MisterE

Indie Seen


by Carrie Humphries
February 3 - 9, 2011
SOLVE A MISTER E

Canadian and hip hop haven’t always gone hand in hand. When it’s done well, it does well, and currently doing it well is local emcee, rapper and indie musician, MisterE. In an email interview with the budding musician, MisterE and I talked about being independent, his CD release, being a part of the Tri–cities and his return performance this week at Maxwell’s Music House.
“Being an indie musician is a never-ending challenge, and being a solo artist definitely increases the intensity of that challenge,” starts MisterE. “Indie bands have the advantage of having many members that can all pitch in and help promote. I'm basically a one-person show - I'm my own producer, manager, booking agent, publicist, and everything else. Being a hip-hop musician who doesn't fit the standard hip-hop mold is tricky too. People expect rappers to have this super cool image that I certainly don't have, so I really have to let my music do the talking for me.”
Releasing his debut record, Glimpse, in 2006, MisterE is an artist who hit the ground running. He wouldn’t have a chance to blink before Glimpse’s track, “Explode” would earn him a runner-up spot in a rock the mic competition. Since then, he’d go on to perform alongside artists such as Kardinal, LMFAO and Down With Webster.
“There's a common response that I get after my shows, usually along the lines of, ‘Looks are deceiving’, or ‘I didn't expect that’,” he explains about his unique twist on the genre. “Off stage, I'm a pretty timid, well mannered guy who doesn't like drawing much attention to (himself). But something happens to me when I get on stage with a mic in my hand, and I transform into some kind of rapping android who drank too much Redbull. The stage is my comfort zone, and I give high-energy performances if I'm performing for 40 people or 400.”
And he agrees that coming from Kitchener-Waterloo has its own share of incredible talent, citing Fraction and Ace Kinkaid among some of his favourite acts to watch perform. “To me, the Tri–cities are definitely an amazing breeding ground and a great place to get started in the music industry,” MisterE says. “Having been at it for quite some time though, it is clear to me that making a living as a rapper here probably won't happen. Toronto has a big upside – more people. There's always something going on in Toronto too, so networking is a lot easier there than it is here. With the Internet bringing everybody within a couple of clicks from each other, I'm not sure you have to live in Toronto to make it...but if you associate with people that can realistically get you closer to making it, chances are they live in Toronto.”
Wrapping up his own sold-out CD release party on September 18th for his sophomore release, Dusting For Prints, MisterE is returning to Maxwell’s Music House this Thursday for an opening performance. “I'll be opening up for Reef The Lost Cauze and Chief Kamachi from the American group 'Army of the Pharaohs',” he tells me. “Some other local emcees are on the bill too, including Words & Rhymes. These guys are all way more rugged than I am, but not in that obtrusive ‘I'm a gangster way’. That being said, I guarantee I'm the only rapper on this bill with rhymes referencing Saved by the Bell.” - Echo Weekly

MisterE hails from Kitchener/Waterloo and is gearing up to release his sophomore album, Dusting For Prints on September 18. This song reminds me why it pays off to actually read my e-mails from time to time because I could have easily slept on this had I ignored it in my inbox. “Connect The Dots” has a real Def Jux sound to it with the delivery and approach. It’s high-stamina, non-stop, awkward, left-field, and often dizzying, which is just perfect for those into El-P, Aesop Rock and the like. Speaking of Def Jux, it’s a damn shame that El-P is freezing operations for the foreseeable future. Granted, an indie label in this day and age rarely makes profit, but Def Jux has spawned some of the weirdest, strangest shit in hip-hop, and it greatly helped to expand the genre in different directions. Put MisterE on your radar because it sounds like he’s one to watch out for. - Beats and Bombs

Before I begin reviewing this album I want to take a little bit of time to reveal something to the Rapreviews.com faithful. It usually takes me around ninety minutes to write a review, not including actually listening to the album, and I'd be willing to bet that I spend at least forty five of those minutes on the first six sentences. Furthermore, at this point I can't help but to feel as though the opening paragraphs of my reviews are becoming a bit redundant, because of the last six reviews I've written for this site, five of them were by artists I'd either never previously heard of, or have heard of but never particularly enjoyed. MisterE's "Dusting For Prints" is one of those albums. I've never heard of him, never listened to him before, and I don't know where he's from. For all I know he could be the kid that got arrested for trying to sell 4Loko out of his car outside of the local club last weekend.

