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Werd gears up for Mic Check his first release of 2022
Upstate artist Werd is getting ready to drop a bar filled project called Mic Check, a 7 track EP fully produced by thankyouethan. Staying fairly quiet for the beginning half of 2022, this will be Werd’s first release since the debut of his last EP Werd Around Town back in late November of 2021.
The sole feature on the project comes from a 607 favorite, Tee Melly who was also featured on Werd Around Town along with another 607 heavyweight Anthony Kannon. Mic Check is assured to be one of the best displays of Werds’ lyrical growth in recent memory.
With the lead single dropping tonight, Werd took a few minutes to chop it up with us on the creation of Mic Check, working with a new producer and what we can expect to see from him in the second half of the year. Read up on the full interview below.
What inspired you to name the project Mic Check?
“I was inspired to name the project Mic Check because it’s a smaller project and I feel as though I’m just getting warmed up in terms of what I plan to accomplish in the music world and what I have the potential to create. “
The cover by Lopat looks like a dope collage of a personal nature, can you break it down a bit and why you chose that route as the cover art?
“I chose a collage of photos throughout my life to have Lopat create the cover art because much of the subject matter relates to or speaks on my experiences growing up. Every song has a piece of me or what I’ve experienced growing up”
Have you worked with thankyouethan prior to the EP and how did you guys collaborate?
“I’ve never worked with thankyouethan before this project. We met at a video shoot for other local artists in Utica about a year prior. Ethan sent me a beat pack and I saw the potential immediately. After recording over three different beats by thankyouethan back to back I decided it might as well be a whole project “
Do you have a preference when it comes to working on a project with a single producer or multiple producers?
“I don’t have a preference as to working with one particular producer or multiple when it comes to making a project. I let the music guide me and see what would feel right putting the songs together for every particular project “
Can we expect any features on this one or is it a solo project?
“The only feature I included on this project comes from a good friend of mine who happens to also be my engineer, Tee Melly. The feature came about during a session I booked. I showed up to the session with a beat but no lyrics. I prefer to write a lot of my songs during my studio sessions so that I can record piece by piece and get creative in a different way than if I were to write an entire song beforehand. I finished the first verse and was playing the track on a loop so I could think about my next verse. Tee pulled out his phone and started rapping some bars he had written the night before that fit perfectly with the tempo and flow of the song. I told him to record it, and the track Business Plan was born”
In your opinion what would you say you did differently between Mic Check and Werd Around Town?
“The difference to me between Werd Around Town and Mic Check is the subject matter. Mic Check has some what more of a storyline to it. With Werd Around Town I really wanted to show what I could do when working with multiple producers who make a wide variety of music. Mic Check I worked with one producer who sent me various beats that I worked on. On Mic Check I tried to keep every song fresh and really experiment with different flows and more abstract lyrics in some of the songs. I wanted to give people something they could play back a couple times and pick up different meanings every time”
What can we expect from you in the second half of 2022?
“The second half of 2022 I plan on releasing single after single. I want to consistently have new music ready for the world to listen to. The attention span of most listeners is very short this day and age. As an artist who’s still trying to gain their recognition, I believe it’s time to focus more on having consistent new music for people to listen to rather than working on more projects that people will burn out in a months time“
Mic Check will be live on all streaming platforms on July 1st. Keep up with Werd till then through his social links below. Don’t forget to keep supporting your locals!!
Written by: Joshua Chaffer
Published: June 27th, 2022