Chicago-based rapper McKinley Dixon unveils his new album Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?, his first on City Slang Records. The title pays homage to Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison‘s immortal trilogy of novels; a writer who McKinley declares to be “the greatest rapper ever“. The influence of the writer is demonstrated by the bookmarks of the album. The opener ‘Hanif Reads Toni‘, is a section of text from Morrison’s 1992 novel of friendship and Harlem, “Jazz” read by poet and writer Hanif Abdurraqib while the closing song is the title track ‘Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? ‘. A glorious hook sung by Ms. Jaylin Brown of an excerpt from Morrison’s bibliography consisting of just three words, it’s an evocative ending after what has gone before.
This is an album acknowledging the complex trauma of the Black American experience through the cathartic act of storytelling. However, what is most striking is the variety of styles. Yes, Dixon is a rapper but this it so much more than a hip-hop album. He paints pictures using jazz, soul, funk as well as hip-hop. For example the raw emotion of the reality of life are explicit in previous single ‘Tyler Forever‘, describing the impossible grief of losing a friend. The instrumentation here is cinematic in its scale. The heart-breaking rhymes here are delivered with an unsurprising passion and emotion.
The intensely personal is also shared ‘Live! from the Kitchen Table’ . Dixon was raised in a household led by his mother, who worked a double-shift job, and he found himself rising at 5:30 every morning too. He expands: “She really taught me a sense of discipline and how if you want something for yourself, you have to go get it.” With a guest vocal by Ghais Guevara this is dominated by the saxophone and indeed gives a feeling of introspection. Its pace slows after the first section and rather than anger there is a sense of thoughtfulness and consideration.
On ‘Dedicated to Tar Feather’ which features Boston-based folk artist Anjimile, Dixon explores the loneliness of talent. Jazz is nearer too, far away on Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? Just stop and listen to the saxophone on ‘The Story So Far – interlude’, a glorious minute of sound which speaks to the soul. This leads into ‘The Story So Far‘, with a glorious guest vocal by Seline Haze, but its Dixon’s ability to combine hip-hop with an instrumentation which is more complex and less aggressive which stands out. And that saxophone at the end over the words: “Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?“.
In contrast ‘Mezzanine Tippin’‘ begins with what sounds like smashing glass. With guest vocals by Teller Bank$ and Alfred this is hip-hop but with an imagination and creativity which stops the listener in their tracks. The elements of free form jazz are prevalent throughout, the smashing glass never stops and the soundscape is reminiscent of the streets with what sounds like police sirens and guns being cocked. The vocal is impassioned and full of expression.
The juxtaposition with the following track ‘Run, Run, Run’ is surely a demonstration of the talent and versatility of McKinley Dixon. The opening keyboard section is one which gives it an immediacy, smooth and yet this is a song about gun violence. Rather than the aggression that may percolate through such subject matter, this is more dramatic because of its glorious instrumentation and the clear vocals, both sung and spoken. Just listen to the final notes, delivered like gun shots.
“running from the guns
bang”
McKinley Dixon has shared the following on the album:
“Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? is my ode to the coming-of-age movie, the book you read that really stuck with you forever that one summer and the photo you look back on when you want to feel held again. It’s a record that has immeasurable importance to me and my family, so I hope you can feel that, too.”
Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? is a body of a work which takes the listener on a journey. McKinley Dixon has produced songs full of introspection and reflection but delivered in a variety of styles – sometimes harsh and hard-hitting and yet at other times gentle and tender. The result is an album full of breath-taking instrumentation and lyrics which are both powerful and impassioned.
“I’m aiming for making my stories accessible, while also still keeping it to the heart of what I love.”
For more information on McKinley Dixon please check his facebook and instagram.
