Albums, HIP-HOP/RAP, Music Reviews, New Fire Music, NJ
Malc ‘Soon Enough’ Review
Jul
New Jersey-based emcee, Malc uses his wordplay in means of touching a broad audience. He taps into his hip-hop sensibility from a lyrical standpoint, often approaching his story-telling cadences like rap icons, Nas and Jay-Z. The themes at hand often see Malc being transparent, being persistent to succeed, and passing along some words to live by. As the clock strikes, you can catch the prophetic artist either listening to sample loops or putting soul between his rhymes. Leaning in, you’ll hear Malc putting his heart into what he speaks on. Ultimately, it’s 100% real life and stuff we all go through.
“I try to read and expand my mind as much as possible. I find myself writing down lyrics at the most random times of the day, in the most random places,” he says. “It’s just something I can’t shut off my mind is always going trying to create the next hook, verse, or concept.”
His brand-new album that’s released under his label, 94TiL, is titled Soon Enough. The 10-track effort centers on Malc’s mindset to win at all costs and to remain optimistic, despite the downfalls along the way.
The project also reflects on his thoughts regarding previous relationships, societal issues, the Black Lives Matter movement, giving back to his loved ones, and battling depression. “Keep going and prove all the doubters wrong,” Malc says in terms of Soon Enough’s message. “Whether it be self-doubt or people around you, make your own rules. “Don’t worry about fitting in. You’re supposed to stand out.” Soon Enough features Kärma, TWICE, and Darryl L.
Sure tracks include “A Song For You,” “In The Moment,” “Move Around,” “Let Up,” and “Views.”
In terms of car tunes, if you’re on the parkway cruising midday, bump “Mercedes Ambitions.” If you are riding through your town and feeling yourself, check out “Move Around.” And if you want to pull up to the scene and announce your arrival, play “YoS.”
To create Soon Enough, Malc teamed up with his engineer, Kärma and partners, Lock and Hearn (the two pretty much helped executive produce his albums). Malc also did tons of recording, re-recording, and tweaking. Since he’s a very attention-to-detail being, there were difficulties far as what worked and what didn’t on Soon Enough. “I’m my biggest critic, so sometimes it gets in the way of being able to relax,” he admits. Another dilemma for Soon Enough was the recent injustices towards African Americans.
He had the most fun creating songs, “Let Up” and “Move Around.” He says “Let Up” was dope to make because of the two artists he collaborated with, Darryl J and Kärma. “The blueprint for ‘Let Up’ was pretty much finished. They both came along and added the soul and flavor that was needed to bring the song even more to life,” he continues. “‘Move Around’ is an entirely different pocket for me, as far as the beat and flow.”
One of his favorite punchlines off Soon Enough goes:
“Me and my N*ggas, We something like the hardy brothers, for that gold we never feared death, Tables, Ladders, or Chairs.”
During COVID-19, he’s been spending late nights, and early mornings in the booth, “With everything going on sometimes it’s easy to lose track of goals and aspirations that we have because it feels like we are kind of stuck.”
His advice to those creating their first project is to do what they feel sounds best. “Don’t let anyone stop you from making what you want,” he says.
“A Song For You” sees Malc in full story-telling mode and assuring the distressed that they’ve got a friend in him. “Just know I feel for you/I know it’s real for you/And when shit hit the fan, just know I’m here for you,” he raps in the song’s chorus. The first tale he details is about a young girl with an hourglass frame. Although she’s not seeking attention, men of all age groups can’t help but to keep their eyes on her. Deep down, the girl dreads the stares, but her friends persist that she uses it to “catch a baller and have his babies.”
Towards the minute-mark, Malc recites one line from Tupac’s “Hail Mary,” before telling another person’s story. “Graduated in June, by August, he was locked up lacing. One of these ran down. They snatched his pack up. First offense, but he had the burner too. You know how Jersey do,” he raps. Before the song ends, Malc goes in about another man trying to be something he’s not. Sonically, “A Song For You” is led by a rendition of Dej Loaf’s “Try Me.” It also pairs warm piano loops with lush synths and a booming bassline.
“In The Moment” starts with a soulful loop and couples a booming 808 with other R&B elements. This song is a canvas for Malc to lay out his current thoughts about making it. “This that mind-over-matter, climb a latter manifestation,” he raps. Case in point, the “Stay Blessed” rapper showcases his work ethic when he spits, “I struggle with patience, so excuse my acceleration.” He also takes the time to address the social stigma when it comes to men showing emotion and racial profiling. The song closes off with Malc’s hopes for the future and what he hopes to accomplish as time goes on.
The fourth-to-last song, “Move Around,” is what Malc deemed as his jam during his listening party for Soon Enough. On “Move Around,” Malc speaks on his need to do things flawlessly. He raps, “I perfect the craft, I’m on a mission,” and “I just take pride in beating obstacles.” Deeper into the song, he calls out the fakes before speaking on his stress reliever: meditation.
Afterward, the rapper reminisces on nights in the studio and listening to rappers who dropped gems. From then on, he vowed to do the same. Before the song ends, Malc gives upcoming artists the 4-1-1 to succeed in the industry, “Take yo time, don’t be in a rush to get fucked/don’t chase a deal,” he spits. He also stresses the need to listen to loved ones and affirms that he’s “..going in with purpose like he’s got a curfew.” He’s grateful for every opportunity and can’t wait to see what else in store. The beat takes a gospel approach and uses a rich piano arpeggio and knocking 808’s.
“Let Up” allows Malc to think deeply about this crazy thing we call life. He ultimately wants to know if we’re living to die or vise versa. As the song goes on, Malc addresses the issues with losing young ones too soon to drug addiction, before assuring others that it does get better. “Reality hard to swallow and you sick of being tested/Stay optimistic, but what’s the message in this lesson?” he spits. Given the context clues, it’s safe to say that “Let Up” is an uplifting song. You’ll hear lines like, “When shit gets troublesome, never forget what your aim is.” During the second verse, Malc speaks on his beliefs and wonders why the good die young. The features, Kärma and Daryl L, use a strong register that gives soulful a new meaning! “Let Up,” then closes with an excerpt by Tupac.
The second-to-last track, “Views,” sees Malc speaking on his past accomplishments and new beginnings! “I can’t tell you where I’m going, but I can tell you where I’m not/Back to where I’m coming from/Ain’t going back to that spot,” he raps. Elsewhere, Malc calls out bandwagoners and reiterates what he and his day ones aim to do every day, “See I’m tryna touch a bag with all my comrades/ From nothing to something,” Malc spits.
Before “Views” ends, the emcee reflects on a sweet relationship that went sour. But there’s no bad blood between them. He’s happy that she’s happy. He then talks about being grateful for everything he’s been through. From this, you can assume that Malc is determined to make a breakthrough in the rap game. He also admits that he lives by the “this too shall pass” mantra. “Views” carries a soulful soundscape with speaker-knocking bass, high pitched vocals, piano loops, and sporadic hi-hats.
Listen to Soon Enough by Malc below: