Mic Boyd

While Mic Boyd doesn’t have the experience of brother Classified, a veteran rapper and producer, his time on tour and recording with Class has earned him the experience that many rappers with more years under their belts still lack. In fact, he might just be my favourite Boyd. His flow can sometimes be a little rough around the edges but he’s got some clever concepts, like the Scooby Doo-influenced "Michael’s Mystery” or the silver-lining positivity of "Brighter Side,” as well as witty writing skills and an ability to sing or rap a catchy hook. It’s also interesting to compare his view of "A Good Day” (which involves successfully finding weed) to Ice Cube’s, hear his inside scoop on hip-hop with "Too Hard” and have him give love to his family on "Love the Ones You’re With.” The latter song isn’t all that surprising to hear considering the collaborative nature of the Boyd family, with Classified providing his mix of organic and sampled production to the whole album, while father Mike Boyd Sr. provides some of that live instrumentation and joins the junior Mic for the chorus on that last song. Aside from the weak and unnecessary, loosely based concept of the album, which is held together by an annoying intro, outro and interlude, Mic Boyd’s Lost in the Woods is a superb collection of songs for a debut that belies his rookie status.