“I want people to get the music, to get the message. If they get it, I know they’ll still be listening to this in 20 years,” says rapper MADDI MADD about his new album Success 2. Known as the Midwest Juggernaut for his lyrical dexterity, the rapper has also made his mark with his label, Blimpcity Records, and acting gigs like the 2017 hip hop horror movie Rhyme Slaya (available on Tubi).
Success 2 features some tracks that are timely commentaries on racism. “I want Black people to understand who they are and what they come from, and their importance in this world. I want to say ‘You’re not a thug. That’s something you were conditioned and programmed to be due to socioeconomic conditions,’” says Madd. In “The Seed,” he paints a hard-hitting picture of policing, contrasting the killing of unarmed Black men with the way police coddled Charleston shooter Dylann Roof.
He goes a step further, describing a future time when police officers will be killed in retaliation. “What do you think is going to happen if you continue to shoot and kill unarmed individuals unjustly? The song might be taken out of context, but I’m asking a question. What’s gonna happen when those police officers are no longer free to walk the streets because an individual is stalking them to kill them? That’s where this is going,” he says.
But not all of Success 2 is heavy. One track is titled “Stanley Kubrick” in tribute to one of Madd’s favorite directors. The song is four minutes long and he raps straight through it. “I designed the song just like a Stanley Kubrick movie. It has an intro where you get the premise, and then it has the information, then it has a climax, then it has an ending. The beat sounds like a Kubrick soundtrack,” he says, adding that he’s eager to make a video.
Yet another facet of Madd’s talent emerges in the sexually explicit “Weekend.” This steamy song is sure to inspire some very fun weekends. “It’s about a getaway with the person you’re attracted to and the types of things you would do on a sexy weekend. The beat is nice, the hook is dope. It’s made by Kevin Hues,” says Madd.
Throughout the album, you can tell that this is a man who takes the artistry of rap very seriously. He avoids the trends and the negative messaging of gangsta rap, making the music he’s genuinely inspired to make. A lot of artists claim to be diverse, but not many deliver thoughtful commentary on police brutality, a Kubrick-inspired rap, and a highly erotic song on the same album.
