Derby’s multifaceted wordsmith mase J breaks into the scene following the release of his solacing debut EP ‘Hello World!’, demonstrating undeniable promise for the freshman’s future.

Dedicated to building up Derby’s musical influence within the industry, mase J gives the small town city’s music connoisseurs hope in seeing a serge of upcoming rappers rise to put the industrial dominated region on the map sonically. Consisting of consoling cadences, unorthodox voice modulations and an abundance of paralleled soundscapes - mase is the unpredictable sound that’s rolling out a revitalising vision amongst an overshadowed cloud of recycled sounds shrouding the current scene.

Hello World! is mase’s pride and joy; an offering that’s been years in the making, as the blooming artist taken his time, dedicating hours behind the scenes to cultivate the voice and persona he’s envisioned since the genesis; now seeing the artists finally be able to kick back and enjoy the fruits of his labour since the release of this seamless project.

Sonically, Hello World! is inspired by a spectrum of sounds and textures; seeing mase bounce from whimsical hip-hop courtesy of the swaying ‘a$ap, a$ap’, to late-night inspired slow jams, tying his meditative pen-smithery alongside AZA’s heavenly vocal range dispersing throughout the ether on the conscious-seizing ‘Black Bible’. While entries such as the spoken-word lead ‘Ego Death’ will have you in a state of hypnosis; wondering where those last two and a half minutes swiftly disappeared, offerings like ‘Malibu’ will have you on the edge of your seat, just itching for the end of restrictions to come ‘a$ap’, with it’s pungent bass cohesively rattling through the atmosphere, as Mase weaves in and out with that cool-headed poise.

However, the real show stopper in my opinion has to go to the EP’s lead, ‘Irie’; seriously, mase may have just done something with this one. Initially guided through a sequence of sharp keys and consoling vocals, assembling an incalculable foundation, the instrumental takes a U-turn; as a potent drum sequence sets in and goosebumps shortly succumb, just as mase heads off into the undeniably intoxicating ‘damn, this that irie, damn this that..’ hook.

Generously filled to the brim with potential, this uplifting EP only see mase continuing to push his hazy alternative soundscape to the masses; hopefully getting through to those that appreciate his desire to unapologetically be himself, as he revamps the sounds of his adored predecessors that came before.