Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Mist29
THE RELEASE
Athletes have home arenas—places where crowds gather to watch them perform at the highest level. Similarly, kings have throne rooms, where subjects come to pay homage. On Game Time, Bakersfield, California rapper Mist29 likens himself to both—an athlete (mostly by allusion, though he does call himself “Shaq” at one point) and a king. And in his newest single, the club is his court—the club is his throne room.
Athletes and kings occupy positions of royalty in the public conscience–kings by birthright and athletes by co-opting royal imagery. Think LeBron James, who adopted the nickname “King James” in his early career. And just as would-be kings often emerge in periods of chaos, claiming some ability to bring order to the madness, Game Time finds Mist29 making similar declarations. “Club going crazy / it needs a shrink” he raps in the first verse, as if to say–Someone needs to take charge here. Next, Mist29 makes clear that it might as well be him–”I’m in the club / I don’t need ID”–implying that by virtue of his charisma, confidence, and rhythmic virtuosity, he’s the best suited for the job.
In Game Time, Mist29 demonstrates a very high degree of control over his craft. His flow is restrained, but purposefully so–it’s effective, demonstrates clear tonal control, and matches the beat, which is minimal and one of the song’s greatest strengths. The beat is composed of just a few very well-placed elements–my favorite being something that sounds very nearly like a cowbell, but creates a drip-drop pattern that accentuates the image of sweat dripping from faces and hair as people dance.
The song exemplifies textbook hip-hop braggadocio–its lyrics flaunting the rapper’s wealth, technical superiority, and sexual prowess over the masses–all engineered to draw clubgoers’ and–following the royalty motif–royal subjects’ gaze toward Mist29 who sits atop the throne. At the end of Verse Two, he raps, “Came for the kingdom / Now I’m sitting on the throne.”
Mist29 infuses Game Time with a religious tone–implying that he is not only the crowd’s king but their savior. Referring to one of his female subjects as a “freak”, he raps, “Got her on her knees like a rosary.” It’s a crude, but highly effective line–alluding to the religious practice of saying the rosary, he invokes the image of a worshipper kneeling before Jesus, paying homage and asking for mercy. In the previous line, Mist29 creates another brilliant image, claiming that his royal subjects went so hard on the dance floor that they’ll “need liquid IV” to restore their failing bodies. This line, taken in conjunction with the following line about a rosary, conjures an image of Calvary, where Christ’s followers symbolically knelt as blood dripped from their savior.
THE INTERVIEW
I found your use of both sports and religious imagery very effective. Was it an intentional decision to combine the power of both types of images?
I have a degree in Biblical studies and i often refer to things in a spritiual sense. But, I used the sports/ spiritual reference because people often drop to their knees when holding a rosary, and Shaq being the most dominant player to ever touch the court kinda went together.
The simplicity of the beat was inspired and your flow matched it perfectly. What came first, the beat or the lyrics and flow?
The producer Vanilla Stylez made the beat and I just had a feeling I can make it pop with the lyrics.
You and Yung Mav both use the word, “reclaim” in your verses. Is there something you are trying to reclaim with this release?
Yes, The Reclaim is going to be the title of the album. We reference it because we wanted this to be the song that catches the attention for the album. Also, a lot of people claim to be the Best rapper in our city so this my statement saying I am the best!
What can you tell us about the musical culture in Bakersfield? Did that culture come through in Game Time in any interesting ways?
Bakersfield is known for having a high murder rate and can be very dangerous. But, overall we have a lot of talent that resides here and often host underground battles, shows and events that draw attention. Game time was an Idea that I got from one of my friends being arrested for pimping and trafficing so I just wanted to make something positive out of a negitive. Yung Mav came up with the title of the song but initially it was supposed to be "In the Game". But, Game Time seemed to stick in my mind.
What can listeners expect from the upcoming album?
What you can find in the Upcoming Album is Raw Lyrical ability, talent and very catchy hooks. I plan on using this album "The Reclaim" as a platform and formate for other artist because we are going to make something unique and differnt and bring attention to Bakesfield.
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