Mark Battles keeps the integrity he had 'Before The Deal' through his new album
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By Alex Dionisio
Indianapolis, Indiana's Mark Battles and his Fly America label-flag are waving excitedly in the breeze these days. The committed tourer and hardworking studio recorder is pounding the pavement with his music, but it isn't hard for him because he keeps it honest and dignified. His rough past without his father, where he lost his younger brother, was strapped for funds and endured homelessness with his daughters made him something of a wise mature guy, ahead of his youthful age, fully adult in mind and ready to make big waves in the industry. He calls on his sane midwestern rearing and heartland decency to mandate the tone of his music, but he's dope, with a rhyme flow that his naturally him and not hard to muster because he sticks to organic thoughts and ideas. Before The Deal (May 31), his new LP, that follows Numb from 2015, is just an excellent list of rap songs from a regular, ordinary dude from the hood with tremendous perspective and beautiful emcee-abilities.
A capable producer, Mark has a mix of spaciousness, traditional steady toe-tappers and a little drill helping the sound quality. Twinkly piano contrasts well with rackety shuffling drums in "Open Doors" and convention-keeping melodies drive "In A Minute" and "Something Real" while ratchet-y kicks, ticking high hats and smooth, serene, slow-leaning music lines ornament several other pieces. It's truly a modern and varied production set, experimental but also borrowed to some extent. During the times when it picks up the most, when it's at its giddiest, the beats retain their cool, gentle laid-back nature, a trademark of the album.
Based on what he tells us and how, Mark is an open book mentally. He has nothing to hide. He refuses to champion "riches" and "b*tches," is anti-money-worshipping, dedicated to being a present dad in his kids' lives and uncorrupted in mind, body and soul. The real imperfect man in him confesses to misery in "Chance" but also morals, values and lessons there and raps on getting by day to day in the daily struggle in "Just Another Day." Another signature of his vocal style and fine opinion set here is his philosophy of pursuing money for a worthy cause. In his case, that's providing for his growing family. His take on big money, cars and mansions is that he "wouldn't mind" them but that they're not necessary (grownup much?). Elsewhere he's just cool and stylish without being showy or flashy, kicking casual rhymes with substance or testifying on a crush and the deeper love in store from it ("High/I Want It").
Battles has been through his battles, and now that he's come out on the other side alive, his messages are substantial and meaningful. He really helps his listeners understand the origins of some of the deeply rooted stereotypes of folks in the game and furthermore that the truths they're spun off from are not always as sheisty as we may believe them to be. Mark Battles' motivations are clean and rational though. He's a good guy but also someone hip-hop people can like and relate to. That is why, on Before The Deal, he has the help of compatible peers Ric Vasi, Futuristic, King Los, Zack Davidson, Brittani Jenae, Jace Houston, Locksmith, and King Kap, alike-thinkers compared to Mark himself. He's gone the independent route on this project, like his mixtapes before it, and with connections like legendary Chicago music producer No I.D. networking with him continuously, the Mark Battles people can identify with is surely going places.
