Statesville, NC rap renaissance man 250z has unveiled his boisterous 12-track project, ‘Mixed EmotionZ’
Dropping a day before his birthday, the LP was preceded by the record’s singles “That Mode” and “Who Done Said Some.” A permeating short vlog that gave us a sneak peek into the brooding star’s creative process would later follow suit. The featureless Mixed EmotionZ arrives boasting a vivacious rap effort from Statesville’s emerging voice, lining up a solid chunk of soulful trap bangers.
Benchmarked by crackling songs that showcase the raconteur’s depth – the opus sees 250z more meditative than ever. He ponders on his troubled past filled with painful instances of robbing, stealing, slaving for a minimum wage, and other areas in his personal life where he feels he gets no respite. The gloomy cloud of lack is a major motivation to the project, much like touching subjects more so the loss of his grandmother, which he touches on on the purging number, “Hold On (Demons).”
“This project was inspired from the emotions of my grandmother passing, and then my uncle but also, the emotion of experience in new places, new studios, meeting new people, traveling and making better music, and truly coming out of that pain stage” he said in an interview.
Born Isaiah Thomas, the project feels like a conduit into his soul through music, with thumping beats, sometimes sprinkles of rock guitars, and notwithstanding very outstanding vocal performances such as on songs like “All For You” on the chorus.
The explosion of emo street hip hop is exemplified in the LP. The prevalent theme of overcoming adversity at the expense of anything and anyone is highlighted vibrantly. On a line on “Hold On” he echoes this sentiment – “I used to be really hitting them licks with no mask cause I wanted niggas to see” as he also fights back emotion in the same song offering duality “I hold tears run down my face while I’m writing this song” among a slew of moments on “250” and “Ball On Me” where he lets his guard down, and actually humanize him.
The believability of 250z tone is almost excessive in the way his delivery cuts across. This granular of soul-incisiveness, befitting production, and prolific crooning by melodic hip hop rappers has stemmed rappers like MO3, NBA Youngboy, Rod Wave, No Cap and others to the dizzying heights of stardom, and this is an identical nuance reflected on Mixed EmotionZ.
As 250z braces to place his bow on Hip Hop and music lore, he maintains music is the only way he can express himself, or that he actually finds solace in as an actual talent. He tried basketball and school, but his struggles in those fields, simultaneously with his ability to sing that was encouraged by his late grandmother, have enabled him to go the whole way with music. He also intimates that his music is driven by the struggle.
“Well it sucks but my creative process really comes from the pain I have around me and family problems making me want to make better music,” he says. “With better music comes a better chance I can see my family and change situations.”
The project’s artwork also shows layers to his thought process, by paying homage to Pablo Picasso’s famous cubism style of art.
Stream the project below:
