End Of Earth EP - Mavi
Intro:
Mavi is one of the best young rappers in the genre right now. The North Carolina native broke into the music scene with his critically acclaimed project Let The Sun Talk. The writing he’s displayed over his discography is equally introspective & filled with philosophy/information. I’ve been excited to hear a new project from him, and this EP is enough to hold us over & digest.
Strengths:
This project tackles a lot of Mav’s current place in life & personal reflections. His lyrics & concepts are always very relatable & empowering for young black men in this country. All of this while still being one of the best lyricists out. As far as his past, he recites a line about being bullied on Town Crier, and this line on Life We Live:
“Gotta do a lotta squintin' at my past to like it”
He delivers bars in the usual raw style fans have loved from the start. Mavi does sound noticeably more self assured & confident, as his career has definitely level up to new heights. Flows come easy to the Mavi, as fits right into the best pockets across the project (Ex. Thousand Miles & Life We Live). Occasionally rapping off tempo adds to the rawness & emotion in his voice.
Production wise, the mixes sound more polished than his previous releases. As usual, most of the beats are very sample based/driven. I’d say he showcases lots of versatility and experimentation in his beat selecting. A song like Methods, for example, features various trap elements: 808s, triplet hi-hats, etc.
Weaknesses:
I can genuinely say there aren’t really many glaring flaws on this EP. The Earl Sweatshirt similarities/comparison will always be an issue for some Hip-Hop fans, and it’s still the case here (despite leaning into his unique sound/background). In addition, I could see listeners that aren’t familiar with this style of instrumentation to find the project “boring” or become background music. The monotone delivery of this style doesn’t help with that potential gripe.
Overall:
I really enjoyed this project, and it was a breathe of fresh air in the suffocated rap scene of 2021. Mavi is continuing to develop & proves why he’s deserving of his place in the genre. He has another album slated for this year; which fans of this return EP are probably anticipating. Thank you all for reading and be sure to listen to the EP yourself with the link below.
