Brownsville, Brooklyn MC I.O.D recently released TheTheTheBrownsvillain, an 8-track debut EP that showcases his lyrical prowess and masterful command of flow.
The EP consists primarily of avant-garde, voluminous beats, especially the ones crafted by producer Yung Neil. Songs like “Soot” and “On E” threaten to hypnotize a listener with futuristic synths and transfixing melodies—but I.O.D fights back against the beats, dropping clever, sarcastic wordplay and incisive social commentary abound. RZA once said that he threw kinks in Method Man’s portions of Wu Tang Songs because he knew Tical would be able to constantly shift his flow and fight back. TheTheTheBrownsvillain is a prime example of that concept at play in 2016. I.O.D stops and starts on a dime, the rare wordsmith with a rhythmic flow.
Where I.O.D also sets himself apart from many upcoming lyricists is in his song crafting ability. It would be easy for him to make eight tracks like “Foreword,” where he kills a stuttering Mareo production strictly with bars. But “Round Here,” and “Ebola” are well-rounded songs with double meanings that serve as harbingers for the Dojo Records MC’s potential.
“Round Here” in particular is a banger that serves as a warning to both outside developers and those who don’t know how rough it gets in the ‘Ville. If TheTheTheBrownsvillain is any indication, he will be around for a while to let us know. You can listen below.
https://soundcloud.com/brownsvillain/sets/thethethe-brownsvillain-ep
