MC Zach Attack – “I’m On Fire”

MC Zach Attack – “I’m On Fire” – Single Review

“My name is MC Zach Attack and I’m up on the track.  And when I’m on the track, you know that I’m not wack.”  #Truth

As far as I can tell, that’s a statement of fact, not fiction.  On the technical front, I might know a few things about MC Zach Attack that you don’t…I’m not here to blow up the man’s spot and point out the other name I’ve heard him recording under before, but suffice it to say that while this is my first time with MC ZA’s music, it’s not my first experience with the man behind the mic.  There should be enough clues *cough *cough *name on the YouTube video/main multi-link below *cough *cough in here somewhere to help you figure it out.  Dude’s always flexed a high level of skill in a very underground, understated way…the kind of raw building blocks you wanna find in an artist on the early side of their career.  I said it back when I ended up listening to Zach’s music for the first time, and I’ll say it again now – there’s something special happening here and it’s really just a matter of time before we all find out what that is and what it can do.  Word on the street is that Mr. Attack has quit the rest of the distractions of daily life aside though, and solely concentrates on making music now, and that’s certainly a step in the right direction.  He’s got every right to believe in what he does.  When it comes to this new single “I’m On Fire,” he’s borrowing a lot from the roots of 80s Hip-Hop, which he ain’t trying to hide, but his unique personality continues to shine through, which is key.

When it comes right down to it, he’s actually combining three main elements here.  “I’m On Fire” is really like a hybrid between classic 80s Hip-Hop, 70s Funk, and a modern day fearlessness that knows the real route to success is just being who you are.  What makes this track work, despite having the ingredients of stuff you’ve likely heard or experienced in some way throughout music’s illustrious history of sound, is that the man knows how to create a hook that connects y’all.  There’s really no wasted space here, and that’s what makes the difference.  You get hit with the slickness from the music right away, which is a light Funk vibe that even Sly And The Family Stone would have been proud to have created.  Honestly, it’s freakishly irresistible for how laidback the music is – “I’m On Fire” has a sound to it that’ll completely make sense to your ears, and you can certainly understand why MC ZA would have wanted to work with this track right away.  It’s smoother than smooth, and it sets the stage for the man to do his thing.  “I’m takin’ it back to the 80s,” as he’ll tell ya himself, and that’s what’s real.  You could potentially argue that it’s somewhat of a dated sound of course, but considering the fact that he’s not shying away from that & putting this out there upfront, you know what you’re getting when you listen.  So yep…bass, guitar, drums, and even a little synth in the mix – it all checks out, the music is subtle, but it’s grade A all the way.  As “I’m On Fire” continues to expand, MC Zach Attack introduces the next most important element, which is the main hook.  You can hear how easily it quickly jives with the music, and between those two elements alone, I’d say he’s likely secured a victory in the court of public opinion.  As for the verses, I ain’t opposed.  Again, it’s not like we’re hearing something we haven’t really heard before, which can potentially be detrimental in some ways, but I feel like the fact that Zach is making the time to acknowledge the roots of the vibe and make it clear what he’s trying to create should end up creating more acceptance out there in the world, you know what I mean?  Basically, by being completely transparent about the kind of music he wants to entertain you with, it’s like each person listening should be completely aware of the style & sound they’ll get in return, and if that’s the case, chances are you clicked it because you already love it – so you see how easily that should translate into a win-win?

I’ve got no real notes here.  MC ZA seems to know exactly what he wants to do with this track and he executes with precision.  He’s got one line with an extra syllable in it that kinda irks me a little bit, which occurs just prior to the end of the first minute, but honestly, who gives a flying fuck how I’d feel about that?  While it’s fair to say that he’s got a few other lines that stretch syllables too, he’s always hitting the metering and his pace still works…he knows where to compensate the space with his words & make things fit, but that’s what also what basically makes that one line stick out a little by comparison to the rest.  Is it something I’d go back, fix, or change?  Nope.  It’s a minor observation at best, which is really what this dude has left me with; there’s nothing major in “I’m On Fire” that needs an overhaul, he’s got this dialed in.  He’s gone back to the old school with the ol’ braggadocio approach to lyricism, but also like the roots of early Hip-Hop too, it’s actually pretty tame and clearly lighthearted…it’s not like MC ZA has dropped his nuts on the table right in front of you and forcing you to look, he’s simply reminding y’all verbally that he’s got the kind of skills that separate him apart from the rest, and he ain’t wrong.

It’s still way early into this cat’s career…but at this point, I’ve already heard plenty from him that has me believing he’s got the X-factor that makes the difference.  None of us might be able to fully define WHAT that actually is, but there’s something about this dude that seems determined to go the distance, and that he’s “in it to win it.”  As to which of his personas will get him there, that might be something else to consider…one of’em will do it for sure, which means that spreading things out over a couple names might end up hindering the process of how fast it’ll happen…but that’s really up to him & what the goals are.  Maybe he wants to dominate a couple different areas of music, and maybe it takes a couple names to make that happen, which might make it take twice as long…but as long as you get to where you wanna go, or you’re doing what you really wanna do, none of that should really matter too much.  The bottom line is, he’s got the art of the hook workin’ in his favor – you’ll hear it in action from the music to the microphone on “I’m On Fire” – and with that as his main asset, he’ll get to where he’s going for sure.

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