A native of Brooklyn, New York, rapper and singer Rah Figgy likes to talk about his music as the embodiment of resilience. Dotted by personal struggles and a lesser-than-dreamy up and coming, Rah’s been at it since a young age, crafting his passion of music, culminating in his six track debut EP, “Matrix” — keep reading for my thoughts!
Adopting a half-sung and half-rapped style akin to a Linkin Park of hip hop, “Matrix” finds itself brought to life by influences from rock, cinematic pop music, and electronic music — especially dubstep and trap. The opener, “Matrix” serves as the title track to the EP, and takes on an aggressive production with low, booming basses, supported really nicely by the orchestral horns and the warm, inviting pianos that set the stage for the heavy, intense drops in the hooks.
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Segueing into the second track, “False Idols”, Rah Figgy takes some influences from blues for the basses, and lays a very quirky and distinctive percussion pattern atop it that yields some more flavour to “Matrix”. His delivery remains the central figment of this track, adopting a more rhyme-centric style on this track that makes for a timeless, catchy listen. There’s also much to appreciate about the ad-libs at at play here, adding some great atmosphere here.
As we journey through the EP, we’re brought to “Conscience” — a darker, more introspective tune that hits it deep in the emotional impact department, with a modern trap/hip-hop sound dotted by the 808s, the choppy snares and the bouncy hi-hats; there’s the synth pads sending the listener into trains of thought, while the vocal harmonies shine in adding more depth and dimension to the track.
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We bring the latter part of the EP to a close with “Chasing Demons” — an ominous, dark track with the textures and gritty sound design that takes a page out of synthwave and retrowave music to make for a bouncy, well-produced track with a tight, well-controlled mix that takes the execution to a whole other level.
The production on “Matrix” is varied and experimental, with the chops of Gregory Tucker bringing ideas to life, and allowing Rah Figgy (real name Rahsaun Figaro) to experiment with different stylistic influences, typical of a good debut EP; while the favourites will remain subjective on this EP, the production chops and the execution definitely make sure that the presentation is executed well both in terms of melody and arrangement, and rhythm and percussion. Take your pick! Listen to the album here:
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