Credit: Monstercat
M.D.E (DJ DIESEL (aka Shaquille O'Neal))
Genre: Briddim
In short: "a briddim EP with Shaq rapping still feels like a fever dream — or a fever nightmare"
Credit: Monstercat
Genre: Briddim
In short: "a briddim EP with Shaq rapping still feels like a fever dream — or a fever nightmare"
Rating: 55
Cohesiveness: 43
Track quality: 58
Tags:
Beginner-friendly? not in the slightest
It feels genuinely disconcerting to be able to say that DJ DIESEL (the producer alias of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal himself) is now a prominent player in the festival briddim game.
The good: "M.D.E" (standing for 'Most Dominant Ever) sure does pack a punch. Lots of bass, lots of aggression and lots of punch — this EP would probably go off at a festival. Some of these tracks actually go pretty hard outside of mindless headbanging, too, like "Damage". And bonus points for Shaq rapping, because the novelty of having a legendary NBA player rapping over something as niche as dubstep still hasn't worn off — Shaq isn't half bad at it, either.
The bad: For a casual listener, "M.D.E" kind of hurts. I mean, physically, hurts. Thanks to the coalescence of monotone sustains and overenthusiastic dubstep growls, this EP is a certified ear obliterator. Combined with the abject lack of ideas in exchange for the same briddim drop over and over again (particularly towards the end of the tracklist), this project does struggle quite a lot over headphones. It's also a shame that there are no solo tracks here, because it would definitely be interesting to see what production Shaq has picked up by being in the game for over a year now, but alas, that will have to wait another day.
| Name | Comments | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| M.D.E | RZRKT brings some massive drops that are completely obliterated by unnecessarily loud growls and sustains | Heavy |
| Animal | Punchy, overaggressive riddim which initially hits pretty hard but loses its lustre pretty quickly | Intense |
| Damage | Sick DnB tune, three different drops and very clean production, and Shaq's rap has some good rhythm | Standout |
| Run It | IVORY and Shaq build this up really nicely and then the drop is just like a single sustained bass that just keeps going — hurts | Intense |
| Pay Respect | Love the wobble on this, feels dynamic enough to be engaging and the production works well with Shaq's rap | Switchup |
| BRING THE PAIN | The first buildup is insanely grand and if the song ended there I'd be happy but I am not liking this basic briddim drop | Heavy |
| Fadeaway | This is essentially the same song as the previous one but the drops are a bit less insufferable and the builds are a bit less grand | Heavy |
| Throwin' Bows | This is essentially the same song as the previous two but it's way more aggressive and less atmospherically sensible in the predrop | Heavy |
| Show Em | Yet another stomping briddim tune, but I feel like NEOTEK's style does come out a bit better in the sound design | Standout |