M-Trey - A Chance x Content

Great unsigned artists are few and far between, but ever since discovering this guy back in 2009 I have become enchanted by his story, and music. Delbert Hunt III, better known as M-Trey (previously Master 3), is a young Chicagoan rapper/singer who has an extensive back catalogue of mixtapes/albums that all seem to have a well thought out concept - his latest release is no different (see his words on the album below), and for me is his best release to date. 3AM shows the progression of Trey's ability to tell a story and the way he can structure hooks/choruses and songs as a whole. As with all his albums he gives you it for free, but if you like what you hear on these two tracks and love his music as much as me, then should you spread the word and support one of the most talented young artists I know (all the links you need are below).

“It’s finally here. I named this album 3AM because I stay up late to write all the time. I’ve always felt that those times when I’m sitting late at night, alone with my own thoughts, are when I’m the most honest with myself. Everything I’ve been trying to forget about or ignore comes to the surface and I’m forced to deal with it. In that spirit, this album is probably my most honest to date, and that’s something that I’m really proud of. This is everything that’s been inside of me for the past year, and I hope the people who listen to it can get something from it.

Wake up. It’s 3AM.”

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File Sharing

I feel it’s time for me to write about an issue that seems to be all over the News again and something that affects me and millions of other people on a Daily basis. File Sharing, Illegal Downloading, Stealing or whatever else you want to call it, is a problem that has been around for 10 or so years now. We all know what it is, how it works and that it’s wrong; however it’s a force that in the past few years has now become unstoppable.

From a personal perspective I cannot see the problem with ME ‘illegally’ downloading certain files. Out of all the people I have ever met in my life, I am still yet to come across someone that loves Music more than me, which is why I think I can make a valid point on this issue. From the start of 2010 I have acquired 784 songs and we are not even out of March yet - crazy right? Well………not really.

As a Student I have a lot of spare time on my hands and a very unhealthy bank balance, so I need to carefully choose what Music I buy and support. Throughout the past 3 months I have bought a lot of Music: Emancipator - Safe In The Steep Cliffs, Example - Won’t Go Quietly, Ty - Emotions, Gorillaz - Plastic Beach, Corinne Bailey Rae - The Sea, Strong Arm Steady - In Search Of Stoney Jackson, Wiley - Never Be Your Woman and M-Trey & Drew Beat - Immaculate Dopeness (Unsigned Hip-Hop duo from Chicago) & More. My point is; I illegally downloaded each of those Singles/Albums before I bought them, just so I knew that my money was going to a project I thoroughly enjoyed. After spending this £40-£50 within 3 months, there is a lot of other Music out there, which I can’t afford to buy; but does that really mean I don’t have the right to listen to it? I don’t think so. I have listened to their work and made an educated choice on where the money I have earned should go.

Today I downloaded Dan Le Sac & Scroobius Pip’s new album ‘Logic of Choice’, which is an album I have been anticipating greatly since hearing Angles in 2008. My Bank Balance currently stands at -£1,397.39, which means I have £1.03 available and am unable to buy anything; so I shall be purchasing the album on Friday when I get paid. I am also going to see them at Cockpit in Leeds on Thursday to support them as I feel they are a revolutionary pair that have created a whole new genre of Music. Now can anyone say there is anything wrong with that? I doubt it.

I can understand that there are people illegally downloading their whole libraries and not putting ANY money back into the Music Industry, but that’s not everyone is it. A lot of people download Music to increase their knowledge and widen their perspective when it comes to certain genre’s and I personally don’t think there is anything wrong with that. I would never usually buy an Indie/Rock album, and neither would I expect an Indie fan to buy a Hip-Hop album out of the blue, so if it wasn’t for illegal downloading then I would have never listened to the Temper Trap album in 2009, which I bought and it ended up becoming one of my favourite albums of the year (same with Miike Snow).

It’s a never ending argument, but it is something that is never going to be stopped unfortunately.

SUPPORT GOOD MUSIC!

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Delbert Hunt III

AKA M-Trey; is an unsigned rapper from Chicago, who thanks to the internet has become one of my favourite current artists and a good friend of mine throughout the past year. With countless mixtapes under his belt, and now TWO spectacular albums; it was only a matter of time until this man started getting the recognition he truly deserves.

Back in January of last year, he went by the name of Master 3 and released a free EP called Light Up The Darkness, which was based around the classic Will Smith film ‘I Am Legend’. It was well received on numerous internet sites and forums; however it never quite had that creative edge which was required to go the extra mile, and as Delbert himself stated: “I honestly look back at it as a stepping stone; I feel that I’m always getting better and always progressing”. As any good rapper should, he is forever working on perfecting his craft and trying to become a more well-rounded artist, which is clear for all to see in the material he has released since LUTD.

Talking of becoming a more well rounded artist - singing is one thing that has become a lot more frequent and has dramatically improved over the past 6 months. The reason being; he is now singing as M-Trey, and not trying to sing as someone else in order for a hook or chorus to sound like a particular artist. This is very prominent on my favourite track from ‘Immaculate Dopeness’, called ‘Forbidden’, which you can listen to: HERE.

Regarding ‘Immaculate Dopeness’ - it was a project that started out as just an EP. There weren’t going to be very many songs, but fellow Chicagoan, Drew Beat, kept sending top quality beats through, until there were enough for a full album. This was the first time he’s had the opportunity to work with just one producer for a whole album and his take on it was: “I really enjoy working with one producer, because it gives the material as a whole a more cohesive sound, which is something that’s really important to me. Allows us to put our stamp on it so you KNOW you’re listening to M-Trey and Drew Beat after the first bar”. There is not much else to say than to give the album a listen, because it genuinely is one of the best albums of the year. Beautiful Hip-Hop, straight from the soul. Worth every penny to support good music.

COMING SOON:

1. 3AM - an album with Producer Ishaq Fahim.

2. Remix of Tinie Tempah’s - Pass Out.

3. New Mix from myself.

Immaculate Dopeness

iTunes: BUY

Amazon: BUY

Light Up The Darkness:

Free: DOWNLOAD

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