Millz Corleone “Gone Krazy”

The Corleone name is synonymous with power, and thus, when a rapper sporting a handle as telling as Millz Corleone drops a new single, you know it’s going to be potent. “Gone Krazy,” the new track and music video from Millz Corleone, is pushed forward by its driving bass and lean lyrical attack, and in a summer that has been overwhelmed by a lot of minimalist rappers, his is the kind of melodic might that I was hoping we would get to end the season with this September. “Gone Krazy” isn’t about the mainstream hip-hop scene per se, but its title could serve as a reference to this player’s competition just the same.

The confidence Corleone is bringing into the studio with him is frequently concealed by his humble attack, and while I think this is – and should – change the next time he considers recording an up-tempo piece, it feels deliberate on all counts in this single. There’s something really smart about a rapper with his kind of skill holding back from adopting a straight cocky demeanor on every verse; he’s finessing these lyrics and trying to put some mood behind the words, which isn’t as common among his peers in the underground as it’s often purported to be.

Staying away from overindulgence might be a problem for some pop musicians in 2021, but it’s just not an issue that Millz Corleone has to contend with in “Gone Krazy.” Instead, I think there’s a lot to be learned from his authentic conveyances here; he’s not having to adorn the track with a lot of fanciful detail to get his point across, because the essence of the narrative is already sewn into every part of the song. From the melodic underpinnings to the masculine thrust of the groove, this is a statement on who he is as much as it is a slice of his evolving sound in a single and music video.

Forget the streamlined trap a lot of folks have been playing through the pandemic – Millz Corleone’s new beats are bold, unsophisticated, and smoother than a warm brandy. “Gone Krazy” doesn’t create a spellbinding atmosphere by pillaging old fashioned soul harmonies and dropping a couple of slick verses about slinging guap at a casino; there’s something original seemingly around every turn here, and as long as he sticks with his own artistic narrative, I think Millz Corleone will remain destined for good things.

Sondra Watanabe