By P80 Parks
Free Mind: “I almost gave up on making music. I was going through a lot in my personal life and I felt stuck. I wanted to level up. I was tired of the same thing over and over. I wasn’t happy with music or my circumstances at that moment in time.”
Reinvention shows Free Mind’s capable production skills on 10 beats with an enjoyable variety of tones and mood. The LA producer drops his latest instrumental project, full of his signature chopped samples. Known mostly for his warm vibes, soul samples and knocking drums, Free Mind expands his sonic palette for more melodic arrangements, pulling away from solely embracing the warm vibes and weaving in some varying textures to great effect.
DRHH: Why Reinvention?
Free Mind: “I felt like I needed to take my sound to another level. I wanted to evolve past where I was as far as artists I would work with and just have a totally different outlook on life and music overall. So I consciously put forth the effort to grow past where I was… Subconsciously, I just started doing different things. I didn’t even realize it was happening until it happened. I guess I wanted it so bad that I manifested it by doing the necessary work. I started reading this new book by 50 Cent and in there is a chapter titled “Evolve or Die.” I think it’s really important that we always do that, to keep evolving and reinventing ourselves.”
The evolution is apparent across the 10 tracks of Reinvention. Fitting that the first track, “Let my Pen Bleed” shows the soulful chops that have partially defined him previously. Free Mind slides into the melodic groove of “Eye of the Beholder,” with a stirring female vocal loop. “Empty Nest” is a jazzy mellow beat which easily transitions into the somber “ooohs” echoing on “Stories.” Joints like “Go Crazy” just bang hard with Free Mind’s signature thump stamped on every beat. “Cerebral Cortex” shows Free Mind connecting samples to create a melody, while on “Grime,” the prominence of the triumphant horns sample becomes the focus, creating a slight tension, a vibe Free Mind is clearly fostering on some of these new beats. His Nipsey tribute, “Young Kings” is plenty soulful, featuring gospel choir loops. Free Mind closes it out with “Cry Sometimes,” the melancholy joint that symbolizes the growth and evolution as a man, alluding to the fact that we all need a release at times. Free Mind has shown his growth as he expands his range of sounds on Reinvention.
Cop Reinvention here:
Deeply Rooted HipHop 