2Mex
My Fanbase Will Destroy You
Rating 3.3/5.0
Label: Strange Famous
At a time when independent rap labels seem to be evaporating into thin air, Rhode Island’s Strange Famous has stepped in and established itself as a sturdy symbol of quality. Founded and overseen by indie rap favorite Sage Francis, Strange Famous has not only given distribution to albums for artists who’ve long deserved it, but has helped focus the veterans on its roster, such as Buck 65, to release the most critically celebrated works of their careers. When it was announced that Los Angeles underground staple 2Mex was going to release his next project under the Strange Famous banner, it was greeted with an anticipation from fans that this was finally going to be the 2Mex album. A member of several rap collectives, most notably the Visionaries, he’s been just as visible with his exceptionally prolific solo career with the past 15 years seeing 2Mex’s name on over 35 of his own full-lengths. Since signing with the label, the man’s been uncharacteristically silent, going two years without releasing a project. His exile ends now with My Fanbase Will Destroy You.
One of 2Mex’s strengths is his brutal emotional honesty. Going to the vulnerable parts of his psyche that most artists would try to convince you they don’t have, 2Mex has made a career and one of the scene’s most loyal fanbases from choruses such as, “I didn’t mean to touch your hand/ I didn’t realize that I was so grotesque.” While it’s refreshing and undeniably endearing, over the spotty production of a lot of his previous releases, it’s a trait that has many times become overbearing over the course of a full-length release. On My Fanbase Will Destroy You, this is not the case. Backed by beats from Busdriver, Deeskee and Ikey Owens of the Mars Volta, among others, 2Mex is finally given a lush soundscape as lavish as his personality. From his tour stories (“Dead Deer Diary”) to his love of local and obscure hip-hop (“What You Know About,” featuring Organized Konfusion’s Prince Po) and everything in-between, the album shows all shades of 2Mex’s character while harnessing the energy of his live shows.
2Mex’s writing has never been sharper. On the LDONTHECUT-produced “Rollercoaster” (which features Murs and Ariano), he explores the metaphor of a “rollercoaster relationship,” showing his partner running the gauntlet of mixed signals as a fun ride, a crazy irritant, a sympathetic figure and the “bi-polar bi-sexual” who “buys me issues of my favorite comics.” With the voice of a wise elder at his best friend’s birthday party, his subtle choice of words allows his stories and character studies to really resonate. In a genre where what you say is just as important as how you say it, 2Mex is using both to paint pictures with sounds calling to mind the brightest and darkest colors of the human experience.
One of the main reasons why My Fanbase Will Destroy You works so well is that it, for once, feels like 2Mex is in complete control of the greatest resources he’s had to date. As I mentioned earlier, the production is really what sets this apart from the rest of his catalog and catapults what he’s able to do on record into the stratosphere. But while his ability to showcase all facets of human emotions lends itself to a more enriching listen on the more pleasant, melodious beats (“Dead Hand Control” featuring Maney Wilson and “The Fun in Funeral” featuring Deeskee), the murkier backdrops like “Press Your Luck” seem to have 2Mex’s job already done for him and don’t offer the same re-playability. Fortunately, those moments are few and far between as My Fanbase Will Destroy You is not only the album 2Mex fans have known he’s had in him all along, but the perfect all-access pass to one of indierap’s most inclusive fan clubs.
by Chaz Kangas
Key Tracks: Dead Hand Control, The Fun in Funeral
