Sycosis “Mostly Me” Review: By Sycosis

Mostly Me Poster

Since the album is entitled Mostly Me I figured who better to review it than myself. Mostly Me is the debut Re-Introduction of Sycosis as an artist. I’ve been recording songs and Mixtapes for over 10 years but this is the first solo project/CD that I released featuring all original production (the only other original project was the U.N.O. album I did in High School with Mic Terror).  This project came together with about 3 years of planning, over 40 hours recording time ,and a lot of emotion which hopefully I was able to capture within the 14 tracks. So I’ll take you on a quick behind the scenes look of how it came together, and what it all means.

Track 1 Psychosis

Over the years a lot of people have asked me how I came up with the name Sycosis, or what does it mean. I guess because its hard to pronounce and is kinda unusual I owe the explanation. I tell people how as a kid I was looking in the dictionary and found the word and what it means but people still look at me like “oooh that’s cool” not really fully grasping it half the time. So I wanted to make a song where I could show you better than I could tell you what it means.  I was a huge scary movie fan as a kid which still reflects in my work you may notice me mentioning them or even in the cover itself how it takes that approach. Produced by Audi0.Ph1le this murky or “moody” track as he calls it fits perfect into that idea so I just added some audio clips (the doctors talking) and sound effects to enhance the whole piece. Even though its the intro it was actually the second to last song I recorded, like the capstone. I think the end result is me setting the stage for Sycosis the character. Unpredictable, aggressive, but yet introspective and reflective.

Track 2 Never Fails

This track was actually recorded early 2009 by Black Noiz of Da Internz (upcoming producers and video directors from Chicago). Produced by Hearon Trackz I’m pretty sure the beat originally belonged to one of his guys but idk I had to have it so hopefully by the time he finds out and sues me I’ll be rich enough to pay him. Anyway this beat was so unique to me because it has a hard dark thud thumping baseline with an Andy Griffin whistle melody and some little weird baby sounding voice in the back ground. The beat was a contradiction that fused perfect. My idea was to make like a warriors chant of triumph. The hook has the (ayeah ayeah ayeah ) in the back ground to add to it. First verse was the setup second verse was the spike. I wanted to use some of what I learned in English class when I wrote it. So second verse has a lot of alliteration, personification, and symbolism. Especially the “transform to a werewolf so I can Liken to a Liken/Underworld (scary movie) Underground fighting like a Viking/trying to make it to the surface like Shredder/kidnap April drop in May and be grateful”. The last part is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle reference (loved them too).

Track 3 Can’t Know

Ok here is the dilemma every artist faces. How do you be yourself and make a commercially popular song at the same time. I think Can’t Know was my answer because its a single that sounds like a single but not really. The singing  of C.B. was to appeal to women but the song actually is for men. Its about a guy being sprung on a woman who is taking him for a loop. So I think guys relate to it cuz they’ve either been there or know a guy who has and women like it cuz they’ve either done it or has a friend who has lol. But its kinda me allowing myself to be vulnerable to say damn this is all I’m dealing with emotionally with this girl but I’m gonna stick it out just cuz I can’t leave. The beat is crazy by Mush Millionz so all I had to do was show up he had already did the work but I actually revised this song about 4 times before the finished product. I worked on the concept for about a year.

Track 4 Everyday

I recorded Everyday in the summer of 2007 @ Studio Chicago my man Larry was the engineer (looked a lot like Steve Nash). That was my first time in an official studio took my cousin Boo with me (he’s been like my mentor) they got a real nice setup but they are TAXING f.y.i. Anyway this was the first beat I got from Mush Millionz who I met through Hearon. First day I met  I was with Bobby J (now Word Play). We were sitting in his crib he was smoking and thinking, smoking thinking some more then tells me I like your shit and hands me a CD full of beats. It was like Christmas. All I can say about this beat is Pianos. I watched him sequence it and was amazed. So all I could do was try to chase those pianos. It gave it a classic Chicago feel because we rap fast here (or used to) so I think I held on to it as a tribute to that style.

Track 5 Last Request

In the never ending battle of pushing myself out of my box I got this crazy sample from Total Kaos early 2009. It was waaaaay different than what I would normally do but it had so much feeling in it that I gave it a shot. I actually freestyled the whole first verse in my car listening to the beat one day and I was like whoa, yup, definitely using that. The guitar of this beat was an important as the piano in Everyday. I love natural sounding instruments so I wanted to chase it in the same way. This emo track is basically saying no matter what happens to me my music will live on.

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Track 6 Big Money Talk

True Story: I told my boy Ant Deez “I’m gonna make a song about money, but not the typical money song, like I’m gonna talk about investing, and real estate, and savings but its gonna be a banger so I can brainwash people”. That’s how the idea of this song came about about a year and a half before I actually did it. Produced by Total Kaos this beat has high energy written all over it and a lot of people don’t expect me to do a track like this, exactly why I did it. I like to bounce and blast my shit in my car just like you do. That doesn’t mean you can’t have good lyrics on those songs too. So this whole track was me saying how Big Money isn’t what you buy its what you own. My engineer Matt @ Suburban Pro Studios in St. Louis actually chopped the beat up like crazy so the finished product is totally different than where it started. The chipmunk affect was put in to add to the brainwashing affect (get it stuck in your head) but just my luck Ludacris releases “How Low” right before I drop the cd. Hater! Also you may notice this song is clean, no curse words. That was intentional. Hello radio!!!

