Xpression The MC, Excluzive & TMF Precha Push Boundaries on “Bent Rules”

Words by: Aaron Williams

Bending the rules is at the heart of hip-hop—whether it’s the unapologetic wordplay, the rebellious spirit of the OG, right down to the notion of sample-based music; all of these concepts flow through the backbone of the artform. Xpression The MC and TMF Precha are all too familiar. So familiar, in fact, that they’ve made careers out of defying their surroundings and pursuing The Write Path. That’s the title of Xpression’s landmark 2019 album as well as his self-published book, The Write Path to Creative Self-Xpression: An Inspirational Journal That Invites and Invokes the Creative Mind and Spirit Through the Lens of Hip-Hop Poetry and Expressive Arts Therapy. It squeezes a lot into the subtitle and perhaps even more into the subtext. This is the nature of a rapid-fire master of ceremonies: unfettered terminological execution, both on and off the page.

TMF Precha also has a book of his own—Secrets of the Music Business: How Not to Get Fucked as an Entrepreneur with a Dream. Published in March of 2021, it showcases the knowledge that Tony M. Fountain garnered while battling and overcoming legal issues as a young adult, being raised by a single mother, Judy Fountain, who he credits with inspiring his work ethic, on top of pursuing music as a recording artist before venturing into the business side of things, managing other musicians and launching his own online platform geared towards covering independent hip-hop: Now Entertainment. All of this is merely the foundation from which independent minds like Xpression and Precha can springboard their vision for the future. Cut to November 2021 and the two have teamed up for their first official collaboration, “Bent Rules,” featuring a hook by Excluzive. Think of it as the embodiment of MLK Jr.’s dream. Xpression, a.k.a. “The Mexican Eminem,” enlists the help of Caucasian rapper TMF Precha and Black multi-hyphenate Excluzive (both hailing from Georgia), all three supplying impeccable flows over a beat by Ukrainian music prodigy Igor Petrofsky. It’s not just the American dream—it’s a global dream; a universal dream—one that anyone can relate to. In a day and age rife with restrictions and censorship, here we have a true living example of “Bent Rules.”

 “Bent Rules” is available to stream on ALL major platforms.

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