New Mic Boyd Interviews and Review for "Lost in the Woods"



Voice Magazine Interview
Mic Boyd: Writing to the Beat

Mic Boyd is a rap artist based in Enfield, Nova Scotia. He is the brother of famed rap artist Classified, who produced Mic's recently released CD, Lost in the Woods, and he often contributes to his brother's recordings.

Mic wrote or co-wrote the lyrics for every track on this CD. He recently took a break from playing basketball to talk with Wanda Waterman St. Louis.

How Did I Get Here?

I didn't think about rapping or singing or anything 'til I was about 19. I've got social anxiety. I've never done a presentation in school. I never get up in front of people. It took me a long time to get over that and I'm still not over it. I get a lot of anxiety before I go on stage.

My dad was in a rock band when he was in high school. And then there's my brother. He's my mentor. I learned everything from him. I don't like to admit it but it's true.

On Long, Strange Trips

Touring has its ups and downs. It's hard to get sleep. You're constantly moving, going to sound check every day. Then you get a half hour here and there and you try to sleep before the show. That's probably the worst thing.

And the travelling, going through the mountains out west with six guys squished into a minivan. We had a tour bus for the first 10 shows and then we used the van for the rest of Canada. The first night on the tour bus, in Victoria, me and my brother's laptops got stolen, so that kind of sucked.

The Writing Life

When I write a song, first I get the beat. I listen to the beat, get a feel for it, and see what it reminds me of. I like to write to the beat. Some people like to write the songs first, then find the beat that fits the song. I like to write to the beat. I find it easier to get a topic from that.

Once in a while I go into a song with a topic. It's more of a formula now, like over the years you're playing at little things like which rhymes go where and which lines are better flow-wise.

If I wasn't doing rap I'd be doing rock for sure, though I've never tried to write a rock song. I like CCR, the Beatles, all that 70s rock. It was the first music I listened to and I'm still getting to like it more and more. The new stuff I'm not super fond of. Mostly I listen to Oldies 96.

Leisure Pursuits

When I want to unwind and I'm not doing music I'm playing sports. I play basketball and I'm big into hockey. I play hockey three or four times a week. And video games. I play a lot of video games.

I haven't read a book since they stopped making me read them in school. I love movies. I watch pretty much every movie that comes out. I love comedy, I love laughing. My favourites are like Dumb and Dumber and Old School.

But one of my favourite movies and soundtracks of all time is Jesus Christ Superstar. I love it. Know it word for word. My dad let me hear it when I was really young and every time I hear it, it just keeps getting better and better. When I was in high school I saw the play live, with all the original characters, at the Metro Centre in Halifax.

The Price of a Toke

Me and my brother go through this every day; we'll record stuff high and listen to it high and it sounds great but when you listen to it not high it doesn't sound as good. We have a lot of trouble with that.

But mainly I think I try to do my writing not high even when I'm recording but when I'm listening over a song, going over it trying to touch it up, I like to get high and then I'll pick out little things here and there but I find it throws me off a little when I write high. I can't think. I'll just keep going in circles, thinking of other things.

Hard Times Come Again No More

I don't think writing about hard times is just a rap thing; rock songs talk about people going through hard times with drugs and stuff but they don't say it as blunt, straight out. They'll say it in a metaphor so you can't tell they're talking about drugs.

I've been through so much relationship crap. That's why I write about that stuff. I'm really bad at that stuff. But things aren't as bad for me now as they were back in the day.

Stage Versus Studio

I'm kind of a shy person so I'm not super big on the live performances. I don't even know if I like people looking at me; I just do it because I have to. We're shooting a video soon for "True Love," in Toronto, I guess. I'm kind of looking forward to it, even though the first time I was on camera it kind of freaked the shit out of me.

Recording is fun 'cause I'm in my brother's studio. He just lives down the street. I just go there and hang out so it's pretty good that way. I get to hang out with my brother and make music every day so I can't complain.

http://www.voicemagazine.org/articles/columndisplay.php?ART=5896



Chart Attack Article
Mic Boyd Gets Lost In The Woods, So Go Find Him
Tuesday April 15, 2008 @ 05:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff
 