All I have to determine whether or not I find MisterE worthy of being welcomed into your musical universe is a collection of seventeen tracks. The first of which is "My Turn", which sounds like something off of "Orange Moon Over Brooklyn" by Pumpkinhead. The beat is slick, and within the first minute it becomes clear that MisterE has some legitimate talent. Also, he sounds a little bit like Celph Titled. The lyrical performance isn't really all that mind blowing, but after being sentenced to writing a review of the new Gucci Mane two weeks ago; I'd have to admit that I've already enjoyed this album in the first five minutes more than I did the Gucci album. The second track, "Sound of my Horn", is reminiscent of early Non-Phixion, or maybe Grayskul, and MisterE displays all the technical rapping skills necessary for a rap artist to warrant a second listen, at least in my opinion. "Connect the Dots" has a pretty banging beat, and MisterE turns in one of his more entertaining performances. However, it's six or seven tracks into this album where one can't help but to yearn for a departure from the core theme of "Dusting For Prints". "Dowudido" would probably serve as the most effective indicator of whether or not MisterE's music will be enjoyable to you or not, because the song pretty much summarizes the album as a whole.

I can't say I'm aware of why I feel this way, but one of my biggest turn offs in rap music is rappers who endlessly rap about "lyrics" in every single song they make. MisterE doesn't necessarily fall into this category, but I'm pretty certain that the grand majority of these seventeen tracks are about either about rap in general, the importance of lyricism in rapping, and how dope MisterE considers himself to be, and it's that type of subject matter that I just can't listen to consistently for a prolonged period of time.

For instance, Canibus is my favorite rapper of all time, but I cannot remember the last time I've listened to any of his albums released prior to "Rip the Jacker" because it was on that album where he began to effectively utilize his ability to tell a story while employing his world class attention to detail. I enjoyed "The Rest is History" by Jin because there were some banging joints on that shit. My boy and I used to play that album every time we drove to the club. Jin's second album though, which was almost exclusively centered around hip hop culture, complete with vocal samples taken from KRS-One and Rakim songs, wasn't even in my possession for three days before I traded it to a buddy for "All We Got Iz Us" by Onyx. I mean it's one thing if the boasts and bravado are in the same league as "Illmatic", or "Internal Affairs", but those albums at least tried to mix it up. They represented a time and a place, they explored, and they exceeded the standard fare, and I don't think that "Dusting For Prints" is nearly diverse enough to sustain the lack of variety in both the subject matter or production. "What's On" deviates from the medium a little bit, a neat little homage to television shows of the 1990's and how MisterE had particular routines specified for them. "Everybody thought Kelly Bundy was hot" he raps. Can't say I wouldn't agree there.

All in all the production is good, and MisterE is at the very least a capable rapper, with some charming characteristics in regards to skill set and writing ability. However, he isn't the most exciting rapper you're ever going to hear, and he could probably benefit from some charisma. That's not to say he's boring, but this album really doesn't pop you in the mouth. Other than one or two duds, "Dusting For Prints" is impressive for the most part, keeping in mind this is the first I'm hearing from him. His pen game is capable, same with flow and delivery, and there are far, far worse albums out there than this one. I would suggest to MisterE that he shake things up a little bit on his next release, and do something to make himself a little bit more accessible, and his music a little more personal, or from the heart. He is a likeable emcee, but I don't think he'll reach his true potential until he gives a little bit more insight into who he is, and what makes him tick. However, "Dusting For Prints" does get a stamp of approval.

Music Vibes: 7.5 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 8 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 7.5 of 10 - Rap Reviews

As fun as haphazard punchline-fests can be, there’s something to be said for an emcee who can go in and Connect the Dots, delivering verses that flow seamlessly from one line to the next. If you’ve been searching for new tunes by an artist who aspires to that level of craftsmanship, then the latest single from Ontario-based Booth newcomer MisterE may be just what the doctor ordered. Here, the rapper/producer’s own eclectically catchy, guitar-brass-synth boardwork sets the stage for braggadocious bars that, thanks to his attention to detail and intricate rhyme schemes, only sound fresher on repeat listens. “Intertwine rhymes while I’m sippin’ fine wine, very dope – the ‘E’ could stand for Mr. Einstein.” DJ Uncle Fester ties it all together, contributing some old-school cuts on the front and back. Has this joint inspired you to pursue further investigations into MisterE’s musical oeuvre? Then grab a copy of the emcee’s latest mixtape, Dusting for Prints. - DJ Booth

