Medhane - Cold Water (Album)
When discussing the best album intros, you have to stand in awe at the cold opener to “Cold Water” where Medhane walks on the cold water as opposed to thin ice, you can tell the album is going to be healthy one “Off The Strength” alone.
“No Cap,” the rhymes here are whip-smart, reminiscent of all the underground Hip Hop that I gravitated more towards rather than what the mainstream had to offer. I love the title of this cut, it refreshingly lets you know he’s of the now, but the sound & rhymes imply he’s an old soul. Each track seamlessly flows into each other like ships in the night; the lyricism forces the ear to think while the instrumentation allows listeners to reflect on everything that’s said to them.
In terms of dense lyricism paired with grainy loops & abstract flows, he’s up there with the likes of poets like Ka. Still, wholeheartedly, his individual has emotional fluctuations throughout lyrically, but his monotone delivery & meditative beat selection will gently guide you in at your own pace.