#fortunewest

FortuneWest “Really Doe” (feat. Mason) | @FortuneWestMzk |

https://soundcloud.com/fortunewestmusic/really-doe-feat-mason/s-0O2vS   FortuneWest releases a song which is an ode to Barbara Weldens a French singer/songwriter whose life was cut short when she was electrocuted on stage July 19th 2017. Her story is one of sadness as she was only in her 30s and still fighting for recognition as an artist. However there have been few more beautiful examples of…

"Higher Man" - FortuneWest x Mason

Vanity Fair writer and frequent podcaster Matt Patches described The Guest - one of my favorite movies of 2014 - as Big, Bold, and Badass. Those words then got plastered on every piece of promotion for the movie, and they came to mind quite quickly when I pressed play on Free Spirits, the new collaborative EP from Philly producer Fortune West (Cory Wilson) and rapper Mason. 

"Higher Man" opens the EP like a boot kicking in a door, a ripping guitar sample barreling in like you should be cheering its arrival. The track settles into a nice groove pretty quickly, but that feeling still carries through, buoyed by the Mason's most consistently rhythmic and riveting work on the EP and the occasional reemergence of those head-turning riffs. 

Free Spirits has a number of fine moments, but this and the much more sedate closer "Cerulean Eyes" - a little less badass in its swooning over the titular eyes - come together the most satsifyingly. Mason has quality verses throughout, and Wilson doesn't shy away from going big in his production. 

Free Spirits is available for free download on Bandcamp. 

Here’s the thing about beat tapes; unless you are an establish producer, most people won’t pay them any attention. Trust me I’ve been there a couple of times (see Grey Skies and The Palette Cleanse). We are in a hip-hop climate where emcees would rather try getting someone’s attention with a freestyle over one of Drake’s countless instrumentals, instead of building relationships with upcoming producers. At the end of the day this is the record business and you should make RECORDS. For those of you who want to head toward the right path, I suggest taking a listen to producer FortuneWest latest creation. His Old Friends EP is a bit different from your everyday hip-hop production and I’m sure a relationship could be built here. Govern yourselves accordingly.

Relax and Listen after the jump.