------------The anticipation to this cd's release had been building up, as had the promotion for it, for months. Finally, Mastamind comes out with a full length solo cd. The last time he ventured out of Natas on his own was on an EP released in the mid-90's entitled "Lickkuiddrano". Because of the veritable rareness of this cd and no plans until recently to create another one, the expectations for "THEMIDZI" were skyhigh. Now only a few days after its release, the jury is still out on whether this cd came through or not. I, on the other hand, think that this cd delivered in a major way.
___As his name suggests, Mastamind has been the long time driving force behind Natas. When he raps with the others, their voices blend in nicely and they sound like the Natas we have all some to know. On solo tracks, however, Mastamind's own unique style shows a little more. The way he sounds is clearly different from Esham and TnT. Also on his solo tracks, the beats have been conforming to the overall tone of that particular Natas cd, but there have always been hints of a peculiar sound boiling under the surface.
___Now fast forward to "THEMINDZI". It sounds nothing like any Esham cd, with only small traces of the Natas sound. As is a common theme with any recent release from Natas or any of its members, some songs reflect past styles and others experiment a little with new innovations. Of the songs that sound closest to Natas are the title song, "Themidzi" (with some familiar, repetative piano sounds in the background with a tight beat) and "Deep or Dolo" (with some sound effects remeniscent of "Multikillionaire" and classic rhymes). Much more conspicuos is the style Mastamind has been creating on his own. Songs such as "Thug World", "Forever", "Worship The Wicket" have a style of their own, completely separate from anything that preceeded them. The rhymes are tight and the beats are entirely new and unique. "Worship The Wicket" even has a little sound effect that can't be told what it is, but definitely adds a good quality to the song. "Pay Me (Million Dollar Dreamz)" is a tight song with a slower beat than the other songs that connects tightly with a good beat and a classic flow that complements it nicely. The main themes of the rhymes in this cd are thugs & the rap game, the fools that think that just because they have money or fame they have to right to be bitches, forget where they came from & ditch their homies, and Mastamind's plight in the rap game and hints about where he is going from here.
___Among other good songs, are "I'm Flyin'" with a woman in the chorus. Although I wouldn't say that this is the best song on the cd, it is in the top five, with its nealy dance beat music and the type of flow that we have all become accustomed to from Mastamind. What I will say, however, is that the arguably best song on the cd is "Reckless". The bass line reminds me of the song during the hallway shoot-out of "The Matrix". The rest of the intruments, made by synthesizer, revolve around this bass line and then, out of nowhere, a guitar that reminds me of the beginning music of the old-school 007 films comes in and it creates an unstoppable effect of tightness. Wrapped around all of this is quite possibly the best flow on "THEMINDZI". There is only one problem with this song: it is too short, at only 2 minutes, 47 seconds.
___Sadly, this problem of lack is predominant on the cd as a whole. Only 16 tracks, with 2 being skits and an intro, leaves the number of actual songs at 13. On top of this, the total number of minutes on this cd is just under 55 minutes, as compared to 75 mintues that a cd can hold and what has been put on in previous releases from Detroit. One more drawback to this cd: at the beginning of the song "Themidzi", a ridiculous and out-of-place sounding baby is crying. I dont know what the purpose of this was (metaphorical, I suppose), but it could have been left out. Luckily, these are the only drawbacks to an otherwise instant classic from Mastamind. I don't know who expected anything less, but even the people with the highest expectations could not possibly be dissapointed in any significant way by this cd. Being tight from beginning to end, "THEMINZI" only fortifies the Motor City's (not to mention Mastamind's and all those involved with this cd's) rapport as a force to be reckoned with in the rap game.
