Freelance music Journalism

Written By: Jewels Alexandria

3 Minute Read

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Malik X is back with another EP, proving Ambition Never Dies is a lifestyle. This five song EP, Still Outside, has all the familiar Hop-Hop beats, Malik X has become so accustomed to. Lets face it, it’s the beats that grab the listeners attention, initially. But is that enough?

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Bridges, Produced by Savage Royal has a dark, pensive feel. Yet, gritty hip hop sound. Something similar to the classic New York sound. And X’s flow and lyrics match very well with the instrumental. “Told Savage I need some grimy shit. . . pistol under my seat, I wish a ni**a would.” The track, Still Outside, addresses what we all have been going through with the Covid pandemic. The feeling of being trapped, “The Avalon was shut down can’t even buy no new clothes to stunt on these ho*s,” but we still attempted to live your life as best we could, “people still pulling up on people we use to kick it with.” And even though life around us seemed to slow down or even stop, most of us still found a way to be outside. And maybe, it is the small things like that we take for granite sometimes.  Going into the track, Fear Monger, Malik X begins with crooked ways of our government. Spitting nothing but true facts of what it is like to be black in America but letting nothing get in his way of reaching his dreams. Production on this track includes a beautifully sampled track from Isaac Aesili’s Mirror. Track produced by Gramz. Moving on to the final track, Quarantine Schemes, also produced by Savage Royale. This songs feature with Dayzwun was a wonderful addiction to the track. Assisting with the vision of Still Outside and bringing the song to life.

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All in all, the production is on point as always and Malik X is well aware of the greatest of his production team. Choice of sampling is immaculate.  Some small holdups from this project are the similar flow on each track. His cadence does not switch up much between tracks and can become a bit tiresome. And although his lyrics generally address the theme of the EP, it does have the tendency to make the listener trail off when listening. And at times can seem a bit scatter brained. But the drive and passion for the love of music is all still there. It is felt through each bar and Malik X is on a mission and will stop at nothing to make sure he see’s it through.

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Favorites:

Fear Monger

Quarantine Schemes

June 13, 2021