“Formerly known as Ham-E, renowned Vancouver rap and hip-hop artist Mic Dreams began writing song lyrics at a very early age, and has grown to love performing his music ever since. The older he grew, the more he knew that one day, his love for music would evolve into something far more than just a hobby.” –Bio from MicDreams.ca
This debut album from Dreams nails that classic 90’s hiphop feel with a wide variety of mood and content. Propelled by Mic Dreams’ clear vision and powerful confidence this album is catchy at first and grows on you with each listen.
‘Insomnia’ wastes no time getting down to the music. From the first track ‘Get Messy’ Dreams jumps into the heavy hiphop beats and starts dropping bars. The tone is set immediately and foreshadows the style of the rest of the album. It’s a short song but moves quickly into the featured single. On ‘Barely Speaking’ his sincere and clearly crafted message plays over a soulful sample chorus and rolling beat.
The second half of ‘Insomnia’ shows Mic’s emotional range carrying a more somber tone with songs like ‘Mom’s Eyes’ and matching that with his aggressive approaches on ‘Til It Kills Me’ and ‘Ransom Note’.
“Dropping money on hoes like landscaping equipment, put in work from the dirt so it’s real when I spit it.”
If you take away anything from this project it’s that Mic Dreams has heart. His strength on this album is communicating his personality honestly and without apology. There is no outside the box technical ability, it’s powered off the sheer conviction of his ideas. He utilizes these emotive skills to control the mood while mixing a little wordplay into each theme.
The production is a tribute to the classic 90’s hiphop/R&B style. Electric guitar, horns, boom bap and soul. All of those elements are abundant throughout ‘Insomnia’ which avoids coming off as cliche and instead helps maintain the continuity of the whole project.
Mic Dreams has been working on hiphop in Vancouver for a many years and is still growing his brand and polishing his skills in the booth and on stage. If this project speaks to you I highly recommend seeing his live show as he puts an incredible effort into each performance.