It’s been a hot minute since we talked about Ryan Leslie here at SoulBounce, the last time being “Outstanding,” his collaboration with Talib Kweli. But in the nearly two years since that effort, Leslie has taken a different approach to his music and interacting with his fan base.
Let’s start with the music and the video for “New New,” a hip-hop track not so focused on cerebral messages despite Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major” being featured early in the clip. “F--k everything you used to / We on that new new / We ridin’ Teslas while you pushin’ that Izuzu,” he rhymes, as bling-bling imagery of an exotic location by the sea, mansions and sports cars race across the screen.
But that shirt! Sorry, that was not a bout of Tourette’s syndrome so much as addressing the elephant in the room. Seriously, the bloody-leopard-floral-paisley-print button-down will distract viewers, so try hard to focus on the music.
Speaking of Ryan’s music and his new direct approach to his Renegades Club, aka his fans, both of which possess more interesting qualities than his latest video. Black Mozart has ditched his record label and plans to release this forthcoming album, MZRT (The Magnificently Zealous Renegade Takeover), on New Year’s Eve 2015 (presumably this coming December 31st), accompanied by a concert in Vienna (Mozart’s stomping grounds), where he will perform the compilation in its entirety. It follows behind other touring and efforts in Europe, such as “From Sofia with Love,” which apparently documents the first rap concert performed at the National Opera in Sofia, Bulgaria, and the “Black Mozart (Epilogue)," in which he touts his close interaction with hardcore fans rather than trying to appeal to the demands of a record company.
We’ll keep our eyes on this project to see if it somehow pulls a Beyoncé-esque move on the industry and to see if Leslie's vision comes to fruition.
