Noble Black Society Presents…Fuze The MC
One Black Man: The Audacity of Soul
Rating: 3.8 out of 5
The latest from the world of underground & unsigned hype comes from Atlanta native, Fuze The MC. After releasing numerous mix tapes, being co-signed by some of hip-hop’s elite, and opening for talented acts such as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Wale, Fuze The MC released his first street album presented by his imprint Noble Black Society (NoBS…kinda catchy huh?).
One Black Man: The Audacity of Soul is a solid effort fusing fresh lyrical hip hop with jazzy, old school soulful production, carried by Just Plain Jones and the MC himself. The theme of the album is message driven, leading things off with an audio skit entitled “Redefine Black” which features a klan member talking about his surprise upon meeting a black man wearing a suit and tie. The stand out “radio friendly” track “Whip Music”, is Fuze’s attempt of producing music that his hometown is most commonly known for, however the track falls short and feels out of place from the rest of the project.
I guess the same thing can be said for Fuze The MC and his music. Musically, the sound of this album is reminiscent of Kanye’s classic College DropOut era, a far cry from the sound that is currently being manufactured out of the south (But I remember Food & Liquor said they wanted something real/ But i’m from the south where they say to keep it trill/ and my lyrics are as useful as a carpet on a ceil-). Instead of using 808 heavy sounds or copy cat Lex Luger beats, Fuze the MC “embraces nostalgia” and relies heavily on the elements of Jazz, Soul, and R&B (even sampling The Jackson 5 classic “Never Can Say Goodbye” on the track “Vibrations”). On a track called “The Vent” (that has no music) he critiques his own music as “a bunch of hypocritical thoughts from one black man”, an assessment that I found to be quite honest and true.
Fuze The MC has truly created a lane of his own. After listening to his previous releases Legend of the King and Tell Me Something GOOD, One Black Man: The Audacity of Soul shows The MC’s growth as an artist, experimenting with different sounds and having the ability to piece them together to create a project that sounds refreshing in comparison to his hip hop counterparts.
Other features on One Black Man: The Audacity of Soul include Just Plain Jones, vocalist Ashley Joy, Nicole Renee, and Kyle Jamal, and saxophonist Ashton Vines.
Find Fuze The MC on Twitter @FuzeTheMC and you can download One Black Man: The Audacity of Soul at his website www.fuzethemc.com
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