McCallaman, a producer/DJ based in Toronto comes out of nowhere with an unbelievably serene EP entitled “Black Pop“. This 5 track EP boasts features from the likes of: “Clairmont The Second“, “T i K A.“, and “Sydanie” along with McCallaman’s unforgettable production and singing. Called “a compilation of modern Hymns, Negro Spirituals, & Lullabies”, this is one EP you don’t want to sleep on.
McCallaman has been hard at work making a name for himself over the past few years, and has definitely left his mark already. With production credits for 2015 XXL freshman “Goldlink‘s” single “When I Die” from his critically acclaimed “The God Complex“, he’s also worked with the likes of Toronto’s own “Andreena Mill, and Redway, along with New York’s R&B songstress Mariami. On top of this, McCallaman has been making noise sharing the stage with HW&W’s “Elaquent“, and has also done countless mixes at sold out venues in Toronto, from the Rivoli, to the Sterling Room, Drake Underground, and even at Canadian Music Week. If you think that’s all for this Toronto native, think again, he’s also worked with the multi-talented Sango, had his music featured in Joe Kay‘s mixes, and was even named one of the top 10 upcoming producers in one of Toronto’s biggest lifestyle blogs.
The “Black Pop” EP starts off with the track “Tenfold” which features the artist T i K A. The intro enjoys some minimal beats before T i K A’s melodic vocals enter the fray. The production shares the stage with the vocals on this one, with a noticeable chemistry between the vibes associated with each aspect of the track. The second track, entitled “Birds x Bees” featuring Toronto’s own Clairmont The Second, sets the tone immediately with the sample of birds chirping in the background, as the relaxing production comes into play. The sound clip including Donald Duck is expertly used in a manner that only production genius’ would even consider. Clairmont’s unique flow also vibes over the serene production like no other. These two should work together more often to say the least. The third track, entitled “Shui“, has a lullaby feel, and is the type of track you could close your eyes while listening to, and literally lose yourself. The use of sound clips on this one is astonishing as well. The fourth track, entitled “Home Tonite” starts off with a voicemail sound clip, over the melodic vocals, and effectively captures the listener. The hypnotic vibes associated with this EP haven’t dissipated yet. The final track on the EP is entitled “Lullaby“, and features the artist Sydanie. The track is a nice fit for the finale of the EP with the ever so unique vocals and production meshing together extremely well. It takes a very skilled ear to be able to create a track (let alone an entire EP), that is filled with these out of the box takes on traditional serene production. I also want to mention something I found very impressive, believe it or not McCallaman actually sings on every track, and is even the sole singer on “Home Tonite”, bringing another element of talent into his work is quite inspiring.
So there we have it, you (and myself) have been exposed to the genius that is McCallaman, and the “Black Pop” EP. The care that McCallaman has put into these tracks has NOT gone unnoticed. Each song has a wide variety of aspects that all work together to create the top of the line never before heard sound that we are having the pleasure of listening to. As I said before, it truly takes a musical genius to bring together so many different elements of sound, and McCallaman has proven he’s not like the rest. I’m looking forward to hearing more from this legend in the making. He has the ear, and confidence to pursue a totally different direction in regards to music.
