Mickey May - Selfish: Album Review

SELFISH, 2020

Mickey May is a one of a kind artist. The main reason for this being his immense musical diversity, which was evident on his 2019 release, 2099. Just over one year later, he’s back with another full-length release; Selfish. Compared to 2099, this is a creative step forward in the right direction for the up and coming artist, as Selfish seems to be a more complete body of work. This project further cements him as a diverse artist among a Toronto scene with a definitive sound, bound to naturally blow up in the near future. He was destined to be a superstar and Selfish helps showcase his natural talent, creativity and confidence. The tracks on Selfish range from bangers, to deep cuts about relationships and personal issues, to intimate and slower cuts. As a whole, the music is a breath of fresh air out of the Toronto music scene; where most other artists have a distinct sound, Mickey’s is unique and versatile.

The album warmly welcomes listeners by opening with beautiful sounding horns; as if the curtains are being pulled back and the story is about to begin. Once the snaps are added to the horns, Mickey begins to sing about what seems to be a complicated relationship; “isn’t this lovely? / the way that you love me?” is sung in the first half of the track, while “I didn’t wait for you, to start up something new” is rapped with ease in the second half. Mixed in there are also conscious bars like “‘cause the colour of my skin, I always play the villain.” If Mickey’s pitched vocals or the production don’t instantly grab your attention, the subject matter and his blatant honesty will. The intro ends with Mickey cursing everybody; “fuck ‘em all for leaving.” This is when the rebellion starts.

The next two tracks that follow are upbeat and filled with aggression; the first of which is “Correct !”. It begins with a bass loop and police sirens, and shows Mickey’s more confrontational side when he exclaims “you got no right with me to talk to me with disrespect / I ain’t a killer, but don’t push me / better come correct." His anti-social side is also shown; “I need some air man, get out the fuckin’ room.” The track ends with Mickey claiming that he’s in his own lane; “you can never keep up with me / that’s a fact, homie.” From this point on, only two tracks in, this statement becomes evidently clear.

“AfterParty” comes next and opens with a skit from the classic comedy movie Step Brothers; the scene where Will Ferrell’s character threatens to put his nut sack on his step brother’s drum set.. “if you touch my drums, I will stab you in the neck with a knife.” The beat drops instantly after. This track has a darker tone to it, much like the previous one and features Mickey’s singing flow, which he uses to express his fear of the “afterparty”; “where we going later, shawty? / don’t tell me the afterparty.” The hook expresses his paranoia and insecurity, which both act as reoccurring themes throughout the rest of the album. “I don’t wanna hear you’re sorry / I’m overdosing at the afterparty / I’ll crash the Rarri at the afterparty / I’ll tell you too much at the afterparty / there’s paranoia at the afterparty.” However, while the afterparty is the subject of this song,

he still makes room to let off some braggadocio bars like “that pinky ring just tell you how I’m livin’." This is used not only to flex his lifestyle, but also to show that even though he has fears, he is still confident in himself.

The tone slows down on the next song, “Open Mic,” which finds Mickey rapping in order to vent and get a lot off of his chest; “I got a hundred fuckin’ problems / if I could, then I would solve them.” Somehow, Mickey sounds at his best no matter what he’s doing vocally, whether it be singing or rapping, but he insists he “only rap like this for fun." Even at times when he seems unsure about the state of a relationship or when addressing his vices, Mickey stays true to himself throughout the entire project; “won’t change when I hit a million / if I do, I had a reason.”

“Napa Vally” is a track where Mickey explores what seems to be a complicated relationship, which either him or the other guy isn’t supposed to be in; "Napa Valley, so her head strong / but she different when her man gone." It purposely comes after a skit titled “Her Name Is…,” which features a voice confessing he doesn't know "her" name. There's a break in the middle of the song that finds Mickey confronting her about not telling the other guy about them. His paranoia is showcased again when he questions "what if I'm sleeping when he pull the trigger?" Whether it be a relationship or the afterparty, Mickey seems to worry about these things, and perhaps this ties into the theme of his selfishness.

The highlight of the album is “Right Here.” It features a beautiful sample of Outkast’s “Da Art of Storytellin’ (Pt. 1),” but the production and sample don’t quite steal the show, they merely provide Mickey with the platform to do his own storytelling; “What I’ve been through, you wouldn’t understand about this.” This song feels like the thesis of the album, as the whole theme of selfishness directly reflected through the album’s title and expressed throughout, are essentially summarized here; “what’s that word that I’m looking for? / I’ve been selfish and I ain’t gonna change this year / I can’t help it, I’ve been selfish.”

At the end of the day, and the album, Mickey just wants to get through the night by any means, as expressed in the outro “Survive the Night.” It serves as an extremely effective ending to Mickey’s selfish, yet introspective story; “I’m just tryna get high, get by / why can’t you just let me survive the night?”

Tracks like “Afterparty” and “Remember” (track #9) are great examples of two songs that vocally sound completely different, yet both still act as a separate chapter in the story and contribute to the album’s cohesiveness and themes. The album as a whole is sonically great, as tracks blend together in order to give listeners the true feel and sound of a well-thought-out project that's been executed perfectly. Whether Mickey is singing or rapping, talking about his love life or his vices, he shines nonetheless. If 2099 wasn’t enough proof that Mickey May is a special artist, this project helps hit that point home and certifies that he is a special artist on the come-up out of Toronto.