The Narcicyst – Mr Asthmatic

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On his new mixtape, Iraqi/Canadian hip hop artist Yassin AlSalman (better known as The Narcicyst) gets personal and candid – but retains his usual charming wit and humor through telling the story of Mr Asthmatic.

The Narcicyst utilizes smart sampling from a different array of genres which adds extra dimensions, while maintaining easy transitions between the tracks; it’s also noticeable that the general tone is subdued, and less nuanced than some of his previous work, it almost veers on easy listening which might have to do with the more intimate theme – in any case, it is good listening.

The mixtape starts out with a pretty telling speech about the correlation between shortages of breath and the need to be successful – “What’s Up Doc” is a hard-hitting fast paced track with some more serious political undertones – however this doesn't detract, distract or overtly influence the of the mixtape.

The groovy, laid-back aptly titled “Float” features vocals from Meryem Saci adding some R&B sensibilities – some other groove-oriented tracks include “Gone, Be There” which features a harmonious chorus working perfectly against the rap verses. With 13 full tracks (excluding the intro/interlude) Mr Asthmatic manages to introduce us to a different side of The Narcicyst without faltering along the way.

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