Sunshine for the ears

After a couple of years of doing only features, Mean Doe Green is back with a new album, a follow up to 2005’s Soul on Fire. In fact, Green has two new records in the pipe: Mind Candy Re-wrapped dropped June 15, and Mean Doe Green will drop in August on Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon’s Ice H20 label.

The best tracks on Mind Candy, which was engineered locally by Jack Paper, appear back to back: “Divorce the Struggle,” a soul-infused jam with a groovy high-hat/snare, synth and bass backbeat, is unlike any local hip-hop sound you’ll hear. Green (formerly Doey Rock) raps about moving forward—“Lead me out of here blindfolded / and the navigation can break that / so I don’t find a way back”—and this track is most certainly a breakout.

Next, “Sunset Strip,” featuring a sick opening verse by Raekwon, is held together by an addictive bumpy-bass-plus-harp-arpeggio sample. It’s Mind Candy’s standout, Green rapping, “All I need is sunshine in my life / better days gonna come”—exuding an easygoing confidence, like he knows these new songs are the shit.

And they are. Raekwon felt the same way, in fact. He heard a demo of “Sunset Strip,” called up Green and demanded to do a verse on the track. (Find out more about Mean Doe Green in this week’s arts feature.)