With COVID and all the nice requisite music swirling round throughout these years, music followers may typically be forgiven for a few tracks slipping by way of the cracks however one thing as huge as a collab between underground rap hip hop genius Mic Nickels and legendary Wu Tang huge voice Technique Man…we at YEDM ashamed of ourselves. The observe in query, “El Matador,” dropped because the final observe on Nickels’ 2021 album Bars for Days, which additionally featured Timbo King, Teen AF and vocalist Jeanette Berry however maybe bought misplaced within the rip tide of tracks that got here from bred artists throughout COVID. Now with the re-release, a sick animated video and three wildly completely different remixes, it appears the potential power of “El Matador” is about to show kinetic.

With over 20 years within the hip hop sport as himself, his two different aliases, his jazz/hip hop fusion band Nickel and Dime Ops and his co-founding of worldwide collective, MHB, it stands to cause that Mic Nickels has quite a lot of influential hip hop associates. In actual fact “El Matador” was initially purported to be a collab with one other hip hop heavy hitter, the late MF DOOM.

This observe was initially slated to function MF DOOM. He agreed earlier than he handed however by no means accomplished it.  Finally we stuffed in with Technique Man, which was unbelievable. (It was) a whole honor for him to listen to my music and say ‘yeah, I can get with that!’  The thought behind the observe was to debate how one offers with their opponents, virtually how a matador performs with their aggressor. The premise got here to me after studying The Solar Additionally Rises, by Hemingway. I wrote and recorded it earlier than every other MCs listened, so it doesn’t cater in direction of Meth or anybody else’s model. Simply pure poetry. 

That poetry was initially completed over a Wu Tang-inspired beat by MHB producer Mr. Twine with a cool as fuck bassline by acclaimed jazz double bass participant Dezron Douglas, however the brand new remixes are everywhere. As Nickels’ focus tends to be on the lyrics of any undertaking, it’s clear he cherished the bars right here sufficient to see them re-worked in a range off methods. The Bizzythowed remix is a nu metal-style rock model with guitar by Brandon “Bizzy” Hollemon and scratch work completed by Dj Keef Wookie, whereas the O.P. Supa is one other minimal New York-inspired combine that’s easy and offers the lyrics area. The Spotanola remix is heavier on the jazz vibes, doubtless impressed by Nickels’ personal connection to jazz. Using the speculation that actually good lyrics can work with any style, Nickels has not solely re-introduced this hidden gem to the music world however re-vamped it to achieve an excellent broader viewers.

If three remixes weren’t sufficient, Nickels additionally commissioned a cool animated music video for the unique observe, launched final month, illustrated by Charles “Ooge” Ugas and animated by Animo Studios. Set, after all, on the streets of New York, it’s a mini-anime with visceral compositional pictures and a spaghetti western-style narrative that highlights these points of “El Matador” that tie into the observe’s unique idea. Clearly Meff and Nickels emerge victorious within the MC showdown, and the final shot is a “lacking flyer” with DOOM’s emblem on it, an homage to the unique unique that by no means occurred.

With a private lore so steeped within the NYC hip hop scene that his work fully embodies it at this level, it’s odd that “El Matador” kind of simply slid into the Mic Nickels discography with out a lot of his followers noticing, however he’s definitely fixing that now. A perfectionist of some measure, NIckels is thought for ready to essentially promote issues and he could, on this case, have been ready on this epic video being completed, as can be his wont. That mentioned, now it’s out and hitting hip hop onerous, identical to most of Nickels’ work, and with 4 completely different variations for followers to select from. In the event you’re a hip hop fan and haven’t heard of this triple musical (quadruple?) risk, it’s time to get on board with “El Matador.”

“El Matador” is streamable on Spotify, alongside together with his discography beneath this moniker. Take a look at his gritty hip hop memoir, additionally named Bars for Days, on Amazon.