indie-only pink vinyl version - Namir Blade blends the personal with the hyper-futuristic in his newest and first fully self-produced album Metropolis. The title is a reference to the anime film which was modeled after the 1927 Fritz Lang classic about the crumble of civilization under the weight of late-stage capitalism. The title, along with the cover which looks like a cityscape straight out of Blade Runner, sets the stage for an unusual and unsettling sonic journey.
There’s a stylistic tension found throughout the album. Metropolis features a disparate mix of boom-bap and trap, with elements of eclectic production found in producers like The Alchemist and even R.A.P. Ferreira. Namir Blade is not jazz-rap or boom-bap. He’s not paying homage to the 80’s or 90’s golden age of hip-hop. He’s not a Kanye mainstream art-rap acolyte. And he’s not fully trap or mumble-rap.
