Julian Malone is in the vanguard of the new hip hop sounds coming out of Chicago. While Chance the Rapper fuses house musical influences into his brand, and Chief Keef attempts to display the harsh realities of inner-city life in the murder capital in the most brash of ways, Malone brings his own unique style that equally pushes the boundaries of this musical medium. Incorporating jazz, golden age hip hop, and new age electronic production techniques this producing rapper offers a unique left-of-center sound. His songs feel comfortably nostalgic, but at the same time like a breath of fresh air.
His latest offering is actually a remastered track he released earlier in the summer. Not only does he rap all over “Give A Eff”, but he is responsible for the production as well. The track feels like a cool smoke-filled night inside of a 1940’s jazz club–really laid back, but everyone is holding their breath as they watch an amazing musician blow his horn. Ju’ Malone channels this feeling and puts on a lyrical display of the best kind. Like many up-and-comers, Julian is feeling the sting of his success as his old fans begin to demand that he sound like his old self. Instead of bowing down to the pressure, he chooses to move on and continue evolving.
He continues by saying that he has to dumb down his music, not just for fame, but because even he doesn’t buy into the overly conscious style of his earlier work. Perhaps there has been some dumbing down, but I can’t really find any. Julian still spits flames, and his production is always on point. Check out his music on his Soundcloud and keep a watch for his upcoming mixtape, Diff. Rnt.