New to the Backburner collective is Kitchener-Waterloo rapper/producer MisterE who releases his debut album with assistance from Fresh Kils. Primarily self-produced, MisterE keeps it mostly upbeat and funky with a few mellow, slower jams on the latter half of the album, however guest Mantis gets to deliver the first of the soulful headnodders with “Livin’ It,” on which he and Justis join MisterE with a verse each, and then he demonstrates a harder side with a minimal, groovy beat unfortunately anchored to a banging but simple drum loop for “Scribble Script.” As well, Fresh Kils, who recorded and mixed this whole project, brings the jazz with horn stabs, keys and flute for “What’s On?”, a nostalgic song that looks back at 90s TV. It’s one of only a few songs that delves a little deeper into the conceptual, like his fun (and totally not preachy) list of rules for living life right on “The Guidelines,” his plea for a return to the good ol’ days of rap on “It Used To Be,” and his self-professed desire to remain at home on “Saturday Night.” Throughout it all, and making up the majority of the songs, is plenty of braggadocio and weed talk. Not terribly original, sure, but what MisterE excels at is stringing together well-thought out metaphors and similes that move seamlessly from one to the next. Or as he puts it on “Connect the Dots,” “It’s all connected, every line related to the next.” While Dusting For Prints is an enjoyable album, hopefully on the next album he applies that technique to the creation of more conceptual songs and personal philosophies in order to add a greater level of substance to the lyrical miracle mic skills and funky beat creations. [Thomas Quinlan] - Urbnet

When we were sent some info on MisterE and his new album, Dusting For Prints, I thought for a moment that herohill alumnus Mario “Mr. E” Eleftheros was resurrecting his MC Archimedes rap persona under a new name. Obviously this is not the case, and this MisterE happens to be the rap aka of Mike Sammut, an MC/Producer from Kitchener.

Honestly I knew nothing about MisterE before he got in touch with us, but any Backburner-affiliated record is going to get a listen here at the hill, and Dusting For Prints certainly rewarded that listen. It’s got solid, boom bap production from MisterE himself, Mantis, and Fresh Kils, as well as plenty of tasty cuts from Uncle Fester, all of which lay a solid base for the album. MisterE handles pretty much all the vocal duties himself, with only a couple songs featuring guests, and while you aren’t going to get any very conceptual or lyrically complex songs from him, he does kick plenty of braggadocios battle raps and punch lines in his heavy baritone.

So while Dusting For Prints won’t JFK your dome, it will likely get it bobbing along happily, and it should certainly warm your classic hip hop loving heart. Things really get moving a couple songs in, and once I got to the triumvirate of throwback goodness presented by I’m About, Connect The Dots, and Livin’ It (which features The Gey By MC’s Mantis & Justis), I was sold. And while MisterE’s vocals give the album a consistent sound, there’s enough variation in the beats to keep things interesting: Move Along uses some catchy guitar riff-age, while the smile-inducing Guidelines has a hyper, 80's fast-rap vibe, and the nostalgic It Used To Be takes on a more summery sound, like something Warren G. might cook up for the Dove Shack. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the always enjoyable More Or Les appears on Rock Majorly, and he doesn’t disappoint here either, as it’s one of my favorite songs on the album.

On the hunt for some classic hip hop? MisterE and Dusting For Prints is worth a look. - Herohill

A bit back we featured MisterE for his song, “Connect The Dots”, and now we get his full album, Dusting For Prints. I previously said that MisterE sits in the Anticon/Def Jux vein of hip-hop, but after listening to his album, I need to retract that. While the average 2000s indie rapper is big on stretched metaphors and strange symbolism, MisterE takes a very old-school approach to his rhymes, opting to rather deliver a message straight up than in a convoluted form. For the majority of Dusting For Prints, the song structures, the presentation of content, and the bounce in the rhythm are primo old-school. The beat-work is a mix between boom-bap and lively samples, some of which lean towards MF DOOM-esque theatrics (which is probably where I got the “indie rapper” label from on the “Connect The Dots” post). On a few tracks, MisterE makes known of his disdain for rap today, and while this would cue eye-rolls from some, you have to respect the guy’s opinion since he does truly rep the era he yearns for. Instead of just sitting in a corner and moping about the days that once were, MisterE is masterfully harboring in a revival of the old musical style, all while making it sound relevant for this day and age. Check out MisterE’s bandcamp here, where you can stream Dusting For Prints and purchase it. - Beats and Bombs