Mickey Factz 'Mickey MauSe' [Mixtape]

Features 18 NEW Tracks! (Listen/DL above!)

Hands down this is one of the dopest projects I've heard in a minute. Here's why. Mickey Factz transplants himself into the character 'Mickey MauSe' and transplants us the listener to the era in which he lived: the 1980s. MauSe is a graffiti artist looking for an outlet to deliver his message and inspired by the likes of Keith Haring, Fab Five Freddy, musical inspirations from Michael Jackson to KRS-One, and his mentor Andy Warhol, of whom he has an interview with in one of his "Memoirs of '?'" recordings that separate the tape and help bridge the story and development of his character.

Wait, what?! How many artists out there include a conceptual chat with Andy Warhol to help bring some more depth and clarity to their project? The memoirs set the stage for the whole project, and sometimes are the precursor to a song like "Entry III", which finds MauSe lashing out against then-President Ronald Reagan and his distrust of the government. Why? His 'Reaganomics' policies that only helped the rich and didn't help MauSe and his family, his friends' families, and his neighborhood. Or perhaps the actions, or lackthereof, from then-New York City mayor Ed Koch against the scary AIDS epidemic because it may have shed light on his apparent closeted homosexuality. AIDS was one of the global issues that MauSe rhymes about throughout the tape, even having a song entitled "A.I.D.S". Another central issue of the 80s touched on is crack/cocaine, especially the haunting storytelling of a mother selling her son to fulfill her addiction for "three minutes of pleasure". MauSe successfully brings us back to the 80s with his outspoken views against the lack of action against these two issues especially and for me, it's a trip to envision myself living in that world since at my age I wasn't around to experience it.

A few of my favorite tracks are indeed ones that directly deal with the issues; for starters: "Hulk Hogan & Crack". This high-octane joint cleverly references many of the 80s biggest stars and pop icons, mixed in with the messages centering on the topics above. Plus, who would bat an eyebrow at a brief Hulk Hogan sample to drive it all home? Definitely lend your ears there and keep in tune through "Chalk" and the very relatable "Dreams Of Money", which features a mix of analysis of the times from MauSe and a universal theme of striving for those dreams that we draw parallels to today. The song also features samples of Mickey Mouse himself, which adds a fun aspect that will most certainly reel in the casual listener. Other highlights include "Heart", where a female hook is both powerful and opportune to provide a different mood 10 tracks in, the aforementioned '?' memoir "Entry III", and the title track "Mickey MauSe", which boasts my favorite production. In fact, the production is all courtesy of Mickey Factz as he produces all 17 tracks (+ 1 bonus) by sampling some Dangermouse and DeadMauS. Flat out, this makes for a sound that you have not yet heard in hip hop, and that's on top of the conceptual journey to take in from track one onward. As you can tell by this point, Mickey MauSe is a must-download for your ears above. Factz has outdone himself and makes a cannonball splash into the swimming pool of hip hop with Mickey MauSe. Without further adieu, hit the blue link to listen and download; it gets better with each successive listen and digestion of the lyrics. Finally, hit the jump for the official synopsis describing Mickey MauSe from Mickey himself and a couple of the promo videos/trailers to get ya started, in case ya missed!

Take a second to get a visual of the 1980’s. You may see neon colors, big hair from Rock Stars, Hip Hop blossoming, Reaganomics, etc. But for young Mickey Mause, all he saw was art in its purest form.

Mickey Mause is a pseudo character created by RCA artist Mickey Factz who is thrown into the 1980’s as a graffiti writer who was among the stars of that decade: Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, Fab Five Freddy, then mentor Andy Warhol, etc. He flourished as a writer but was later kicked out by his parents for being a troubled youth. Mause then took to the streets of NYC, specifically Union Square and the Lower East Side. He would sleep on benches and sell his work to make a living.

After a chance encounter, Mause interned and later worked at the Factory, now debunked, but still full of inspiration. His work quickly began getting noticed and his art afforded him the opportunity to work and travel overseas. Mause did fairly well upon his return to the States. He was able to get a home, a girlfriend and maintain a normal career. Fame got to Mause however. He began experimenting with more art, different drugs and different women.

As the story progresses, we come to realize Mause gets swallowed up by the fame and fortune and forgets that he too is still human and contracts the virus we now know as H.I.V.

The soundtrack consists of 17 songs all produced by Mickey Factz, containing sampling from Dangermouse and Deadmau5. The character draws striking similarities toward Mickey Factz (with the exception of A.I.D.S.) and is reminiscent of his own bubbling career ready to break through the barriers of pop culture.