ALBUM REVIEW: Mr J Medeiros – Friends Enemies Apples Apples

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Hip hop is dead my foot. Just like with anything good in life, you just have to know where to look. Some advice: You won’t find it on the radio. And with the internet, Spotify, Itunes, Youtube etc and good blogs like TheWordIsBond, it shouldn’t be difficult to find the good stuff.
And some of that good stuff found it’s way into my inbox in the form of one Mr. J. Medeiros’ new album Friends Enemies Apples Apples.

I have to say in this day and age of a seemingly one dimensional hip hop, it was refreshing to listen to an album with grown up lyrics, addressing society’s ills and solutions without ever feeling like I was being preached to.

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Mr J Medeiros

And that’s a hard balance to achieve. Friends Enemies Apples Apples kind of took me back to a time, the early 90s, when there was so much diversity in hip hop. I know time moves on and with time comes progression. If not in reality then at least a sense of it. The production of mellow beats by fellow Procussions producer, Stro The 89th Key, has both underground and mainstream appeal, without selling out it‘s soul, as Guru would say. R.I.P.Even when the beat is stripped down, as in ‘Target Market’, to give Mr. J the space to articulate mastery of his craft, it’s a job well done. It also got me thinking Mr. J. Medeiros would have fitted in perfectly well with The Native Tongues, were that collective of conscious artists still thriving today.
The album kicks off with a declaration of belief in the power of love with the song ‘Children’. And this positivity is a running theme throughout the entire album and yes I agree these kids growing up nowadays “don’t need guns, they need fathers“.

[wpaudio url=”https://www.thewordisbond.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/01-Children-feat.-Tara-Ellis.mp3″ text=”Mr. J. Medeiros – Children feat. Tara Ellis” dl=”0″]

So what sort of artist is Mr. J. Medeiros and what sort of album has he cooked up? Well the best way I can describe Mr. J and his album, is that I think he is a rapper’s rapper. And by that I mean he is a thinking man’s rapper. He is one who adds to his craft, one that other rappers can be impressed and inspired by. And that is the best compliment I could ever give him on his effort here. Wait, perhaps if my 13 year old son wanted an introduction to real hip hop that is not offensive on the ear or in content, I would gladly join him in listening to Friends Enemies Apples Apples. To be honest I have already heard the story of the poor and fatherless black boy, who lived in the ghetto, sold drugs and or robbed tourists before finding an escape through hip hop. Hip hop was meant to be much more than that, and it is.

[wpaudio url=”https://www.thewordisbond.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/10-Left-Me-feat.-Tara-Ellis.mp3″ text=”Mr. J. Medeiros – Left Me feat. Tara Ellis” dl=”0″]

I like hearing different stories, and certainly not ones about what house or car people have got. That’s playground stuff. And if you too like stories and how they are told, through song, you are in for a treat if you choose to purchase Friends Enemies Apples Apples by Colorado Springs native, Mr. J. Medeiros.

Mr. J. Medeiros: “Holding On” Single (Video)CLICK IMAGE TO WATCH THE VIDEO