Solomon Vaughn aka Boonie Mayfield is known to be artist, songwriter, performer, video producer, director and actor who has moved from pitching love to address deep societal issues, especially those that affect black people. On his latest 5-track EP, “Black Floyd Returns”, Boonie makes it easy to absorb his words as he spreads them over a blend of creative, mellow, yet hard-hitting sounds. As always he sets the bar high. Unlike like his contemporaries, who through their music, aim to draw attention to themselves, Boonie Mayfield opts to focus on the message and the audience who needs to hear it most.
There is always so much to unpack on each project Boonie Mayfield drops. From his alliterative rhyme patterns to his wonderfully woven metaphors and his thought-provoking words, Boonie finds creative ways to keep the audience glued to his music. The Colorado based artist is no stranger to pondering upon the idiosyncrasies and ailments of life in an impaired society.
Here on “Black Floyd Returns”, the emcee continues his reflections of a flawed society in the form of an introspective journey, meditating upon the individual human behavioral patterns that lead towards forming a whole socio-political culture. Right after the opening, “Intro (The Return)”, “While Black (Red Light, Blue Light, E’s and R’s)” immediately immerses the listener in an atmosphere of tension and unease, as Boonie Mayfield takes listeners through the stress and anxiety of being stopped or pulled over by the police as black man.
A majority of what makes this EP special is Boonie’s ability to maintain a lyrical grasp among varying beats and flows. Boonie Mayfield isn’t your ordinary rapper, but unlike the majority of mainstream hip-hop’s appeal, his flavor is one that has been curated over time, resulting in a fresh original sound envisioned for consumption by music lovers coming from any genre – from jazz to soul, and alternative to experimental.
“Bass’d on a Birdwatcher (Make It Better)” rides on a resonating and dominating bass line, interspersed by dynamic backing vocal arrangements, resulting in a song that is as minimalistic and stark, as it is impacting and lush on the ear. The track’s narrative is based on the infamous 2020 Central Park birdwatching incident, dealing with a confrontation between Amy Cooper, a white woman walking her dog, and Christian Cooper a black birdwatcher, which led to a false police report.
Boonie Mayfield has been one of my favorite artists for a while now, and “Bass’d on a Birdwatcher (Make It Better)” certainly made it to my top 5 songs of any genre, last year. The rhythm laces Boonie a very interesting beat to get his bars off with, and he does such a great job at weaving a kinetic flow which strikes the heart of the matter.
“So Much Fire” is an incredibly dense experience with passionate lyricism and a tight and aggressive, progressive-flavored beat, infused with prevailing electric piano interludes. This all-embracing and forward thinking track, is quintessential Boonie Mayfield grandeur, and encapsulates what makes him a highly touted artist to begin with. This isn’t simply a reinvention, it is an innovation in rap music.
The EP closes with an even more formidable arrangement in the dramatic and urgent anthem, “The Self Made Era”, where grungy, overdriven musical bombast, meets empowering chants and raging affirmations. All these elements flow into each other, creating the energy for what is an incredible showcase of Boonie Mayfield’s distinctiveness, in an otherwise – more often than not – copy and paste industry.
Not only does Boonie Mayfield create a stunning musical environment, on the EP, “Black Floyd Returns”, but to the project he brings lyrical intelligence, along with dignity, essential human values and pride – rare merchandise in an era obsessed and oversaturated by a supply of shiny tangible goods. The EP drops officially on 2/22/2021.
Connect with Boonie Mayfield on INSTAGRAM and at his WEBSITE for more info.
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