Track 7 In Here

So THC hit me up one day like “I got something for you KING, got a nice sample like Let ‘Em Know We In Hurrr you know since yall say it country it Chicago” He brought it to the studio and I went to work on it right away. I thought this track was important too because it was bass heavy and sounds real street but the whole song is about us as REAL artist needing to stand up and let them know we still alive and in this Rap game. First couple lines sums it up “I’m a Rapper, I’m Rapper/not an actor like these rappers/who be acting like they trappers but actually they actors”. I think this could eventually be a club song with lyrics too. Who knows maybe I’ll start a trend.

Track 8 Reign Supreme

I recorded this track in 2008 as a tribute to the crew. Hearon invited me out to the studio where he works as an engineer and producer for himself and artist like Marvo and Jak Frost. This was actually the first track I got from Audi0.Ph1le and I thought it reminded me a lot of a Jay-Z blue Print 2 feel so I added the “swag right (check) flow tight (check)” in the hook. 3 of my guys in the crew are the biggest Jay-Z fans of life so I figured I’d give them one in the similar direction. This was like a motivational song for all of us who were stretched thin trying to do a million different things. Also somehow I forgot to mention my boy Arami$ at the end. I wonder if he knew all along and just didn’t say anything lol.

Track 9 Hope They Listening

The beat to this song had me feeling like Cassidy mixed with Fab on lyrical steroids. I remember when I was in a listening session with Hearon and he was playing me beats and just skipped past this one like it was nothing I’m like whoa whoa what was that yeah I need that one and the other one (which later became “Leave”). Funny thing is if you know me and any of my guys we have text message rap battles all the time from work or when driving (yeah I know sorry). So I basically had one with myself to write this song. I did the whole thing via text to myself while driving to St. Louis one night last fall headed to the studio. Fresh off of work to the highway headed to my dreams. This song to me was what I was missing. Like I know I could rap like this whenever I want but its not as meaningful to me so I don’t do it. It’s like when you know you can do a 360 do you do it on every fast break to prove a point on the court? Naw you probably lay it up half the time just cuz you know they already know. Well most people don’t know so I had to show them I could 360. Punchline songs are always exciting and this is what that was, no hook, no message, nothing deep, just straight shut up and listen.

Track 10 Fall Back

I actually was saving this beat for two  potential Rap beef situations that I was going to address but I chose to eventually let slide. One was personal the other was because of a YouTube incident. If you ever search for me on Youtube you will notice there is another guy whose videos pop up under the name Sycosis. Turns out there is a rap group also from Chicago with the same name. Ontop of that somehow they got it into their minds to think I took the name to be like them and made a ridiculously funny diss track about me. Soooo I was going to smite them from the surface of the Earth with my awesomeness but it woulda been like slap boxing a kid with no arms. Instead I made a general diss record for all internet thugs who leave comments on website and get on Youtube “Pointing pistols at cameras but aint shooting shit but videos”. But anyway for your enjoyment this is me getting merked by Carl Winslow and friends. Enjoy!

Track 11 Leave

So I know its hard to believe but it turns out that everybody raps. Not only that everybody is also rich off cocaine but still rapping. I missed the sign up sheet for that so I actually ended up with a job until I can convince enough of you that you should pay me to talk over beats (working on it). Leave is a song about trying to get away from the stress of life and working and haters and whatever else. I wanted the concept to be simple, the title to be simple, the hook to be simple, but not the delivery. I’m kinda all over the place with the delivery from verse to verse trying to bring back that kinda manic state of urgency vibe that the intro has. The horns on this song are the leading instrument to me and I went where they told me to go on this one. Away, far away.

Track 12 Here I Am

This was another one of those out of the box tracks for me. Its almost alternative music that I’m rapping over and even singing on the hook. I wanted a positive inspirational song that wasn’t corny so I decided to do a concept song about my life. So the concept of this song is me speaking as if I’m Barack Obama. I never say his name, never directly tell you what I’m talking about, you think its about me but its not. Its like me drawing the similarity of how I feel to what I think he is going through. Its like so many people look at him like he doing all this cuz he wants to or cuz he wants some kind personal recognition but in my opinion he is doing the best he can with what he was given to work with. So shout out to my president from my home town. Big ups Barack.

Track 13 Sacrifice

You ever watch a Behind The Music on someone and it shows you how they used to be then skips to once they got famous. Never explains the middle of how they met the guy who introduced them to the guy that took they music to the person who signed them. Yeah it talks about their hard work but doesn’t tell you everything they give up and pay for it get where they are at. I think that’s what most people don’t know at all which is why 90% of arguments about who the best artist is comes down to who has the most money. In reality the artist makes very little if any of the money they pretend to have. So this is a song about what I personally know that you have to give up to make it out here.

Track 14 The End

This is the first time I’ve ever done an “Outro” for a project but I wanted to make something that had that 300/Clash of the Titans – takeover the world feel. “The End” is really more like the beginning, that I’ll be back for a sequel song. It also has no hook and barely any talking before or after. Just wanted to get right to it and end it the right way. It took about 3 days of mastering to get this one to a level me and the engineer Dirk Sonic were good with. Longer than any other song. He wanted it to be powerful like the trumpets and choir effects to be cinematic. I of course wanted you to hear the words, but we met somewhere in the middle. Funny thing about Dirk is he normally doesn’t master Hip-Hop. He does works with orchestras and symphonies and does sound recording for corporations. He looks like an IT guy and sounds like a character from The Office. But he told me he felt my whole project. he said it was a story that he thought was honest and real. He said “I think most Hip-Hop is kind of posing but I felt your music was very real and made you vulnerable which is powerful.” To have a mid 30′s corporate white guy from a wealthy suburb say that  to me says it all.  No matter who you are or where you are from if its real they will feel you.

Sycosis

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