino instrumentation, Mic Dos packs plenty of content in the twenty two minute run time that makes up his newest release “Concrete Trees.” The New York native turned to a nomadic emcee that has also resided in Georgia and Illinois, but settled in Minneapolis and brought his charismatic flow and tight bars with him. “Concrete Trees” brings eight tracks packed with festive moments for each listener to sing along to, paired with verses that demand everyone’s attention.
The intro “PHURMBURF” wastes no time throwing you into the album with grimy, low-end heavy instrumentals and Mic Dos hopping on the track right away. In 35 seconds, Mic Dos delivers plenty of quote-heavy bars such as “He the opposite of trap/ No Venus fly.” The short-lived instrumental pours into the crowd favorite “Por Favor.”
If you’ve ever seen Mic Dos live, you’ve most likely heard this joint before. Accompanied by DJ scratches hypnotizing trumpets, Mic Dos commands this beat to the fullest extent. Packed with bars like “Don’t know what the roof is/ cause the truth is/ I am the sky.” and “You sound familiar/ I’m trying to be the opposite of sounding same.” Whether it’s in your personal speakers or around the many venues Mic Dos rocks, this track is always a crowd favorite.
“Por Favor” runs right into another well-known joint, “Agua.” With the free flowing piano and keys, the title explains exactly how this song sounds, it flows like water running calmly down a small stream paired with fast paced hi hats. On this track, Mic Dos teaches his listeners what his mom told him, “Be one with the Agua.” Which, to me means flow free and wherever the path takes you.
“Agua” leads right into “Brujo.” The only way I can describe the beat is that some shit Ab-Soul would rap on in the early-mid years of this decade. “Brujo” is probably one of my favorite tracks on the album because it’s simply: short, sweet, and dope.
“Time” has the biggest East Coast vibe on the album. With glossy keys and flaring trumpets riffs along with some boom bap drums. Mic Dos chills out the vibe in the start of the second half of the album. One of my favorite bars to come out of this album resides in the track, “I’m a man of four states/ I’m repping New York, Georgia, Illinois, and the Minneap/ Enemies meet me on they mini map.”
The next track “Battle Shawty” is my favorite track on the album. I can’t explain this track better than Mic Dos did at his release show at Pimento this past Sunday. He explains, “This song is for the women out there and the struggles they go through, that the men of this world don’t understand.” Mic Dos pays a beautiful tribute to the women of his life in this track with melodic, hypnotizing bars; my favorite being: “You truly the one in command/ Hold the world hostage, then you give them a bunch of demands.”
“OYTIF” being the second to last tack; brings a high-energy crowd participation- heavy joint to begin the closing of the project. No matter where this is played, there will be people to reply to, “Oh you think it’s funny..” with “YOU DONT OWE ME MONEY” The final track, “Last Call,” shows an introspective side of Mic with a nostalgic beat and poetic memoir of love lost.
Mic Dos brings charm and charisma to the tracks he lays down and the sets he rocks, making him one of the most popular emcees in this hip-hop scene today. So put on your headphones and listen to this album while you’re walking between your own Concrete Trees.
(Melodic Noise) Name?
(Mic Dos) Micheal Rodriguez. Don’t tell nobody. (Laughs) My middle name is Andrew. My mom named me after Hurricane Andrew.
(MN) Origin Story?
(MD) I’m from New York. I have Latino (puerto rican/Columbian) heritage. So it was always salsa music. Once you see people dancing to that and listening to it, you get a sense of rhythm. But my first CD I remember listening to was Life After Death... Both CDs. (laughs) That and the Fugees. When you’re walking through the Bronx. It felt like you we’re in a Fugees song. I didn’t even start out rapping, I was in music-theater. It wasn’t really til I moved to the suburbs in Illinois where everybody was trying to rap. And I was the beatboxer, and I’m cold I’m not gonna lie (laughs.) But the first rap song I ever wrote to was MIMS “Move if you wanna.” But it wasn’t until I moved out here, I got my heart broke and I started writing more music because I feel like you have to go through some sort of spiritual/emotional punch in the face to really start putting your soul into something else.
(MN) Label?
(MD) This is solo, man. With the help of local homies (producers/studios)
(MN) Album Name?
(MD) “Concrete Trees”
(MN) Lyrically, what stands out on the album?
