Tonie Arcon Drops Michigan Freestyle
"This the Murda Mitten blue blood on the pavement, life is not a game"
It was around 11:30 at night after a hectic day. A storm was raging outside and as lightning changed the night to day in bright flashes, I began to go through my music picks for the day. Tonie Arcon's Michigan Freestyle immediately came to mind.
It's important to make something clear from the jump though.
Tonie Arcon is the kind of artist that sounds good on anything. This dude is like a young Black Thought mixed with Lauryn Hill. He can sing, rap, and even plays the guitar. Where some artists keep the same flow, Arcon also has the ability to pattern his delivery over specific elements of production. So whatever you hear him on, especially if he’s performing live? The probability is high that he’s going to deliver lyrically.
Knowing this beforehand was why his Michigan freestyle was so interesting. Some lyrical artists like the aforementioned Black Thought or Eminem have mastered the craft. Though Arcon’s star is still rising, its clear that skill level is already not an issue.
On this single Arcon uses a bit of a more simplified, melodic delivery, albeit not as romance centered as his offering She Love Me. The production carries a more modern bounce and Arcon uses a slightly delayed cadence to find a unique pocket on the beat. It’s catchy but still shows the lyricism and personality of his previous work.
The one flaw so many lyrical artists have often times is what I call “perfect flow syndrome.”
Arcon, a naturally lyrical artist has not fallen victim that, and this freestyle is proof.
Now what is perfect flow syndrome? Take Black Thought for example.
Everyone knows Black Thought can rap. If you don’t know who that is, stop reading this right now and go catch a freestyle.
It’s cool.
I’ll wait.
Good?
Ok bet.
Black Thought has had commercial success on singles like Don’t Say Nothing. He’s a monster lyrically. The Roots have also been the house band on Fallon forever and millions of people see him every day around the world. But many people never take the time to ask, why is it that the mainstream isn’t running around singing Black Thought lyrics like the should be?
Another example is Eminem. Qualms about his delivery today aside, Eminem is one of the most skillful punchline writers in the game. I still play his verse on Gnat and wonder how he did it. Eminem is a megastar. But why has he had to deal with fans saying he gets no spins in the car lately?
The initial thing everyone says is “He’s too lyrical it goes over their heads.” But Kendrick Lamar just dropped a bar heavy verse with Future (we’ll cover that later don’t worry) and a lot of people including myself can rap it word for word.
For Em, you can have a discussion about sonics for days, but both Black Thought as well as Eminem suffer from the same issue when it comes to their music.
The flow is too perfect.
I used to work with an artist out of town (who shall remain nameless) who was a speedster as well as a puncher. He could fire off bars so fast it’d have the crowd cheering as soon as he touched the stage. The ladies loved him, the writers wanted to battle him he was a major name in the circles we ran in. But if you asked anyone to quote his lyrics? They could not tell you one thing he said.
The flow was so perfect nothing stood out. When every line is perfectly rhymed I’ve noticed an odd effect happens. Even though people are reacting to the bars, when every line is packed with rhymes, and punches it tends to all sort of blur together. It’s amazing to hear, but its hard to remember.
Arcon is using a more laid back style but because I’ve heard him rhyme before and I write myself I can appreciate how much skill it takes to produce catchy less wordy verses this when you can rap circles around everyone. It’s a skill Eminem struggles with today. He can’t slow down and get in pocket like he used to.
Many of us wanted to be lyrical miracle heroes. Myself included. However success in this game is about staying in the minds of listeners. A verse full of punchlines and energy sounds great, but without any fun parts people want to sing along with? There’s a high chance the audience will go back to playing whatever they were playing.
With this drop Arcon accomplished what I’ve seen so many talented artists fail to do. Write something catchy without compromising on lyrics, and without being so condense that it doesn’t have replay value to a casual listener.
"Told myself that if I go then ima graduate"
Usually over this sort of production you hear many of the same things. Money, guns, drugs if we're being honest. Here though we do hear references to the harshness of the streets, where there are usually empty tropes we hear Arcon talking about graduating college. That is simply something you don’t generally hear in other similar styles of music.
The video itself was shot in Harlem. The mecca of the period known as the Harlem Renaissance. Wandering around New York as a teenager I remember imagining seeing the hunched over form of Langston Hughes as he worked on one of his pieces. Arcon at his core is a genuine student of the culture and a video in the city that birthed the culture is definitely in line with his brand. The camera has a reddish yellow haze and Arcon can be seen moving around the city musing about our home state and dropping bars while taking in the scenery.
If you’re looking for a song that gives you a modern feel without compromising on lyrics I’d definitely recommend this one. Check out the video below!
