As a young writer, one of the most frustrating hurdles you can encounter is the question, “is this story worth telling?” (Often that question can be readily replaced with “is my story worth telling?) Perhaps that isn’t just a young writer’s problem, but it’s a particularly confounding roadblock when you don’t necessarily have a wealth of experiences to draw on. Imagination is important, it can get you far; but in music, as opposed to film, where spectacle can distract from emotional core, it’s often the songs that connect to specific moments or sentiments that stay with us. I think often of the best advice a writing teacher ever gave: “Want to write compelling stories? Just keep living.”
Michigan MC Waldo has the tools to make compelling music, an agile flow and ample energy providing substantial enough fodder for your listening pleasure. On style alone, he’s already built a solid foundation. Though new single “Finally” feels personal, it also seems transitional, a young emcee doing more, seeing more, and making sense of his aspirations in the context of new perceptions and experiences. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Waldo has a gifted producer like Sango in his corner, whose warm, deeply layered production makes a fine fit for the emcee’s tone and style.
“Finally” is still a few steps off from that golden mean–finding the general in the specific–but it’s a strong step forward from last year’s promising Pick Your Own Poison mixtape.
