Mickey Factz is a 33-year-old MC/producer from the Bronx, New York, who rose to prominence 20 years ago with his debut mixtape, In Search of the N*E*R*D. He subsequently released 14 more tapes before Nottz made his debut full-length album, The Achievement: Circa ’82, under Soulspazm Records to celebrate its 10th anniversary this fall, and has since released a handful of full-length albums and mixtapes. However, after concluding the Tru Crime trilogy with Above All and Tru Life, he’s returning with a fourth EP.
“Verbalize” skips the gritty rap-rock instrumental and mocks Aye Verb, while “Shutter Island” adopts a jazzier boom-bap vibe, explaining the extent of mental health issues today and urging those who need help to see a psychiatrist. “Ong Bak” features more guitar, mixed with kick drum and snare, talking about filling the relative with discontent, before “Letter from Hitman” jumps over another booming rhythm beat to read a message sent to him by the killer Holla.
The song “All Set” continues the second half of “The Plague,” talking about his goal of becoming MVP leading to a celebratory “Accolades,” suggesting that he should let every accomplishment in his career speak for itself. Genesis 3:14 spends the last 3 and a half minutes talking directly to Aye Verb, hoping he knows he believes he is struggling with mental health issues and hoping this guy gets the help he really needs.
Some may know him from his feuds with the likes of Wale or former Slaughterhouse members Joe Budden and Royce da 5’9”, but Mickey Factz’s take on Aye Verb specifically in Plague has become some of the most enjoyable material I’ve heard from him in years. Even if the production isn’t necessarily the best, Mickey feels like Aye Verb 27 has a lot of coherence to the entire game, but Mickey Aye Verb 27 feels consistent throughout the entire game, but Mickey stays true to the tradition of battle rap with minute-long diatribes that feel like they’re consistent throughout the entire game.
Rating: 7/10
