“…’Maintain’ speaks to a meeting of multitudes between the rapper and rap itself. It floats on air and swims through depths, elevated by Deville’s masterful prose and reverence for his city of Chicago.” – Afropunk
“Deville sings about self-worth and self-love in a time of crushing cruelty and hateful rhetoric.” – Consequence of Sound, on “Type Love”
“Deville’s lyrics challenge the hard-skinned ideal of the black male to allow for vulnerability…” – Paste, on “Type Love”
Chicago rapper and poet, Mykele Deville, has shared a video for new single “Free Soul” taken from his upcoming album, Maintain, out February 22nd via No Trend Records. “Free Soul,” was produced by the UK-based, Elements. The track is a jazz and bebop-inspired rap manifesto brimming with pride for Chicago and a disdain for the gate keeping clique mentality that sometimes pervades the music and art scene. The track is an upbeat portrait of a connected Chicago, from the basements to the spotlight.
WATCH MYKELE DEVILLE’S “FREE SOUL” VIDEO – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8-zXnwGRy0
The video for “Free Soul” was directed by Chicago-based film collective, New Trash, and produced by Ramone Hulet. It shows Mykele enjoying his city with friends from Chicago’s many diverse neighborhoods with the flare and carefree nature of a video from the 1990’s. The video is a fun portrait of when its creatives unite.
Part self-help, part self-preservation, Maintain is a motivational collection dedicated to the complexity of black life.
For those in the Chicagoland area, Deville will celebrate Maintain with a release show at Lincoln Hall on March 3rd. Ticket are available here.
WATCH “TYPE LOVE” VIDEO – https://youtu.be/bKAtK4bDy7s
PRE-ORDER MAINTAIN – https://notrendrecords.com/mykele-deville/
Keep your mind open.
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