Yesterday, Baltimore based rapper Kai McFly dropped his fifth mixtape entitled, XXIV. Reiterating the clean beats and smooth lyricism we saw in his previous releases, Kai McFly uses this mixtape as a podium to put his skills as a storyteller front and center. The intro to XXIV begins with a voice sample from what sounds to be a graduation assembly. There is a play on the word FLY and then the track fades into an up-tempoed lyrical storm featuring Kai McFly’s rapid fire delivery.
While the subject matter in XXIV is nothing new (sex, parties, and the struggle of city life), what sets McFly apart from his peers in the genre is the intimacy and locality of his stories. Being from Baltimore myself, I appreciate how the mixtape gives a small sense of what growing up in the city was like. This narrative quality is exemplified in my favorite track: “Grind ft. Holly Monroe." For me Kai McFly brings it all home in the hook by giving a shout out to the Raven's win at NFL Super Bowl XXXV. McFly says, “started from the bottom now the Ravens number one." I feel this makes a great comparison for his own career thus far, wherein his big “SuperBowl” win took place this past April, when he appeared on and won BET's 106&Park Wildout Wednesday Rap.
On August 22, 2013 Kai will return to 106&Park for a shot at a second win. If you appreciate lyricism and up tempo beats, then Kai McFly is, without-a-doubt, an artist you want to follow.
~William Evans III