Y-3

Fame is funny. You can be hot one day and cold the next. Bronx's Mickey Factz got major exposure as a 2009 XXL Freshman, and though he never took off from it like fellow 'classmates' Wale, B.o.B and Kid Cudi did, his music production never cooled down, as he has been turning out mixtapes at an accelerated rate since, sometimes two or three a year. A true lyricist who sounds like a cross between Lupe Fiasco and Raekwon The Chef, Mickey Factz has done it again with Y-3, which was released in September but on Friday (Oct. 23) on iTunes. Mickey scores big with his exceptional lyricism of a classic East Coast persuasion, but he gets extra points for the mixtape's modern, cutting edge production, whether it's from the fuzzy vintage soul sample in "4:14 AM," the 80s swinging rock beat in "Pendulum" or the Super Mario World music in "8 Bit Dream." Factz is quick on his feet lyrically with world class metaphors, a nimble delivery (rapid fire at times) and of course rhymes and wordplay for days, and his syllabus has plenty of good subject matter to study up on too. As the emotive soul that he is, Mick's self-evaluation has him looking back on his past, on loves and soured relationships, on being different and fighting for life in the everyday struggle. Other times, he simply impresses with prepared free-style rhymes. Yet still, there are points where he gets even more creative, speaking from a typical African American perspective. For example, the AIDS story he tells in "Mause: An American Tale" is just heartbreaking, his diss of President Obama and brutal police in "Under God" is refreshing and attractive in its conviction and confidence, and his oral reenactment of the MLK Jr. assassination in "Room 306" is well paced and revealing. Y-3 is smart and fun with great supporting roles from Emilio Rojas, Elzhi, Cyhi The Prynce, Charles Hamilton (another '09 XXL Freshman) and others. Factz again is a life support for real hip-hop lyrics and represents the BX borough with dignity. This is an album-quality mixtape that is strong on all levels with relevant rebellion and ready resistant to the cancerous appendages of our society. On the flip side, it is also a cool authentic break from other warped forms of hip-hop, a rhyme carnival where survival in the game is based almost entirely on how well its players can flow.