X Factor: Monsta X Mixtape Review

Monsta X, an emcee from Hollis, Queens, released his solo mixtape (along with DJ Iron Lyon) X Factor earlier this year. An original member of the Monsta Czar Island Crew (most notable members MF Grimm 'n MF Doom, whose feuding led to the dissolution of the group), Monsta X's mixtape includes production from fellow Monsta Czars (Gabarah aka Junclassic), Sean Price (Boot Camp Clik) and Madlib. The two singles, "Goin In" and "Upper Hand" are the best tracks by far, for Monsta X rhymes with easy confidence, his distinctively grainy voice is soaked in swagger. "Upper Hand" has all the makings of a summertime classic best blared out of the car stereo. For much of X Factor's core, it's as if the listener is being transported to the mid-nineties, raw and unadulterated-by-autotune. At times this feels heavy-handed, almost as though Monsta X is a vanguard for days past. Remixes of "Hip Hop" (Dead Prez) and "Paper Gangstas" (Lady Gaga) sidestep into the realm of the unoriginal. Rather than simply injecting a rap verse into a pop tune, reconstructing the hook--i.e Kid Cudi's "Make her Say" which felt like a Hiphop dialog with "Poker Face"--to fit his point of view would've worked to satisfy the progression of the mixtape. Ultimately, Monsta X displays a breadth of possibility, as throughout his career he's worked hard in the industry, first with his fellow Queens-based MC, JUNCLASSIC, in the duo Dynamix, and onto MF Grimm's label Day by Day Entertainment. Working hard at the record label slash mixtape game (even rapping on MF Grimm's American Hunger) shows his tenacity. As with many MC's before him, vibrant collaborations forge the appropriately entitled, energetic bonus track "Collabo"--and here's to the future debut record of Monsta X. Check the video for the single "Goin In" : www.myspace.com/monstax www.twitter.com/monsta_x