Meader is a New England-based Hip-hop artist with skills, smarts and good dose of mystery. The elusive rapper chooses his words and his beats carefully. Although he began rapping in 2006 while still in high school, he waited until 2017 to release his debut EP “Jamais Vu.” The title is a French term meaning “never seen.” The phrase refers to the phenomenon of experiencing an event that feels somehow recognizable yet remains otherwise foreign and unfamiliar. That record introduced thousands to the talented rapper’s rapid-fire and cerebral freestyle flow. And then, he went dark.
For four years Meader’s SoundCloud remained silent. Now he’s back with the sequel, “Presque Vu.” The title is another French term, this time translating to “almost seen.” It refers to the sensation of being on the brink of an epiphany. It is the natural evolution of jamais vu in style, sound and concept. The new EP features six tracks of dark, dramatic beats paired with Meader’s unique and impressive flow. In his distinct style he drops fast paced rhymes over downtempo tracks. He treats his voice like a percussion instrument and lets his voice bounce between the beats in cool, confident tones.
Throughout the six song collection Meader delivers bitingly witty disses, instructions, philosophies and trippy head games. His intentionally circular rhymes are hypnotic as he riffs on subjects ranging from mental illness to bitingly sharp Hip-hop posturing. The rapper’s breathless, rhythmic and verbose style simultaneously entertains, educates and confuses. That is all by design. For instance, on the opening track “Simon Says” Meader raps, “Just because my choice of words aren’t clear to you, it don’t mean that I’m insane. It simply means that we’re in different games and riding different waves.” He is sorting stuff out and we are welcome to listen along, but he doesn’t owe us any explanations.
I was feeling anxious and helpless in a situation and found a couple of outlets – one in starting to exercise and one in writing things down. What started as a string of words that sounded good together turned into a message, then a song, then an EP. It all felt very natural which is how my creativity has to be.
Meader
Stylistically, the songs on “Presque Vu” traverse the landscape of Hip-hop sub-genres. Piano riffs and ambient synths meet dark, psychedelic Trap beats (“Loose-leaf,” “Mind Vault”), old-school Boom Bap grooves (“Subsequence,” “Summit”) or some combination of the two (“Simon Says,” “Lil Sheff Diss”). All the while he mesmerizes with masterful word manipulation and a chill but commanding presence.
Check out “Presque Vu” in its entirety below. Follow the links below the music to connect with Meader. There is no way to know for sure when the rapper will make another record. He says simply that he will make another EP, “as soon as the inspiration hits.” Get on his profiles and get in the loop.