RYMNA Drops New Laidback Mixtape
RYMNA. Photo: Chelsea Mariah
Right now, Houston’s hip hop scene is on fire and lush with a new rapper ready to make a name for himself. The genre mixing and era hopping that some of Houston’s rappers have been doing as of late just proves that our city has moved far beyond the Screw era. If you’ve ever seen a set from Houston’s Def., then you’ve more than likely heard their charismatic lead MC, RYMNA. Last year, he and DJ Baby Roo dropped a mixtape that was one of the best I’d heard in a good while with The Unexpected. This year, while the MC works on finishing up his new EP, he decided to drop a mixtape that was recorded, mixed, and mastered in the span of 48 hours. Free Press Houston was more than happy to exclusively debut the mixtape in its entirety and share the strong skills of a Houston rapper who could easily become the next big thing.
RYMNA says the reason behind the experimental release was due to the fact that while working on his upcoming EP, he and a fellow labelmate started wondering about the sound of vocals outside of the studio. Looking through various resources like Airbnb and HomeAway, he quickly realized that the cost was almost higher than recording vocals in a studio’s vocal booth. Then while planning a getaway to Corpus, it all came together while realizing that he could just record in his grandmother’s home while on a mini-vacation in Corpus Christi. Chelsea Mariah, also tied to the Roologic Records family, suggested that he immediately record right next to the beach after he found backing tracks that were currently “hot” on the radio at the time.
The end result is UNDSTRBD, a twelve song mixtape that contains some of RYMNA’s best mic work atop jams that aren’t what you’ll find on most mixtapes. Tracks like the trippy and lit up “Panda,” the old school vibe of “Dark Sky (Feat. DJ Baby Roo),” and the darker sounding “Great Steal” all come off as relaxed from an artist ready to try new things in how they approach making a release. The speed and intensity that RYMNA utilized on The Unexpected is now more chill and contains more draw on each and every note he spits.
The entire release — as well as all who worked on it like Roo, Blaze, Brian and more — all feels like a fun distraction where everyone involved is almost on a small get away. The loose and light demeanor that comes across on each of the twelve tracks, offers up a whole new side to the usually intense style that the rapper has become known for employing. While you jam out these tracks, remember that you can catch RYMNA at Shrine of The Black Madonna on June 24 or at Nightingale Room on June 30.
