MXTRO: Basics

"...back to the basics."

The world today is driven by constant evolution and the complexities of innovation, but the biggest transformations can be made by returning to your core. Going back to your roots is sometimes the best way to truly find yourself and learn who you are as a person. It may not seem like too complicated of a thing to do, but it takes a lot of internal work to do it. "Getting back to the basics" is something that I had to do myself two years ago, and it isn't just a statement for nostalgic purposes, but is a call to reconnected with your fundamentals as a person, it's about your raw authenticity. No matter the reason (artistic, personal, or in relationships), reconnecting with your foundation as a human can bring you true fulfillment. In this case, MXTRO made this decision for both personal and artistic reasons.

Jaedyn Mensah (artist name: MXTRO) was born in Mountain View, and then moved around Gwinnett County for a few years after moving to Georgia at 3 months old. In 2016, family troubles led to a return to the Bay Area, where Mensah attended Pittsburg High School and formed the rap collective, CVG (Creative Visions Group). CVG is a multimedia conglomerate that plans to succeed in all avenues of media. The collective is made up of artists from California, Virginia and Georgia, where they are trying to push the boundaries in their respective creative lanes.

Now about the new single, "Basics". It was recorded in Atlanta, just as MXTRO was getting settled back into his old home state. As he told me, he just "lit the blunt, pushed record, and flowed." He called that the basics of his recording process, no pun intended, but that lead to the record that we're hearing. The rawness of the recording shows as well, and not in a bad way. The record sounding the way it does speaks to the message he's trying to get across in my opinion. MXTRO himself had this to say about the record:

"After leaving California to return back to Georgia for a fresh start, I wanted to make a simple song to express how I felt coming back to the place where everything started for me, good or bad."

"Basics" is the lead single from the upcoming album, Psalms 630. The project is set to be a solo venture with a few features. I'm genuinely looking forward to project after this promising single, officially releasing on June 30th.

"Basics" reminds me of those times late at night when you're ready to reinvent yourself, as you make the plans about your future and are deist and truly making change. The song is simple, but the message behind these relatable lyrics is more complex than it seems. If you haven't had a conversation like this with yourself before, are you truly human?