In the age of “jacks of all trades, masters on none”, it’s a rarity to find a true renaissance man amidst our generation. Club promoter, rapper, trapper, IG model, and sports analyst is the normal compilation of “skills” one places in their bio for potential booking, nowadays. Rarely do you get an individual who collectively, and successfully dawns the hats of filmmaker, writer, photographer, honor student, college graduate, and prophet from New Orleans’ inner city, who happens to spit. This is the story of MidCityAB: The Kid Who Happens Rap.
“Ouuuuu son, but when AB make it..”
I sit around, and I have conversations with DJ Shaad Smooth, or Lex Boogie, or Maq, and we converse about MidCityAB, in a way that I don’t even think MidCityAB converses about himself. See, MidCityAB is the best MC in The City of New Orleans, as I stated during an interview on DaTakeOver Podcast, with Maq and Thedo. Shaad, and I often times refer to AB as the best MC in the city as well. It’s always the same mantra, “ouuuu son, but when AB make it.” But, what is “making it” to MidCityAB, who just happens to rap. It isn’t in his bio, he drops music real randomly, he even alludes to not having “rap dreams” in his raps. We’re conducting this narrative about him, but it’s only our narrative. As journalists, DJ’s, curators, and peers I don’t think we’re fully listening to MidCityAB. I think that he’s telling us loud, and clear that he doesn’t wanna rap, and that sometimes he just has something to say, and he says it, and it just happens to be in rap form. Like I stated earlier, he expresses himself in a number of ways, through film, still photography, and thought provoking articles and short stories. No form of expression higher than the other, rap doesn’t reign supreme in the life of MidCityAB, he just happens to rap.
Speaking of MidCityAB’s other forms of expressions, let’s talk about some of them.
5 Years ago, MidCityAB self directed the video for his Hip Hop Classic, “Asthma”. Never peeped? Feed your brain with this one. We all know the obstacles New Orleans’ Katrina Babies have had to endure (word to Edward Buckles), but messages, and art like this have risen from the rubble of the devastating hurricane, and has shaped a movement that is over a decade in the making now. MidCityAB as a music video director parallels the worlds of New Orleans. Truly embodying good kids, in a mad city.
Here is a video MidCityAB directed for the late, Donald “Hot Beezle” Barge from 2012. Before Beezle’s death, his movement in New Orleans had him destined for rap stardom. The way MidCityAB took Beezle’s vision to life in “10 Gat Commandments” was a moment in New Orleans. When this video dropped, I can remember Beezle’s career getting a boost, because it was so authentic, so believable, so New Orleans, over an iconic beat, that he did a ton of justice. RIP Beezle, it would have been great to see how much more these two special artists could have done together.
https://vimeo.com/150729487
Here is a short film, by MidCityAB or Arnold Burks. Don’t I Make My Pain Look Good?’
Murder Man Dance II
Every classic project has its moments where you just know that it’s not your average listen. Once you get to “Murder Man Dance II” on ‘Disturbing The War 2’ you know that what MidCityAB did was far beyond rap. During an interview with Sliktron, MidCityAB described his views on telling Non Fiction stories vs. Fiction stories. “Murder Man Dance II” displays MidCityAB’s impeccable story telling, and gives you a peak inside of inner city New Orleans, featuring sex, violence, police injustice, and culture. AB chose to provide a classic New Orleans bounce sound, sonically, which was perfect to attract the necessary listen. Below, you can check out the before mentioned interview where MidCityAB talks about his approach to storytelling.
Words from Maq of DaTakeOver Podcast, datakeover.com
Right now, Maq and Thedo, and their DaTakeOver Podcast is on fire. They’ve interviewed everyone from Mia X to Mannie Fresh, breaking exclusive stories, and birthing classic, viral freestyles. I even had the pleasure of sitting down with the talented, journalism duo, and this is where we first spoke in regards to MidCityAb in depth. Because of this initial sit down, I felt that it was necessary to tap Maq to assist me in bringing this new story to life. There’s no other person, not even myself, who has a better grasp on New Orleans Hip Hop, than Maq does. In our convo, Maq begins by speaking on “Murder Man Dance II”, which is a public favorite from ‘Disturbing The War 2’, like I mentioned before. Maq goes on to big up OG Juan, who produced the track, and then rightfully praises AB for having the bravery to put out a song such as “Murder Man Dance II”, with the kind of sound that it has. Maq says, “I love his raps, don’t get me wrong, I’m not taking anything away from the music, you know how I feel about his music, but with the stuff that he does outside of rap, the raps just puts the icing on the cake.” Maq goes on to talk about MidCityAB’s short stories, and articles, then calls him a genius for his short films. This is what we mean by, “he just happens to rap.” There’s so many other layers of MidCityAB to be a fan of, then he quietly drops the best raps in the city. It’s an anomaly. I’m hoping that AB sits back down with DaTakeOver soon, and as fans, we can pick his brain a little more, but we just got a new tape, we have to be grateful.
A Letter To The Youth
Dear Youth,
Listen to more AB.
AB is an image that the youth should see.
You know what they say, we ain’t got nobody to look to,
but it’s the people we should look to, that we always look through.
AB, the youth should respek him ‘cuz he honest,
AB still a nigga, but a nigga with honors.
Ya feel me?
AB graduated college, and wrote Letter To New Orleans to kick street knowledge.
MidCityAb – “Tulane & Broad” FT Gene Stanza from MidCityAB’s ‘Letter To New Orleans’
Here is the link to ‘Disturbing The War 2’, do yourself a huge favor, and bump it, start to finish.
https://soundcloud.com/midcityab/sets/disturbing-the-war-2
