Music Review for Xavier Brown AKA Zaybo The Mayor – Self Made

Self Made is extremely expressive and stylishly put together. There’s a certain kind of mood behind the music that’s hard to pinpoint, but it sounds great; the music makes you feel pretty good. Brilliant production, the retro-electronic sound of the backing track brings those much needed good vibes, as well as a feeling of nostalgia -it’s fairly reminiscent of classic early nineties hip-hop music, which is awesome, and quite comforting to hear.

Creatively, there are some real moments of vocal exploration that break the rap cycle up nicely, in between which the verses have strong flow, and the vocal sits well among the music. I did find it hard to catch all of the lyrics, which was a shame, as the ones that stand out are really effective – plus, the concept of being self made is something extremely respectable; something many people aspire to be, but few can actually say they have achieved. I enjoyed the song for these reasons, in addition to the fact that it sounds great turned up loud, and the voice is strong yet easy to listen to.

Instrumentally the track is pure gold; the music, the vibes, the flair, the break down, the horns. It all fuses well and creates a quality piece of music that fills the room with feel good vibes. At times it actually reminded me a little of the very first tracks released by the rapper Nelly, way back in the day. It’s mostly just the bounce of the music though, there’s a far more meaningful vibe here; that much is clear. And as always, each artist has a unique story that has never been told. I’d be keen to hear more music from Zaybo The Mayor.

Zaybo The Mayor is an artist based in Florida. The music definitely has depth, but there is also a strong sense of positive, summertime vibes in there, so overall it creates a pretty great sound. Well worth checking out.

By Rebecca Cullen

Travelling musician and writer from Manchester, UK.