McKinley Dixon - Magic, Alive!

McKinley Dixon doesn’t do anything by halves. The Chicago-based jazz-rap auteur blends the aforementioned genres into a dense and colour-splattered concoction, rife with layers of instrumentation, guest features, and cover art painted in striking bright hues. Narrative concepts are also a recurring feature, which materialise in the form of an impressively literary magical realist tale of three kids trying to contact a deceased friend via the use of magic. The narrative, as told via the lyrics, takes time to unpick, given the cornucopia of musical ideas that swirl around this enormous record.

A remarkable sense of energy courses through the 11 tracks of ‘Magic, Alive!’. ‘A Crooked Stick’ is once layer of distortion away from being a rap-metal track, while the emotionally potent ‘Run, Run, Run Part II’ feels like storming down the street with your childhood friends. Terrific guest verses from contemporary underground rap greats like Quelle Chris and Pink Siifu are cherries on the top of this layered, intensely colourful cake, which does occasionally touch on something rather magical – the kind that spins your head and leaves you confused but nonetheless elated by the singular experience.