Freestyle Friday (10/29)

Friday means freestyles. And that's just the long and short of it on Dear Whoever. Let's not mince words. Today we've got two very, very different ciphers on the schedule. The first one is with Big Sean, Cory Gunz and Mickey Factz. Let me tell you this before you even hit play: CORY GUNZ KILLS IT. I don't understand why this man is not one of the best in the game, though his signing to Young Money might have something to do with it. Mickey and Big Sean both spit okay verses, but it's clear who's shining in that video. The second one is an old freestyle (I'm guessing) circa 1995 featuring Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, both draped in the finest of apparel from that time. And, as one would expect they spit bars about what else but things only people with Cuban Linx would be able to relate to. Regardless, the cipher is FIRE, and I know a few of you older hip-hop heads will dig it. Check out both the young and older eras of hip-hop for this Freestyle Friday and keep it locked to Dear Whoever...

Emilio Rojas - Ex-Girl (ft. Mickey Factz)

DOWNLOAD - Emilio Rojas - Ex-Girl (ft. Mickey Factz)

Everyone has an ex that makes them want to hurl at the drop of their name. It's just a fact. The anger we feel towards them isn't always at them, necessarily. It can be against things they did, or just the sour taste that the whole experience left in your mouth. Of course, it can also be that the ex is a conniving, wicked wench or a scheming, dirty dog, but I suppose there are two sides to every story. On the male side, the backlash can get downright disrespectful. Emilio Rojas and brought Mickey Factz with him to write about the ladies in their lives who should have just ended it at 'Hello'. Emilio's dropping a new mixtape in October with Green Lantern, and this is one of the first tracks. Enjoy, and try not to be mad at your exes, though I can't like I'd readily do the same...

Mickey Factz - Paradise (Music Video)

Okay, so Mickey Factz is claiming in his upcoming mixtape 'I'm Better Than You' that he's... better than everyone else in the rap game. While he's had some great leaks, some of them have been sub-par, retracting back to that tired, convoluted flow. The track 'Paradise' was one of those that I was kind of lukewarm about. But as most hip-hop heads know, sometimes the best part about a song isn't the song itself, but the music video. That's the case with the visuals for 'Paradise'. The video, directed by Phil the God, takes Mick back to his roots in the Bronx, where he does the typical hood music video. Complete with trademark bodega, random street shots and a gang o' n*ggas behind him, Mickey does his best 90's impression, and surprisingly makes the song sound a lot better. I guess the sepia tones and mean mugs served him well. Hopefully, the whole mixtape doesn't need a visual for us to rock to it. Whatever the case, check out the video for Mickey Factz's 'Paradise'...

Freestyle Friday (8/6)

People, how goes it? It's Friday, and Friday means freestyles. Today, we've got two freestyles that will have your ears wiggling and your fingers wanting to press rewind. The first cypher features Mickey Factz on a show called 'The Syndies'. Mickey does the term 'freestyle' a bit of justice and decides to go completely off the dome. His verse is damn near miraculous, considering most heads spit from a Blackberry nowadays. The fact that he can make coherent thoughts come across in rhyme form without writing it down is amazing. The improvisational aspect of freestyling is dying, but Mickey Factz is one of the people manning the respirator. The second freestyle is by J. Cole on Power 10 (wherever that is). Cole does his usual masterful job over the airwaves, so there's really nothing to say other than to just watch the video. The third cypher is by an oldie, but goodie, Pharoahe Monch. The Lyricist Lounge alumni dropped by Tony Touch's Tuesday Sirius radio show and does DAMAGE. I don't even want to talk about this one either because it's piff. Seriously, just listen and keep it locked to Dear Whoever...

Mickey Factz - Powder x Light Up Freestyle

Mickey Factz - Powder


Mickey Factz - Light Up Freestyle

Mickey Factz is back. There, I said it. He's back. The man was all but dead to me, music-wise since February, and now he's making it really hard for other rappers to get shine. The Bronx MC has been ripping you favorite beats for the past two weeks and this week is no different. He decided to take a stab at Kanye's 'Power' and the first line says it all: 'Everybody spits crack now / I got that powder'. The other track is a freestyle to Drake's 'Light Up' which does the beat justice. The main thing that Factz is doing better is his delivery. He's not trying to mix it up so much that he loses his appeal, and I think we'll see more of the same on his new mixtape 'I'm Better Than You,' coming soon. Check out both tracks...

