Detroit’s own Noveliss, member of Clear Soul Forces, drops his latest solo offering “Metal Face Hokage”.
The EP is the spiritual successor to “Mic Swords”, his 2016 debut release and the follow-up to 2018’s “Cerebral Apex”.
Being 1/4 of the group that gave purists new hope for Hip Hop when they first emerged, it’s no surprise that Noveliss delivers not only dope rhymes, but also flows effortlessly over contemporary boombap.
Inspiration for the sound came from MF DOOM, Noveliss’ favorite MC. Originally, the project was going to consist of Nov rapping over MF DOOM instrumentals but after a trip to the Pacific and meeting local Seattle producer Def Dee, the decision was made to make an original project, completely produced by him.
The cover art is heavily inspired by Anime/Manga, Naruto specifically. Noveliss is pictured as Hokage, the leader of Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village), in the Land of Fire. His right hand is pictured holding a DOOM mask to drive home the projects roots and inspiration. Hence “Metal Face Hokage”.
The project consists of 7 tracks, featuring a bonus remix version of the song “Vultures”. The first single and video “Traveling Man” is a record about his time on tour in Europe and across the US; constantly losing track of time, switching between time zones and missing calls from his fiancé.
Check out the video and EP and grab your copy below