Analog Adventures: Let the Sun Talk

Mavi

Let the Sun Talk

(2019)

About the Artist

Mavi is a brilliant young rapper, recently graduating from the prestigious Howard University with a degree in neuroscience. He embodies the idea of the eternal student, always learning and growing. This love of learning has caught the eye of hip hop giants such as Earl Sweatshirt, who has mentored Mavi. His music is unabashedly pro-black and pro-black liberation. He envisions an empowered Black America in which they are in control of their own communities and stories.

The Record Itself

Let the Sun Talk saw a release on October 7, 2019, which is also Mavi’s birthday. It is a 32 minute tour-de-force that starts with a spoken word sample that details what being pro-black means. The album never slows down after this. Mavi’s lyrical prowess is a sharp scimitar that cuts above most of his contemporaries and puts him in the same league as the brilliant Noname.

He knows he is good too, he declares in the song Sense that he writes the kind of songs “you gotta read, baby.” His music is best enjoyed with an open mind and an intent to focus on the message. The laid-back beats and smooth flow of his rapping are a perfect one-two combo. The production on each track is incredible as well, with slick lo-fi inspired beats and classic R&B samples everywhere. This is an album that rewards repeated listens.

“The moral of my story is I’m impure
The horror in my story is I’ve been through it and i still do it
And my pencil is in earnest the difference tween u hearing the new records from my service” – Mavi, Self Love

Physically Speaking

The vinyl edition of Let the Sun Talk is a limited affair, printed by Dutch record label de Rap Winkel Records. The record is one of the most beautiful examples of the medium. The glossy cover does justice to the gorgeous oil painted portrait of Mavi, which makes him appear as if he is the sun preparing to speak directly to you. The cover stands alone as a work of art and would not be out of place in any museum. The pressing being reviewed is the final pressing of the album, one of 250. This final pressing sold out in less than 90 seconds, showing the global demand for the American rapper.

The blue and clear stripes radiating like a twinkling star.

The vinyl is an impressive blue and clear stripe pattern, which resembles a flower or a shining star. The fidelity of the record is second to none, it allows the quiet parts to breathe and hang in the air and for the louder parts to speak clearly. Given how the tracks flow from to an another, it is a relief that the flipping of the disc does little to interrupt this.

Is It Worth It?

Rarely do I recommend buying records at an extreme mark-up, but the sheer production quality of not only the music but the record itself makes this difficult to pass up. There is no indication that this will receive another pressing in the future, so if you are interested in owning one of 2019’s best rap albums on vinyl, the price is rather steep and seems to be climbing everyday. If you are not interested in spending a good chunk of your rent on a record, spend the money on the rapper’s digital release, which is more than worth the $15 admission.

Outstanding Tracks

• Self Love
• Love, Of Money
• Guernica