After a four year hiatus from recording, the Silent Slang Mixtape is an audacious release for Brampton resident NewBreedMC. Boasting 14 tracks over a diverse and well-selected variety of beats (all dubs – this is a promotional mixtape), NewBreed displays his ability to create a strong presence over a broad sampling of instrumentals. When I asked him what “Silent Slang” meant, NewBreed told me it was another way of saying “Unspoken Swagger;” a shared acknowledgment of something that doesn’t need to be explicitly stated to be noticed. Having recently witnessed a charismatic performance by NewBreed at a Killah Priest show, I can definitely cosign the fact that this is one MC who possesses “Silent Slang.”
NewBreed has a definite talent for making catchy hooks, evidenced throughout the mixtape (“Who needs and MC? You need an MC!” is now stuck in my head), and he even sounds melodic at times (e.g. the hook on “I’m the Man”). Some of the tracks on the mixtape have a “mainstream” sound (e.g. “Go Girl” and “Single Forever”), perhaps a result of some of the beats selected, but there’s an ample supply of more “underground” sounding straight hip hop gems on here. “All Lungs” is the stoner anthem of the mixtape, and perhaps one of the catchiest herb-smoking songs since Cyprus Hill’s “Hits from the Bong.” For those who enjoy a good storytelling song, “Great Canadian Fable” will please listeners with a psychologically in-depth crime tale (albeit with a predictable crime-story ending.
When it comes to braggadocio, NewBreed is a pro – for listeners who love punch-lines (and maybe even a few laughs), this mixtape definitely delivers. With lines like, “I’m a giver not a taker – I don’t even take advice” and “I get fly and ‘Neverland’ like Michael Jackson’s home/ I spit a line and ‘Breathe Again’ like Toni Braxton, holmes,” NewBreed displays skilled wordplay and punch-lines that deserve a few rewinds. NewBreed sounds at home on every track – his vocal presence is confident and his delivery is strong. His flows are on point and he displays versatility with his rapping ability. If there’s one major criticism I have of NewBreed on this release, it’s the banality and lack of substance in a lot of his rhymes. Much of what he raps about on this mixtape consists of stroking his own ego and talking about superficial clichés (although he does do this more entertainingly than the average rapper). That being said, it’s clear that NewBreed can be a lyrical beast and craft intelligent and complex verses when we wants to (listen to verse two on “SS Silent Slang” for evidence of this). When I asked him about this, NewBreed told me that he intended Silent Slang as an introductory project, and that “the message” in his lyrics would be coming more in subsequent releases. After listening to Silent Slang a few times and seeing NewBreedMC perform, I’m definitely looking forward to this artist’s future projects.
Download the Silent Slang Mixtape HERE.
NewBreedMC – Silent Slang Mixtape – Track Listing:
1. Who Needs an MC? - Produced by MoSS
(Original: DJ Deadeye and ST. The Squad – “Blood Brothers”)
2. All Lungz - Produced by Black Milk
(Original: Buckshot, KRS One Mary J Blidge –“The Way I Am”)
3. Many - Produced by Ski and Apple Juice Kid
(Original: MC Lyte – “Rocking with the Best”)
4. I'm the Man - Produced by Pharell
(Original: Clipse – “Popular Demand”)
5. Say What You Want - Produced by Kanye West
(Original: Drake – “Say What’s Real”)
6. Pablo Reverb - Produced by Rick Rubin and Beastie Boys
(Original: Beastie Boys – “Paul Revere”)
7. I'm Everywhere - Produced by Soundtrack
(Original: Lupe Fiasco feat Matthew Santos – “Shining Down”)
8.Single 4 Ever - Produced by Best Kept Secret
(Original: Wale – “Pretty Girls”)
9. Go Girl - Produced by Don Correll and Tony Taylor
(Original: Lupe Fiasco feat. Matthew Santos - “Say Ahh”)
10. Chamber 33 - Produced by J Dilla
(Original: Raekwon – “10 Bricks”)
11. In the Black – Produced by Black Milk
(Original: Elzhi – “That's that One”)
12. Great Canadian Fable – Produced by Focus
(Original: Slaughter House – “Lyrical Murderers”)
13. Silent Slang - Produced by RZA
(Original: Raekwon – “New Wu”)
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