Like the articles? Support the site by donating at $jedijackson or paypal.me/getxup!
It was around 11:30 at night after a hectic day. A storm was raging outside and as lightning changed the night to day in bright flashes, I began to go through my music picks for the day. Tonie Arcon's Michigan Freestyle immediately came to mind.
It's important to make something clear from the jump though.
Tonie Arcon is the kind of artist that sounds good on anything. This dude is like a young Black Thought mixed with Lauryn Hill. He can sing, rap, and even plays the guitar. Where some artists keep the same flow, Arcon also has the ability to pattern his delivery over specific elements of production. So whatever you hear him on, especially if he’s performing live? The probability is high that he’s going to deliver lyrically.
Knowing this beforehand was why his Michigan freestyle was so interesting. Some lyrical artists like the aforementioned Black Thought or Eminem have mastered the craft. Though Arcon’s star is still rising, its clear that skill level is already not an issue.
On this single Arcon uses a bit of a more simplified, melodic delivery, albeit not as romance centered as his offering She Love Me. The production carries a more modern bounce and Arcon uses a slightly delayed cadence to find a unique pocket on the beat. It’s catchy but still shows the lyricism and personality of his previous work.
The one flaw so many lyrical artists have often times is what I call “perfect flow syndrome.”
Arcon, a naturally lyrical artist has not fallen victim that, and this freestyle is proof.
Now what is perfect flow syndrome? Take Black Thought for example.
Everyone knows Black Thought can rap. If you don’t know who that is, stop reading this right now and go catch a freestyle.
It’s cool.
I’ll wait.
Good?
Ok bet.
Black Thought has had commercial success on singles like Don’t Say Nothing. He’s a monster lyrically. The Roots have also been the house band on Fallon forever and millions of people see him every day around the world. But many people never take the time to ask, why is it that the mainstream isn’t running around singing Black Thought lyrics like the should be?
Another example is Eminem. Qualms about his delivery today aside, Eminem is one of the most skillful punchline writers in the game. I still play his verse on Gnat and wonder how he did it. Eminem is a megastar. But why has he had to deal with fans saying he gets no spins in the car lately?
The initial thing everyone says is “He’s too lyrical it goes over their heads.” But Kendrick Lamar just dropped a bar heavy verse with Future (we’ll cover that later don’t worry) and a lot of people including myself can rap it word for word.
For Em, you can have a discussion about sonics for days, but both Black Thought as well as Eminem suffer from the same issue when it comes to their music.
The flow is too perfect.
I used to work with an artist out of town (who shall remain nameless) who was a speedster as well as a puncher. He could fire off bars so fast it’d have the crowd cheering as soon as he touched the stage. The ladies loved him, the writers wanted to battle him he was a major name in the circles we ran in. But if you asked anyone to quote his lyrics? They could not tell you one thing he said.
The flow was so perfect nothing stood out. When every line is perfectly rhymed I’ve noticed an odd effect happens. Even though people are reacting to the bars, when every line is packed with rhymes, and punches it tends to all sort of blur together. It’s amazing to hear, but its hard to remember.
Arcon is using a more laid back style but because I’ve heard him rhyme before and I write myself I can appreciate how much skill it takes to produce catchy less wordy verses this when you can rap circles around everyone. It’s a skill Eminem struggles with today. He can’t slow down and get in pocket like he used to.
Many of us wanted to be lyrical miracle heroes. Myself included. However success in this game is about staying in the minds of listeners. A verse full of punchlines and energy sounds great, but without any fun parts people want to sing along with? There’s a high chance the audience will go back to playing whatever they were playing.
With this drop Arcon accomplished what I’ve seen so many talented artists fail to do. Write something catchy without compromising on lyrics, and without being so condense that it doesn’t have replay value to a casual listener.
"Told myself that if I go then ima graduate"
Usually over this sort of production you hear many of the same things. Money, guns, drugs if we're being honest. Here though we do hear references to the harshness of the streets, where there are usually empty tropes we hear Arcon talking about graduating college. That is simply something you don’t generally hear in other similar styles of music.
The video itself was shot in Harlem. The mecca of the period known as the Harlem Renaissance. Wandering around New York as a teenager I remember imagining seeing the hunched over form of Langston Hughes as he worked on one of his pieces. Arcon at his core is a genuine student of the culture and a video in the city that birthed the culture is definitely in line with his brand. The camera has a reddish yellow haze and Arcon can be seen moving around the city musing about our home state and dropping bars while taking in the scenery.
If you’re looking for a song that gives you a modern feel without compromising on lyrics I’d definitely recommend this one. Check out the video below!
Like the articles? Support the site by donating at $jedijackson or paypal.me/getxup!