– Written by Hunter Petch –
A Dissection of Faith of a Mustard Seed.
Following Mustard’s massive homecoming to the centre of west-coast production after “Not Like Us” – the now legendary nail in the coffin against the OVHoes – and his monumental set at “The Pop Out: Kenny & Friends” show, he announced a brand new full-length album to release in the summer. The rollout consisted of three singles, one of which debuted “Pray For Me”, a rare Mustard solo track. Subsequent to his last great full-length Perfect Ten peaking at #22 on the charts, the bar was set fairly high. Nonetheless, Faith of a Mustard Seed released this past week, and is jam-packed with exciting features that are confidently decorated alongside his classic bounce. Knowing how to properly curate a project like this shouldn’t be overlooked, as a history of poor, lazily scraped together producer-tapes are prevalent in Hip-Hop. I figured it’d be interesting to discuss not only my favourite moments on FOAMS, but also what makes it shine compared to others of the same sort.
Well, what makes a producer-album work? Elements of general album curation are obviously present, but there are undoubtedly key differences. Understanding where to place features, seamlessly allowing them to breathe without being swallowed by the production you’re trying to showcase, and balancing the household names alongside smaller talent is crucial. A perfect subject of dissection is “Up Now”, the initial posse cut off of this project, featuring Lil Yachty, BlueBucksClan and 42 Dugg. It works for many reasons, but a great one being the existent verses accommodating each other and the production, without compromising their own efforts for the overall cohesion of the project. Everyone did their thing (especially Yachty), but it’s truly Mustard’s masterful handle on song structure that pushes the envelope there, with changes in the scale of the instrumental towards the end that make the track more than just another hard-hitter.
Something uncompromisable on an album like this is a vision for cohesive storytelling throughout. Thematically, Mustard plays on traditional tropes such as childhood dreams and that “chip on your shoulder” mentality most young artists maintain. What makes FOAMS interesting though, is the correlation between the instrumentals and the present motifs. The use of strings and other grand production tactics add a sense of urgency to each track they’re exposed to, making all the artists feel as if they’re on this album to prove something as well, not just Mustard. Where the instrumentals lack in cinematic intensity, a skit or an interlude surrounding Mustard’s upbringing picks it back up, creating an idiosyncratic balance that is solitary to mogul-level producers such as Mustard.
Diverse or uncommon collaborations are always a treat, and keep producer-centric albums fresh. Mustard has a few, with artists like Quavo & Rob49 collaborating on “One of Them Ones”, and Ty Dolla $ign, Future & the great Charlie Wilson on “Mines”. Admittedly, there aren’t as many as I’d hoped there’d be considering Mustard’s latest appearances with Kendrick & friends. Although, what is done to a tee here is the selection of artists who work obscenely well together. ScHoolBoy Q & Vince Staples being on “Pressured Up” or Young Thug & Lil Durk joining forces yet again for “Ghetto” aren’t innovative choices, but they are respectively elite duos that will not disappoint together. It’s a safe decision, but a smart one at that (I’d been fiending for new Thug material as well, so thank you Mustard).
After being around for this long and producing an abundance of hits, it’s rewarding seeing Mustard still feeling as if he has more to do. FOAMS is a very solid release, and should be looked at as a lesson in curation for other producers who wish to follow a similar path
SOUTHPORT MAGAZINE 
Leave a comment