Tenacity

LA-based rapper Tenacity wastes no time proving the name of his new mixtape, I’m Different, was chosen for a reason. Leaving the gimmicks aside, Tenacity shows he’s a cat clearly comfortable in his own skin. Hip-hop heads looking for tracks about whips or jewels will probably have to look elsewhere, as Tenacity doesn’t mince words dissing the standard rap fare of party anthems and consumerism, skillfully blending conscious lyricism with off-beat production by DJ Haircut, Tranzformer, Eddie Logix and others.

The Beat Junkies’ DJ Rhettmatic provides clean mixes and scratches while host DJ House Shoes mostly plays the background, without a whole lot of guest spots, skits or interludes. While many mixtapes sound like a hodge-podge of throwaways and half-finished songs, I’m Different avoids it by packing tracks that are well thought-out and executed. Guest spots by Guilty Simpson and his Abolitionists Crew sound more like true collaborations rather than a DAT he got in the mail.

I’m Different showcases a working class MC struggling with a lot of the same shit many of us are going through. The album sounds like someone who’s on the grind out of necessity — not choice. Tenacity’s messages of defiance and individuality comes across as more of an occupation movement than the standard post-golden age hip-hop flooding the market. His hunger and personality are especially timely in country filled with frustrated 99 percenters starved for something different.

GIVE IT A LISTEN HERE: Tenacity “I’m Different”
- URB Magazine Urb.com

Tenacity’s I’m Different (Abolitionist Projects) is a stunning piece of work. Tenacity is a white Detroit rapper, so comparisons with the Slim and Shady one are inevitable, but this guy certainly has a style of his own. His rhymes are tight as hell, the choice of samples is inspired and the record flows beautifully. Fantatsic. - Detroit Metro Times

Say what up to Michigan emcee Tenacity. His latest release “I’m Different” hosted by DJ Houseshoes and mixed by DJ Rhettmatic, truly lives up to its album title. The LP is full of clever rhyme schemes, vivid stories, and actual messages, which as you know has become a rare tendency in todays music. His creative use of wordplay, addresses topics all across the board from discrimination, abusive relationships, and radio syndication to name a few. “I’m Different” features guest appearances from Guilty Simpson, Intricate Dialect, Kadence, S.A., and is available for download on a name your own price basis here. Check out my personal favorite track 11, “Break Free” below for a sample of this kids skills. - Dialect Project

“I’m Different” is a compilation of Tenacity material mixed by DJ Rhettmatic, and Hosted by DJ House Shoes. It features producers from around the world and guest appearances from Guilty Simpson, & The Abolitionists. Rather than putting a price tag on his music, Tenacity has decided to let the listeners choose the value of this project. It is available for download on a pay what you want basis on his label’s (Abolitionist Projects) official site. CD is available HERE as well. Link and tracklist after the jump. - KevinNottingham.com

See Link... - Hip Hop Nation

Thankfully, producer Iggy Ignotius and part-time Abolitionist crew standouts Tenacity and SA, know how to hold down an album, and keep hip hop progressive.

From the first eight bars, this album attempts to chart a new course for Michigan’s underground sound. The surprisingly ill Micro-Korg effects and bugged-out electronic beats being rapped over by Tenacity and SA come off like a cross of Rhymesayers and Prefuse 73.

One by one, the tracks gleefully unfurl as the group’s heinous plot to wipe hip pop off the map are revealed: from the surging “Word Them” and “You Ain’t Shit to Me” to the scathing “Oooh,” these cats are literally trying to shame wack emcees into permanently putting down the mic. In fact, one of the album’s few glitches is that it’s almost all battle raps spewed over tight beats, which grows tired.

With appearances from the rest of the Abolitionists and the Almighty Dreadnaughtz fam, Blunt Raps works as yet another testament to the new blunted sound continuing to emerge from Ann Arbor’s underground releases. And don’t let the blunt rap package dissuade you; its contents are dope enough to entice even the saintliest of non-indulgers. - Detroit Metro Times