I tend to listen a lot of albums by artists who produce or co-produce their own tracks because I figure only they know exactly how they want to sound. Miles Casella is one such artist, who co-produced the album “The Sidewalk Flower” with Ben Bryan, and knows exactly how he wants to sound, and it’s nothing like the stuff you’re used to. Every single track is filled with quotable lines and brain teasing metaphors so much that it will almost starts to make you jealous of his extraordinary writing skills and super-unique delivery; he sounds like he popped out from the future, and flew back to the past to grab some jazz heads to jam with. For the listener that only knows mainstream, and sort of somewhat has his little toe in the wasteland of underground hip hop, let me tell you, Miles Casella is a force to be reckoned with.
Miles Casella is a Hip-Hop artist from Baton Rouge, LA, who has released several projects under different aliases since 2014. Miles blends Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Blues to create his own eclectic style. He has just released his album “The Sidewalk Flower” which illustrates the view of a small-town kid caught up in the city life.
Apparently many of the recordings used for this album were recorded curbside. From this album comes the single “Hey Fine”. If you want an artist who makes up pop hooks or repeats anthems throughout his songs, then you’ve come to the wrong place. Miles Casella delves into life and human existence in a way many wish they could.
Saying something like ‘hip hop song’ or ‘track of the year’ for what Miles Casella has achieved here, may be stupid, and even a little presumptuous, as I haven’t much of a clue what’s to come out in the next few days before the year ends. But it’ll take something pretty amazing for this not to be my hip hop ‘something’ of the year. Without a traditional beat to limit his creativity on “Hey Fine”, Miles’ battle-formed lyrical style has been forced to step outside of its comfort zone.
The lyrical exploration, both in writing and vocal delivery, sets the track in a class of its own. The song is a more of emotional affair than most of the junk doing the rounds, and when the soulful saxophone sets in, “Hey Fine” should start lighting up message boards any minute.
Whether you call “Hey Fine” backpacker ballyhoo or urban intellectualism it will earn Miles Casella the respect of the underground community and established him as a powerfully creative emcee and universal artist. Proving that there is no better way to avoid being pigeonholed than to be diverse.
Blending hip-hop, jazz and blues has always been part of game, but blending it in such an alternative way, and opening up to the scrutiny of peers and succeed with compelling verve brings a new angle. In a music genre that is completely saturated and focused on mumble rappers with no talent or ingenuity, Miles Casella may never get the kind attention he deserves. But again, he has enough talent and aptitude that he probably doesn’t even care. Nonetheless, I’m sure that one day will be Miles Casella’s day, and we should all be there to celebrate.
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