Namir Blade “Mephisto” (Audio)

Namir Blade unleashes his new single, “Mephisto”, from his forthcoming album ‘Metropolis’.

Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and rapper Namir Blade drops new single “Mephisto”. Highlighted by rays of warm gospel and soul, “Mephisto” is a rally song packed full of quotables. The new single is the second release from Namir’s highly-anticipated album, ‘Metropolis’, due out 6.3.2022 on Mello Music Group.

Namir Blade is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and rapper from Nashville, Tennessee. Like his greatest musical inspiration, Sun Ra, he continually meditates on the future of music and the future of Black people, his catalog an Afro-futurist and surrealist collage informed by decades of absorbing cyberpunk anime, dystopian science fiction, Hype Williams videos, and everything from hip-hop and J-pop to house and hardcore punk. Namir has worked across genres during his career, but he’s spent his years with Mello Music Group expanding the sonic reaches of his singular and idiosyncratic blend of hip-hop and anime and film scores. Critical acclaim has followed him with praise from many major media outlets. Most notable, his L’Orange-produced album ‘Imaginary Everything’ was hailed Nashville Scene’s Top 10 Local Albums of 2021.

“Mephisto” is the second release from Namir’s upcoming album, following “Ride“. “Mephisto” is inspired by German folklore Mephistopheles. Namir Blade explains, “‘Mephisto’ serves as a debt collector for people who sell their souls to Lucifer. He doesn’t really relish in his work at all, claiming that he only appears to those who are already corrupted. The exchange of virtues in order to gain influence, wealth, or material things isn’t something foreign to the entertainment industry at all.”

The inspiration and name for the album comes from 1927 silent film Metropolis as well as the 2002 anime version. Namir explains, “Despite it being a silent film, I felt like it was able to provide an in-depth look at the ramifications of technologic and perceived infrastructural advancements on urban society at large.” He continues, “I discovered themes of classism, civil unrest, and an overall uncertainty in a bright future. These are all themes that I identified with as a black man living in the United States.”

Namir recorded, produced and mixed the album all from his living room, making it his first completely self-produced project. ‘Metropolis’ brings out a new level of vulnerability in Namir’s songwriting as he deals with themes of loneliness, assimilation, self doubt, joy, suffering, social decay, and vanity in an ever-changing world where technology reigns supreme. Namir states, “It’s vulnerable, it’s uncomfortable at times, it’s flagrant, it’s aggressive—Most importantly it’s me.” With ‘Metropolis’, his third project on Mello Music Group, Namir Blade finds the perfect balance between his previous releases ‘Aphelion’s Traveling Circus’ and ‘Imaginary Everything’.

With his new album ‘Metropolis’, Namir Blade reaches a defining moment in his career. In addition to showcasing his talent for rapping, the album is a testament to how far Namir has come as a beat maker and a producer. ‘Metropolis’ is due out 6.3.2022 on Mello Music Group. His new single, “Mephisto”, is available now to give a listen below…

Namir Blade’s ‘Metropolis’ album is available now to pre-order/pre-save on all major digital streaming platforms