Mink Slide: Egyptian Musk Review

By:  Black Conservative (@BlackConservative93)

If you thought I was going to buy Tariq Nasheed’s Mink Slide album due to black economics then you are tripping.  I was foolishly waiting until the initial release, but I soon realized that Egyptian Musk was uploaded weeks prior on July 6, so I sacrificed a Friday to give the debut album a chance.

Mink Slide Theme:  I will be honest, it is a really good intro of a chorus singing “Mink Slide” while Tariq puts in his own lyrics.  The instrumental alone is dope.  5 out of 5

Got That Feeling:  I got bored.  2 out of 5

Wish for Love:  It is another okay song, along with the same problem as before:  Tariq’s vocals are dry, granted he tries to do high notes, but he ends up sounding like an amateur.  I will admit this track actually sounds like was made in the 80s.  3 out of 5

City Lights:  Tariq for once challenges his vocals and he is not bad.  The lyrics have a story unlike the newly added songs in the album.  This feels more into his element as Tariq is a retired player.  So tracks where he is a vulnerable/hopeless romantic are too juvenile for his character.  The acting is poor and cheesy, but it has its funny moments following a picture with a crazy hairdo, tacky dance moves and Tariq accidentlly looking at the backsides of two white women as he sings parts of the lyrics about him trying to clear his head.  Overall, the song fits his personality.  He is an ex-player and he does not need to do young boy shit to add to the drama with his on-screen girlfriend.  So, he rejects the girls on the streets and goes back home where she awaits his return in lingerie.  5 out of 5

It’s Time:  It’s not bad, it has energy, but from March 4, 2018 with only 148,725 views at the time of this post, it may not hit 1 million views by the end of the year.  4 out of 5

My Desire:  Next!  2 out of 5

Pleasure and Passion:  It’s an alright song for love making, but Tariq seems to run through the lyrics to quickly to where all you can say is “Pleasure and Passion.”  Sometimes the lyrics collide to where it seems like a rookie cut and transition error in editing.  It is a generic R&B track, nothing special out the predictable between the typical chill with me until we fuck.  3 out of 5

Fantastical:  It feels like a hit, but not a classic that will be remembered.  3 out of 5

Satisfying:  It’s okay.  I’m not jumping out of my seat.  Tariq just, like in most of the tracks, does not challenge his vocals from singing the chorus and in other songs, his tone of voice is the same.  The female voices that come through the song made it easier to listen to.  Maybe Tariq is taking a wrong step in leading the vocals.  The song feels like a filler.  2 out of 5

True Lovin’:  It had a strong intro, but once you hear Tariq’s voice it falls flat and it kills the vibe.  2 out of 5

Album Rating:  3.1

Despite the average rating of the album, it is not bad as a debut and honestly not every song is worth hearing after the first time.  Other than the album, the promotion was poor with Tariq especially not knowing his album was already uploaded onto YouTube and did not create any buzz outside of his niche audience.  I did like he featured Reggie Couz on his promo and Izm podcast.  Unfortunately, Tariq’s hotep fans were confused on Couz’s appearance that fans trolled the Izm live chat with mean comments calling him ‘moist’, Tariq’s signature anti-gay slang.  Tariq’s fans make it impossible to deal with and further with him.  Granted, his album is doing fine on the top 15, yet Tariq has burned the bridges connecting him with black media outlets.  Okay, he can bitch about how The Root, Ebony, Essence, The Grio, Huffington Post Black Voices, AfroPunk and Bravity are white-owned, but why not try to work with some (not all) of the writers to at least stand up for him.  These sites have millions of followers and subscribers, so Tariq should play the game because he does not bother hestitating to debate Tucker Carlson on Fox.

I understand Tariq wants to revamp the 80s, but that time has moved on.  He is better off trying to reach a young audience.  As stated before, the dancing is laughable and the suits are played out.  I know he does not like skinny jeans or doing too much in music videos, but this is why he won’t be able to catchup with new artists.  He has to take note on how to market a catchy song.  Dancing is the best way, especially if the dance moves are new and coordinated.  Blocboy JB’s “Shoot” is not a great lyrical song, but the dance is universally catchy that even other artists included the dance in their videos like Childish Gambino’s “This is America”.  Another thing that Tariq should take note of are foreign artist and locations.  French Montana’s “Unforgettable” was filmed in Uganda.  The music video alone has over 726 millions views.  Americans love seeing a new world whether or not it is glorious, but knowing that black influences are universal attracts views.  This even relates to Korean Pop as that genre has a large black fanbase.  Lastly, Tariq has to think on how to gain new fans.  I know Tariq will tour radio stations to build up some hype, but he needs new approaches especially since the view count of “It’s Time” is decreasing and it still has not made an impact on black radio stations.  I think the first step should be him clearing the air with black women since they make up the boards and power of social media.  If not, Tariq will retreat to his loyal ‘300’ fans.  He has to learn that he needs more black allies that have bigger clout and popularity.  Give it 1 year and Tariq will abandon this independent artist career then begin another half-done project.