(MD) I started making this whole album off of garage band. I would put a blanket over my head and rap to the mic on the computer. I was really trying to get it. (laughs) But what stands out to me the most, or what I want people to notice: It’s different. It’s different than what you hear now. I give a lot of credit to my East Coast come up. And that’s what I’m trying to embody, because that’s who I am. It’s wordplay; it’s flipping and riding the beat. I hope what sticks out to people is that they hear the difference and people will kinda reminisce on the old shit. All the trap rap is fun, but we cannot forget our roots.
(MN) Something that connects the songs?
(MD) I think it’s kind of seperate. I think the main thing that kind of connects everything is my Latino Vibe. I try to incorporate a lot Spanish. But I think it’s all separate joints. You’ll hear a producer I’ve been working Julian Fairbanks, and you’ll hear a lot his beats and you’ll hear a lot of commonality between those, but it’s all pretty much seperate.
(MN) Where are you from?
(MD) New York, Georgia, and Illinois before Minneapolis.
(MN) MN influences?
(MD) I don’t have any big name people, but all you artists. You all give me strength and hope to do this. I listen to a lot of Brother Ali, Atmosphere, Aesop Rock projects when I came here, but it’s really the local scene that I look up to.
(MN) Favorite TC Artists?
(MD) Oh man I have a lot. (Laughs) The people I’m looking at are like: Brandon Polphus, he’s a good homie and a great Artist. Nur-d, he’s the homie. We were rocking shows and all that. To see the stuff he’s doing, it’s amazing. It’s a lot man, I like everybody. I go to as many shows as I can and I get a favorite artist every time... Who else we got: Manifest, CMJ. They’re both real good homies. These are people that are close to me and they light that fire under my ass.
(MN) Favorite Venue to play at?
(MD) I like Pimento. This backyard is super cracking in the summer. I did T La Shawn release party and it was thick out here. Honey is really fun. I’ve performed at 1st Ave, Pourhouse in Uptown and that was really dope... Part Wolf, AKA Nomad. Shout out to Nomad (Part Wolf)
(MN) What are fans expectations when they come to a live show?
(MD) It’s the flavor. It’s the energy I bring. People love the call and response stuff. I want my songs to inclusive with everybody, like, sings my songs with me. Come turn up.
(MN) Crazy memory playing a show?
(MD) This was in my early days, I was doing a show. And in the middle of a song, the person who booked the show, came up in the middle of one of my songs and cut the music. He was just like, “Alright, that was Mic Dos.” and I was like, “What are you doing, bro?”
(MN) Hobbies?
(MD) I like Marine Biology. My mom was a Marine Biologist. I’m a nerd when it comes to animals. Spirituality, learning about self, learning about the universe and things we don’t understand. I draw. I do little things here and there. I play instruments. I play guitar, saxophone and drums.
(MN) What do you like about TC?
(MD) I love how small it is. As an artist you can go to a venue at a show and you’ll know everybody. It’s like a compact big city. I think it’s the people, man. The social justice and activism and how people feel about certain things.
(MN) Favorite places to grab food/ drink?
(MD) I’m gonna shout out the Jibarito Food Truck. It’s a Puerto Rican food truck and they’re about open a restaurant this. And I love Pimento. I like food that reminds me of home. You can’t get better Jamaican food anywhere else, you can’t get Puerto Rican food anywhere (laughs) except for my mom’s house. Shout out to her.
(MN) Day Job?
(MD) (Laughs) YUP, I do. I work for Zero Rez. “Spell it forward or backwards!” But it’s fun though, I get to go into random people’s and dream about how I wish had that house.
(MN) Future Plans?
(MD) My uncle owns a production company in Columbia and he’s working with a lot of big name Latino artists. I’m waiting for this settle (Concrete Trees.) But my next album or whatever you wanna call it, is gonna be straight features. I’m gonna have a feature from as many artists the Twins Cities as I can. If I get signed to a label or tour across the country, I don’t want to be the only one. Even though I’m a solo artist, all the artists here have given my life and opportunities. I want to be able to give back to Minneapolis.
“Concrete Trees” is out Wednesday November 27, but until then, enjoy the music video for “Por Favor.”
Review and Interview by: Paul Thorson
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo
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