Rapper Mic Boyd may be best known by some as the brother of Halifax MC Classified, but his new Lost In The Woods full-length debut brings a completely unique style to Canadian hip-hop.
The 14-track opus was produced by Classified, who's also featured in the video for Lost In The Woods' first single, "Guess Who's Back."
Boyd, distinguished by his characteristic voice and humorous outlook on life, had been on hiatus since releasing The Ten Bux EP in 2003.
"I was more into life and dealing with shit around here, like still living at home and trying to get jobs and whatever, so rap was kind of the last thing on my mind for a couple of years," he says. "That's why a lot of Lost In The Woods is about the years when I kind of did nothing. That's where I got a lot of my material from."
Boyd says a sense of self is extremely important for MCs, which is why he emphasizes it in his lyrics.
"One thing I try to do is just be myself and talk about what I go through and what's going on out here. A lot of people from the woods, especially kids, ask questions about how to get into rap and how to start. I listen to their stuff and they're talking about gang-fights and stuff, and I'm like, 'Damn, where are you from?'"
Boyd is currently in the studio working with Classified on his next album, which is due this summer. They'll follow it with a Canada-wide tour that's yet to be scheduled.
http://chartattack.com/damn/2008/04/1515.cfm



Hip Hop Canada Album Review
CD Review: Mic Boyd - Lost In The Woods          
         
 Mic Boyd – Lost In The Woods (Halflife/EMI)
By: Thomas Quinlan

It looks like Classified's Halflife Records is prepping to dominate the urban market in Canada sometime soon. They're on a role, and Mic Boyd's follow up to his The Ten Bux EP debut ratchets it up another notch. While Lost in the Woods could have done without the conceptualizing forced upon it by the intro, the outro and the one interlude, it is easily on par with the label's best thanks to a great combination of college radio-ready production, catchy hooks (both sung by Boyd and his guests or cut-up by DJ IV), and his varied subject matter. Cutting his teeth alongside brother Classified both on tour (nationwide) and on record, Mic Boyd comes off as a veteran rapper despite his short discography. His sense of humour is abundant throughout, even mocking his moniker on "Too Hard" when he raps "I hate the game / I'm too real for it, I can't even fake my name." Mike also drops some braggadocio on "Guess Who's Back" and "Get Me Started," displays his knack for storytelling on the Scooby Doo parody "Michael's Mystery," follows in Class's footsteps with weed ode "A Good Day," and gets emotional about family on "Love the Ones You're With." In fact, Lost in the Woods is very much a family affair, with Classified providing his usual organic production that is a mix of samples and live instruments, and father Mike Boyd Sr. playing those live instruments on a couple of tracks and singing the very catchy hook on "Love the Ones You're With." So, it's no surprise they're combining for a full album this winter entitled "Christmas with The Boyds," which should make for a great stocking stuffer and yet one more must-have from the Halflife camp – just like this one!

For more on Mic Boyd check http://www.myspace.com/themicboyd
http://www.hiphopcanada.com/_site/community/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=56548



MegaCity HipHop Interview
INTERVIEW WITH MIC BOYD
 
First off, thanks for taking the time to sit down and answer these questions. Now, for those that don't know, who is Mic Boyd?

Mic Boyd is a 26 year old male from Enfield, Nova Scotia. He enjoys the rapping.

Where does your family's musical ability come from?

I guess my dad - he's been in a band since high school and we've just been around it our whole lives.

Let's talk a bit about your album, "Lost in the Woods." Anything behind the title?

It just means I'm lost in life - like when it comes to me getting my shit together and growing up. And I live in Enfield - a small town in the woods, and the thing is you grow up and move away from the small town like most other people but I never did (yet)...so "lost in the woods."

What can people expect when they check out your CD?

Really just something different from most of the music coming out these days - it's not your typical rap but it's still got a good feel.

The album's been out for about a couple months now, what has the feedback been like so far?

Really good – I've been getting some good reviews both on the web and in magazines. And all my friends seem to like it - but they might just be being nice to me...

What would you say is the biggest difference between you and your brother?

Luke lives a more serious life and bases it on hip hop and you can tell that in his songs. My life is more of a joke and I try not to take hip hop too serious.

Knowing how brothers can be, did the two of you ever butt heads while working on the album?

Oh we're messed when it comes to making music (lol). We disagree so much and then agree on the same thing five seconds later.

Where do you think Canadian - and Nova Scotian - hip hop are headed?

I never really know how to answer this question just 'cause it's hard to predict the future. Anyone could come out of nowhere with just a totally different sound that breaks through into America...but so far no one has really been selling major records down there.

What do you have in store as far as future projects go?

Just working on Luke's new album with him and we're shooting a video for the second single of my album "True Love."

Is there anything else you'd like to add before we call it an interview?

