YoungVegas - 'Moving On' TRACK REVIEW
Madaliso Mwanza, better known by his stage name YoungVegas, is an Italian up-and-coming artist living in the UK, who has been dabbling in many different styles of rap for the last few years now. With the announcement of his third musical solo project coming out later this year, we got a small taste of what may be about to come with the release of this track, ‘Moving On.’
The track is a smooth, easy-going piece, opening with a gentle piano sample, complimented with some absolutely gorgeous percussion and guitar that sets a great mood. The production on this track is top-notch, with Kyal really achieving a great sense of intimacy with the arrangement of soft instrumentation.
Eventually, once Mwanza pops into the track, he brings an old-school delivery to his verses, his voice possessing a heavy energy that matches the smoothness of the instrumentation. However, if there is a shortcoming in the song, it is several moments in the lyrical content, particularly when Mwanza raps about tried-and-true themes to the genre like being there to ‘enlighten’ and wanting to ‘heal the game’ that is rap music. While there is a clear argument for that, the points that Mwanza raises are somewhat overused, meaning they really lack a unique touch.
It is clear though that Mwanza does have a clear talent for lyricism when he raps more intimately about his life, particularly when he raps about how he has moved on from his days smoking in phone booths, but he still sees much of the youth around him doing just that. Additionally, the lyrical hook on the chorus is so damn catchy that it becomes the highlight of the whole track.
For someone so early in their career, YoungVegas has a clear style, a lot of personality, and real eye for music and rap. What he is probably missing is something more specific to rap about, but one can get a sense from this track that that small gap will be filled as he makes his way through the industry and gains more experience. It is clear though that he has a great understanding of the craft. Quite frankly, hearing a good rap artist coming out of Europe is a real breath of fresh air.
7/10
