JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE...
Trance-pop artist, MAK 11, gifts his listeners some nunu with the fresh project NIGHTMARE FROM HEAVEN. The mixtape sits under the 30 min mark with 8 tracks. Peep MAK11 on Instagram!
Flow
Mak11's flow is unique to him; his deep vocals come across as guttural, methodical, emotional, and trap-like. Mak11 has a flow that allows for his grittier songs to be taken seriously, while his softer tracks sound smooth. DESTRUCTION illustrates Mak11's vocal dexterity- he can go bar for bar without having to stop for a breather.
Content
The meat-and-potatoes of the mixtape aren't hard to finger: NIGHTMARE FROM HEAVEN dances around romantic and drug-glorification themes. Of the 8 tracks, 6 mention women in some capacity, all 8 mention drugs, and at least 2 mention his collective, PORTAL. Mak11 recreates the situations/imagery of his interactions with the ladies flawlessly. Compared to his emcee peers, Mak 11 sounds pretty adept at songwriting. Conversely, I think his lyricism has room for wittier wordplay, expanded vocabulary, and different themes.
Production
NIGHTMARE FROM HEAVEN features full sounds, no doubt. The tape is mastered adeptly, allowing for Mak11's vocals to mesh with the heavy beats. Being that Mak11's vocals are deep- I appreciate the layering and distortion of the emcee's bars. This makes for a more dynamic sound as opposed to a monotonous and low droning. There isn't much diversity in beat selection on this tape but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The bass-heavy tracks are sure to test all car-sound systems.
Overall
Having written on Mak11 before, I find it hard to not be nit-picky on his latest release. In the past, my blog has listed Mak11's obscure flow pattern and sloppy production as sore spots. With NIGHTMARE FROM HEAVEN, Mak has shown tremendous finesse in both areas. His flow is easy to sonically digest and his production is a high-point on the mixtape. Ticos2Cents stamp of approval.
