MicFreeze is a blossoming talent in the hip-hop/rap world whose Detroit upbringing informs his songwriting with a sense of hard won wisdom. He’s a young performer, so the layers of experience that come through in his songs have surprised many listeners and remain in full evidence on his latest single “Cousin Skeeter”. His talents are dazzling by any standard, but to hear a seventeen year old take on this track with such musical confidence does more than merely entertain – it heralds the arrival of a major new artistic force in this genre and provides us with the earliest evidence of where his talents will take him. He’s a performer, as well, who offers up more than just mere vocal pyrotechnics. MicFreeze’s songs have genuine musical substance to complement his vocal talents and provide a highly effective backdrop for him to weave his lyrical magic. “Cousin Skeeter” is a strong single assured to further propel his reputation higher than ever before.
IHEARTRADIO – https://www.iheart.com/artist/micfreeze-31787094/
The arrangement opens with a light tinkling keyboard before segueing into the song’s initial groove. There’s a lot of variety cast throughout this composition and it’s refreshing that MicFreeze seems to be a bit of a musical risk taker at an age when such bravery comes easy, but in a genre where conformity is often rewarded. It helps give his recordings a further idiosyncratic quality while still keeping them recognizably within the genre. The density and variety of the synthesizer lines increases as the song progresses, but MicFreeze never fails to orchestrate the song’s various musical strands in a coherent way. The arrangement never overextends itself, thankfully, and he shows the same musical control in every musical element he manifests in the lyrical content as well. MicFreeze has a real talent for crafting compelling musical landscapes that suggest vivid imagery as well thanks to the undeniable cinematic flair of his presentation.
The same seamlessness of content extends to his words and vocal delivery. He whips up excitement in listeners thanks to his ability to take on a number of different “voices” varying with the lyric’s demands. The arrangement moves with real confidence that his voice matches every step of the way. Any close listen to the lyrics reveals that this is a song ripped from MicFreeze’s daily life and he’s able to write about his reality without any touches of the overwrought or any stabs at sentimentalizing or romanticizing his experiences. There’s some of the customary swagger we’d expect from a young artist working in this style, but it isn’t laughable even from a seventeen year old. Instead, it comes off as the fiery confidence of youth and he wears it well. “Cousin Skeeter” is a powerful reminder that transformative talents are still possible in this genre, rather than just odes to booty and bling, and MicFreeze tackles that side of the genre with uncommon intelligence and assertiveness, no matter what age.
Jason Hillenburg