Freestyle Friday (6/25)

Friday equals freestyles on this blog, and though a little late, we got two nice ones for y'all. The first one is by Vado on Funkmaster Flex's show on Hot 97. My jaw dropped when I heard this one. Vado must have spit about 120 bars during that cipher, all of which were pifftastic. 'The type to talk down to your boxer like Larry Merchant,' is one of the best lines I've heard in a freestyle, simply because of the reference and how easily he does it. Cam'ron is unleashing a beast on NYC rap, slowly but surely. I've been playing this freestyle nonstop since I heard it. Slime Flu drops on July 6th, so hopefully there's more of the same. The second one is a random cypher with the most random collection of MC's. Fat Joe, Fred Da Godson, Mickey Factz and some dude named Leader all freestyled and represented for the Bronx on Green Lantern's Sirius Radio show. Honestly, Leader was garbage and Joe was decent. Mickey gets some serious points for being the only one without a written, but in terms of pure bars, Fred rips EVERYONE. Was never really a fan of Fred, but I can't even front on the man now. Whatever the case, check both freestyles and keep it locked to Dear Whoever...

Mickey Factz - Watch Out for the Hook

Mickey Factz - Watch Out for the Hook

I kept my mouth shut about Mickey Factz for months, because I remembered when he spit pure heat rocks two years ago. This past year, he's fallen off in my eyes, either due to iffy beat selection or cloudy themes and questionable subject matter in his raps. He seemed like he was preaching rather than rapping. Reviewing his last mixtape was a chore for me, and although I enjoyed it, it was a hard pill to swallow the first time. In fact, I haven't listened to it in since the month that I reviewed it. 5 months and a whole lot of tweets later, @MickeyFactz released this new track via his Twitter and I've been bumping it on repeat since. This is the Mickey I grew to love, with slick punchlines and 'wait, rewind that' metaphors to go along with a sick beat (can anyone put a finger on the name of the instrumental? It slips my mind right now). Hopefully he keeps this up, and doesn't disappoint his fans again with a long, drawn-out silence. Check the new track...

Mickey Factz - thedarkphoenix: #ALPHA

Mickey Factz - thedarkphoenix: #ALPHA.

I was getting annoyed with Mickey Factz in 2009. He didn't release any mixtapes or new tracks. Amid his Truthfully's and Sad Really's on Twitter, #ALPHA was emblazoned, but in a very cocky and unneeded way, in my opinion. That said, he made sure he went into 2010 swinging, with his new release #ALPHA. I was somewhat skeptical about it, because to me, Mickey's always a been a good lyricist, but way too willing to experiment with his music for most. On #ALPHA, he still does a lot of experimenting with electronic beats and random indie samples. Even so, his lyrical ability shines through. Mickey may not be for the masses as of yet, but you can't deny that the man is talented. Check the download, tracklist, #dopetracks, some loosies and videos...

Tracklist:
1. Sunrise
2. Amnesia
3. Turn it Up
4. Still I Rise
5. Ashes
6. S/ecrets T/hat D/estroy
7. Contemplations Of a King
8. Sunset

#dopetracks
Stil I Rise
Ashes
S/ecrets T/hat D/estroy
Contemplations of Kings

Loosies:
Mickey Factz – The Lost Exhibit
Mickey Factz – #FuckYourShow (prod. Precize)
Mickey Factz – #FuckYourShow pt.2 (prod. Precize)

The Lost Exhibit - Mickey Factz

The Lost Exhibit - Mickey Factz

I thought I'd never see this day. Mickey Factz has been on a clear hiatus from releasing music in the past year. Instead he could be found on Twitter posting #Alpha on all his tweets. Lo and behold, that's the name of his new project, slated to come out on New Year's Day. Here's the first track. Mickey does his thing over the Exhibit A beat. I wonder if Jay feels some type of way about that...

MIckey Factz - #FuckYourShow

Mickey Factz - #FuckYourShow

It seems like forever since Mickey Factz has released any new shit that I've liked. Either the man uses the wackest technoed-out, ultra-synthesized beats, or his rhymes get repetitive. That's not to say that Mickey isn't one of my favorite MC's, but the man needs to get back into the studio these days. I suppose going on the road and doing shows is a good look, but your body of work is what draws fans in. This song is a step in the right direction. I just wish he would come with the fire like he did when he was dropping mixtapes...

Freestyle Friday (10/16)

AYYYYEE!!! It's Freestyle Friday and this week we have somebody who's been ghost for a few months. Mickey Factz gets recorded having a cipher in New Orleans, and to be honest, he hasn't lost a step. All we need now is a new mixtape to bring dude back to the limelight. Make sure you check out the other guy spitting, Lyriqs from New Orleans. The second one is from Harlem's Cash. I swear, Harlem's Cash is the TRUTH. If you want to hear punchlines, please press play. No lie. Have a happy Friday, and keep it locked to Dear Whoever...