Stay fit and have fun.
http://www.megacityhiphop.com/interviews/micboyd_apr2008.html



Hero Hill.com Album Review
Reviews:: Mic Boyd - Lost In The Woods
 If one were to view the Halflife records family as if it were Public Enemy (and why wouldn't you?), it seems fairly obvious to me that Mic Boyd is Flavor Flav to big brother Classified's Chuck D. Not that I'm saying Mic (or Mike, feels kind of odd calling someone Mic for some reason) is a cracked out reality show star, but whereas Class appears serious and business minded as the leader of the Halflife ship, Mic/Mike is more interested in copping some weed and finding a party. After listening to Mic's debut, Lost In The Woods, I doubt he'd disagree much with my assesment.

Now I'm not trying to say that Mic is a total goof, he gets serious on a couple songs, but for the most part he comes across as a fun-loving guy with a big personality, and that is the most obvious thing that comes across to me while listening to his album. And honestly I have no problem with that. I mean it's much easier to respect someone who makes a fun album like this one, which is true to who they are, rather than try and put on a front and pretend to be something thay aren't.

All right, after school special morals aside, is Lost In The Woods any good? Sure, it is. It didn't blow me away, and likely isn't going to cure cancer, but I didn't expect it to. It's a solid, fun album that harkens back to golden age hip hop in a lot of ways, which is always welcome. Something else always welcome is Class' production, and he gives Mic a solid assist right out of the gate with the big drums, horns, and soul vocal samples on the Rakim title-jacking Guess Who's Back. It's a proper intro heater and Mic laces it with a combination of ignorance ("get shafted in the ass but I ain't no faggot, not that there's anything wrong with that, you go faggots!") and comical punchlines ("I'm about to buy the bar out, but I can't decide between Kit Kat and Mars though") that typifies his style.

I mentioned Mic getting serious on occasion, and he does that on Ignored with a little help from labelmate Jordan Croucher. It's a tad generic as far as "conscious" hip hop songs go, but I've certainly heard worse. The skittering beat on Get Me Started sounds like something Busta might've gotten .. he became and actor (...and terrible...hey, who said that, uncalled for really), but Mic is able to speed up his flow to match it quite nicely. The weed-scoring anthem A Good Day features Mic singing pretty much the whole thing over Class' pleasant pianos and only rapping one verse. I don't love this, but just based on the concept, it's a tribute to Mic's personality and skill that it's as listenable as it is.

I could say pretty much the same thing about Michael's Mystery, which is a jazzy take on an episode of Scooby Doo - it's kind of funny, but could be terrible in the wrong hands. Love The One You're With is really an enjoyable song, and Classified likely realized this, so he snaked it for his last album, the rarity and favorite collection While You Were Sleeping. As I mentioned in my review for that album, Mike Boyd Sr. does a surprisingly good job on the hook for that song and he contirbutes vocals and guitar work to a few other songs on the album, making it truly a family affair.

In the end, Halflife and Mic Boyd have a decent album on their hands here. If you're looking for some solid Canadian hip hop this summer, you could do worse than getting lost in the woods with Mic Boyd
http://www.herohill.com/2008/04/reviews-mic-boyd-lost-in-woods.htm



ShotGun Reviews.com Album Review
Review- Mic Boyd - Lost in the Woods
 
Mic Boyd has collaborated with his brother, Classified, on quite a few tracks, and now he's hitting the scene with a full length album of his own.
The debut album, Lost in the Woods has its ups and downs, but definitely shows a strong talent ready to hit the hip-hop scene; his brother produced the album, but Mic is definitely not looking to stand in his shadow for long.
The album opener, and first single, Guess Who's Back features Classified, and stays very safe. A lot of the lines will sound familiar to rap fans; they are versions of or directly copied lines from other famous rappers' hits. The song has some good rhymes, but uses generic imagery and hip-hop stereotypes. Based on the first track alone, expectations for the album run pretty low. Then the second song hits, and the story changes.
Ignored features much stronger production, some real music, and fantastic story-telling. The lyrics are smoother, and more original; it's a complete turn-around all at once. From there on, the album varies a little, but stays pretty strong. When Mic Boyd falls back on lyrics about weed, it gets boring; there are a lot of them, so if you're not down with the ganj, this is not the rapper for you. When he tells stories and leaves those generic standards behind, he shines and shows why people should listen to his music. His references reach all over the spectrum, from the streets to the geeks. As the album progresses, Boyd seems to get more comfortable with himself and his sound.
The wide range of beats and backgrounds, accompanied by several strong story-telling songs (and a few boring weed ones) make this a good debut. With a focus on the story-telling and leaving the constant drug references behind, Mic Boyd's next album could leave good behind and be just plain great.
http://www.shotgunreviews.com/2008/04/25/review-mic-boyd-lost-in-the-woods/