New Jersey based emcee, producer and songwriter, King Pikeezy returns with a new collective of songs. Following the success of his previous mixtape Young Griot, which was entirely produced by Grammy nominated and platinum producer !LL Mind, Pikeezy treated his fans to his newest project, Prelude to Freedom via Soundcloud.
Prelude to Freedom features 4 original tracks “Soliloquy 2”, “Bloodline”, “Elegant Melanin” and “Where Do We Go From Here”.
Although Pikeezy’s past works were undeniably Hip-Hop, on Prelude to Freedom these sonic lines are blurred. There are clearly fundamental elements of Hip-Hop present in the song writing and delivery, however the instrumentation gears more toward a fusion of neo-soul and rock. While this blend of sounds did make for great listening, I couldn’t help but to feel that Prelude to Freedom is to King Pikeezy what The Gifted was to Wale.
What I mean by this is… Prelude to Freedom is the Newark native’s experimental project. This EP allowed Pikeezy to freely explore his creative side. On the other hand, because Prelude to Freedom was a musical exploration the emcee tends to get lost within each track.
On song “Bloodline”, Pikeezy contrasts the soft keys to deliver hard-hitting and thought provoking lyrics. This technique has been seen time and time again by recording artist Erykah Badu. On “Elegant Melanin”, Pikeezy use of the isolated electric guitar and consistent baseline is complimented by his rustic vocals. Overall, Prelude to Freedom is a cohesive body of work but it falls short of the overarching potential King Pikeezy has as a musician.
Stay connected! Follow King Pikeezy on Instagram and Twitter or like the official King Pikeezy Facebook fan page.
