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I posted the video for Own Appeal which is featured on this mixtape a few days ago, but I thought Tangible Dream deserves some more attention here. Originally only included with The Beauty In All , it is now available as a “name your price” download on Bandcamp. While Beauty In All is a nice release, I feel that Tangible Dream is a bit stronger. There are some fantastic messages represented in this mixtape that many folks in hip hop rarely touch on. The description of the project by Oddisee explains this quite well:
I live in a gentrified part of Brooklyn, I eat out several times a week, I travel the world sampling the best that cities across the globe have to offer. Do I live in a penthouse loft? Am I dinning in five stars restaurants? Can you only find me in the most exclusive areas? Do I own a jet? The answer to all the above is most certainly no. I’m just a regular man from Prince George’s county, Maryland that figured shit out.
I discovered that I can make a career in an arena dominated by artists that sell false dreams. I realized that although the masses may not know of my body of work, it doesn’t take the whole world to have the world I want. Tangible Dream is a mix-tape dedicated to the deconstruction of our traditional ideas of success & shedding light on the possibility of a sustainable rap life.
These rhymes were written in economy class seats, these beats were produced on long bus trips & these songs were recorded in airbnb apartments. All I want to do is make music for a living so that I can live to make music. The only dreams I’m interested in are the ones I can grasp. It just so happens that anything you want bad enough can be obtained. Perhaps the world may never know of my accomplishments but accomplishments they are nonetheless.
The track Tomorrow Today touches on some of this the best:
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Another standout track is Yeezus Was A Mortal Man:
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It’s refreshing to see someone finally discussing how ridiculous the god comparison is in hip hop. Many rap fans act as if folks like Kanye, Jay-Z, etc are above others to the point of being godlike when in reality these guys are just like you and I. It’s especially annoying given that these fans are into this idea based on the self proclamations of these rappers and their marketing teams. I’m an atheist, but if there were any god or gods I would sure hope that the standard is higher. Especially appreciating the title given that Kanye represents so much of what is wrong with the music industry today in my opinion. It’s nice to see someone with far more talent taking Kanye down a peg.
Oddisee is incredibly underrated which is disappointing to me, though I suppose it’s true what he says above, “The world may never know of my accomplishments but accomplishments they are nonetheless”. Tangible Dream and every other project Oddisee has been involved in are worth checking out, definitely recommend these records! Download Tangible Dream here.
