A.D Verse: “X Factor” – a whirlpool of soul-searching emotions
A.D Verse is an American rapper from Fort Myers, Fl, who started out painting and drawing before he began elaborating his writing skills. He reserved his rapping performances for friends and family on rare occasions. A.D’s lyrics described his surroundings in Fort Myers, and discussed anything from crime to depression to not having a relationship with his dad finding his purpose for living. After finishing high school A.D felt the urge to grow and spread his wings. He chose Miami to pursue a higher education. Still not satisfied, he understood that rapping was starting take a stronger importance in his life. He spoke to his family about his feelings but was derided by most, except his grandmother who convinced his uncle to introduce A.D to a man named Melton “DJ Bass” Bowen who owned a label, studio and open mic. This was the turning point for improving his craft. The result is that a few years later, A.D Verse has now dropped his mixtape “X Factor”.
Right off the bat, I can tell that I am impressed by this mixtape. The beautiful musical instrumentals and soulful voices, clash well with A.D Verse’s unique style and lyrical poetry. Each song serves a purpose, almost like telling a well composed story. A.D Verse is one of the more inspiring underground artists out there right now, and everything he does on this recording is fantastic.
“X Factor” is artistic, it’s soulful, it’s catchy, it’s introspective, it’s confrontational – in a word it’s dope! But that isn’t what ultimately makes this mixtape appealing. What makes it appealing, is A.D’s attention to detail and his approach in making serious music.
Each track has an introductory narrative to set the mood and theme. Whatever you may feel about the lyrical story being told, in any one song, the music and vocal flow is handled masterfully. “X Factor” captures every mood better than I could have imagined and is worth a listen just for the dramatic shifts from track to track.
The minute “Manifest” kicks in after the “Intro” you are caught up in a whirlpool of soul-searching emotions. Lethal Lexxx delivers a magnificent Gospel and R&B-styled vocal which is given a whole lot of room to breathe by A.D Verse. It’s a great choice as the song builds its emotive power on that.
A.D knocks “Last Hope” out of the park. Not only does he comfortably ride the R&B production, but more importantly his flow and the way he delivers the impressive lyrics impacts exponentially. The only negative would be the run-time, which is under two minutes. But A.D more than makes up for that in the mixtape standout, “True Lies” featuring Bitty.
Another superb production underlines the dramatic theme of unwanted pregnancies and how it affects all those involved. Both A.D Verse and Bitty turn in superb performances on the mic, in a narrative that deserves attention. Rather than the “smoke weed, fuck bitches” stories, these are the type of songs that need listening to.
The musical styling on “Closer Remix” follows a jazzy chillout sound, dominated by some shimmering electro keys. And while the music is laidback, A.D’s flow is urgent and full of fire, which turns out to be a more than compatible contrast. The closing track, “Lost Inspiration” sees yet another stylistic twist, as a layer of jangly guitar sounds urge in A.D’s trippy narrative.
It provides an interesting perspective of life that insets a free-spirited story-line. All-round this is an awesome mixtape. I completely loved it. I think people who don’t even like rap can appreciate this one. It’s true, deep, and altogether badass soulful!
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