Album Review: Mike Mictlan - SNAXXX

Artist: Mike MictlanAlbum: SNAXXXLabel: DoomtreeRelease Date: Sep. 27, 2012*Note: A full stream of the mixtape is available belowThe past two years have been getting progressively better and better for Doomtree, a Minneapolis septet of producers and rappers who have been collaborating for the past six years. Although much of the attention toward the group has been aimed at rapper P.O.S, last year, Doomtree was named one of MTV's "5 SXSW Bands You Need to Know," bringing mainstream attention to the crew as a whole. This was shortly followed by mammoth album No Kings, which earned glowing reviews from several media outlets, and relentless touring around the US and Europe. Somehow, between constant work, touring, and collaborations with other artists, members find time to release solo work. The latest addition is SNAXXX, an excellent mixtape from rapper Mike Mictlan.To understand what makes SNAXXX so wonderful, it's important to look at it next to Mike's previous album, Hand Over Fist. Just from comparing the first tracks (the titular “Hand Over Fist” versus “Creeper Status”), it's hard to believe these albums came from the same artist. Where Hand Over Fist took a very conventional approach to underground hip-hop, combining boom-bap drums with personal and socially-conscious lyrics, SNAXXX is considerably more playful and light-hearted. Much of this comes from the lyrical content in songs like “HELLA FRREAL” (“Loud, brown, and ignorant / I ain't no different / Broker than the average bear / Run up on your pic-a-nic”). There aren't too many rappers who can drop Yogi Bear in the middle of a song. It's goddamn fantastic.“Let Me Know” is probably the closest a Doomtree artist has come to having a club song. If I had any rhythm, I'd probably dance to it. The album doesn't lack introspection, though. “85 Low 105 High” is a personal look at drugs in Mike's early life growing up in Los Angeles. Despite this exception, most of the album is ridiculously fun. Between the lyrics and production, it begs to be played loudly at a party.The production: In a word, it's sloppy. Not in the sense that it's weak or unpolished, but that it's the sonic equivalent of getting slimed. “Creeper Status” and “Spicy Peen” both have squishy, squelching bass lines, “Flick Tha Bic” is built around samples of coughs and bubbles, and “SNAXXX BAG (My Last Words)” is a rambling, stream-of-consciousness collection of pitch-shifted vocals and rumbling bass. The album sounds gross, but it works well; gross is the kind of sound that's to be expected from a producer who goes by the name “2% Muck.”The mixtape is particularly notable for its collaborations. “WZRD Science” features rapper Greg Grease, whose delivery provides a magnificent counterpoint to Mike's; where Mike opts for stacatto, rapid-fire vocals, Greg supplies a languid, slow, relaxed drawl.More familiar faces appear as well. Just about every Doomtree-related  solo album features other group members on various tracks, and this release is no different.“DWNSZE,” reminiscent of Hand Over Fist, features beats from member Paper Tiger. P.O.S. also appears on two consecutive songs near the end, and sings one of the albums most memorable choruses on “Let Me Know."As much as I enjoy the collaborations, though, they occasionally prove to be one of the album's weaknesses. Tracks not produced by 2% Muck don't  feel consistent with the rest of the album. When the rest of the songs are full of wobbly synthesizers and triplet-centric rhythms, it can feel a little jarring to suddenly hear a track that has boom-bap drums and piano samples. The tracks themselves are not bad; the mixtape just doesn't flow very well.Overall, it's a great release. It serves as a free preview for Mike's next album, HELLA FRREAL. As its title implies, it's a good snack, something small and greasy to tide listeners over until the main course.

Rating (by pizza size):

10″ (small pie)12″ (medium pie)14″ (large pie)16″ (X-large pie)18″ (Really big pizza)