Vagabonds in A New Era
"“I will never lose the love for arriving, but I was born to leave”
Vagabond Mafia
There is something alien about a desert landscape. It can do strange things to the human mind, some revel in it, almost rolling in the dirt and absorbing its essence, some fear of it and are flighty because of it. For some it inspires art, others it can take to dark places. This might explain the Land of Enchantment’s fraught history of violence and vice, but to love the place and want something new for it are almost inevitable. They say that everyone always comes back.
This is something like Vagabond Mafia. A group of artists all varying in range and cadence but comprising this wildly different creative vision. New Mexico’s hip hop scene could mistakenly be codified for unilingual or homogenous to the untrained ear or to the unversed listener, but with artists like Vagabond Mafia that all changes. They have this talent that sounds like Southwest Hip Hop but also moves beyond it. It embodies new waves of hip hop sub-genre and recreates hip hop in its own image, the way all good new hip hop does. The reason they are vagabonds is almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy, they have named themselves that and are manifesting their ability to capture a large audience. They have this feel that is like a confluence of the different regions of hip hop’s individual sounds, and yet they are equally striking as Southwest in their demeanor and attitude.
Vagabond Mafia
Their single “Burn” is a masterpiece of intricate moving parts and varied cadences and rapping styles. The hip hop group isn’t an easy feat to accomplish yet the track shows the versatility and ease in which they navigate the production and lyrics. This group is comprised of equally talented artists who are expanding rapidly and looking to make major waves in the music scene. The videography of the single is done exceptionally well and captures the energy of the emcees. This is modern/contemporary hip hop at its finest with all of the hype that one would want as well as all of the lyrical content and wordplay to make for a great record. This is one for the books and the wait for their next installment of tracks is something to definitely look forward to!