Although Mic Capesâ forthcoming Cold Blooded: Volume One is 11 tracks longâenough to consider it an albumâthe rapperâs not quite sure if itâs truly an LP.
âI donât know what to call itâan album, an EP, project. People say itâs an album because itâs 11 songs,â Capes says, âbut I look at albums like something with a main theme. And this is not that.â
Recorded with Zeb at Momentum Studios, the North Portland MC says his purpose for Cold Bloodedâdue May 27âwas to just rap, get things off his chest, and talk his shit over some bouncy production. Unlike his debut LP Concrete Dreams, which sets a foundation and tells where Capes came from, this new project is more in line with the rapperâs Sheesh EP from 2017. âI wanted people to feel [Cold Blooded] more, rather than just listening to it and having to break down everything,â he says. The result is a less dense and deliberate project, and more of a vibe that lets the ego shine.
âI tend to take more of the humble approach to a lot of my music, or itâs more so coming from a place of political stuff, and things thatâre going on in the world and our environments... And thereâs a little bit of that on [Cold Blooded], but âPaid in Full,â for instance, is artist empowerment,â he says.
That song is capped off by a hilarious voicemail from a promoter who says he canât afford Capesâ performance fee, offering drink tickets instead.
âAnd then you got âMissed Callsââitâs just honest,â Capes says. âThatâs something that goes on in my life. Iâm not good with texting back and calling back and being on the phone and alladat.â
âMissed Callsâ will be relatable for any hustler who find the notifications on their phone are distracting to their daily productivity. Its catchy chorus is deserving of a music video treatment, and will persuade you to bounce along to the Bravodomo-produced beat:
âI barely answer the phone/Iâm in the zone/Stuck on my grind, yeah/I barely answer the phone/Ainât about dough, I hit decline, yeah.â
Of course, thereâs still some sociopolitical content on Cold Blooded. On âMenace,â which features a rapid-fire verse from Glenn Waco, Capes experiments with a different flow pattern, while lyrically retaliating against police brutality: âGot something made of metal for them devils on a killinâ spree/Iâm cool with white folks but wanna murder white supremacy/Cops walk around with the energy of an enemy/Who much rather see me a memory, death a mystery.â
In addition to the upbeat lead single âMansa Musa,â other highlights include âKing Capesâ (with a beat by Brandon Dean AKA Prodbychxzn that appears to discreetly sample âEverybody Madâ by O.T. Genasis), the get-hype success story âAutographs,â and the raw closing track âShow Love,â which features a slew of shout-outs to folks in the Portland hip-hop community.
And while it may not be a âconcept album,â per se, Capes attaches interludes to the beginning and end of many of the tracks, helping string it together. âI canât help it. Iâm an album-type person so I just automatically think of transitions to make the tracks make sense going into each other,â Capes says. âIt always brings together a project for me when I hear little voicemails or excerpts of somebody talking to make the next track make sense.â
In the opener, âFRNZYâ (produced by Drae Slapz), Capes declares, âMy focus isnât local/Iâm tryna take it worldwide.â Itâs his way of speaking on why heâs not playing as many home-court gigs these days.
âItâs just where Iâm at,â Capes says. âItâs not saying that Iâm not paying attention to whatâs going on locally, I just think as an artist you get to a certain point where your music gotta move beyond where you live at. When youâre here for a while and youâre doing your thing, you see other artists doing their thing, and a lot of people get caught in comparing themselves to whatâs going on in this vacuum of Portland, Oregon, instead of looking outside of it and expanding their craft and their reach.â
Other than hosting a listening party for Cold Blooded, Capes says heâs focused on making a second volume of the project, as well as working on his next full-length, tentatively titled Restless. âI donât walk around beating my chest, but this is how I feel. Here it is, take it or leave it. But I also wanna inspire people to rap more. Not just here, but all over. Actually rap, put words to what youâre saying.â
Cold Blooded will be available on all streaming platforms this Memorial Day, and the project is currently available for pre-order.