Minneapolis rap trio Mixed Blood Majority enters 'Foxes Den' ahead of Dec. 4 album release

The second album by Crescent Moon, Joe Horton and Lazerbeak arrives next week ahead of the Dec. 11 release party at First Ave.

November 24, 2015 at 4:30PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Mixed Blood Majority, left to right: Crescent Moon, Lazerbeak, Joe Horton. / Photo by Kai Benson

[Special note: This song debut was scheduled to post before today's news of Black Lives Matter demonstrators being shot in north Minneapolis overnight. The band members, whose album is heavily steeped in racial issues, wished to add this note: "Our thoughts are with those still camped out in north Minneapolis."]

Twin Cities fans have heard a diverse array of music from Mixed Blood Majority's members over the years, including two different releases already this year from co-frontman Crescent Moon (Alexei Casselle of Kill the Vultures). But they haven't really heard them like the way they sound on the all-star trio's sophomore album, "Insane World."

The 11-song collection -- which drops Dec. 4 – is something of a bipolar set, in a good way. Crescent Moon's and No Bird Sing rapper Joe Horton's seething, bleary-eyed view of race relations and socioeconomics (all too timely subjects locally) are wildly offset with some of the rowdiest, liveliest, most dancefloor-ready beats of producer Lazerbeak's career. It's as fun a record as it scary, as visceral as it is provocative.

After issuing the dark, epic, wordy track "Same Thing Coming" a few weeks ago, MBM unveils the more straight-ahead, simplistic fist-pumper "Foxes Den" today (posted below). The track has been a hit at recent MBM live shows and sounds like it could be a future show-opener, although it actually falls at No. 8 on the new album's track list.

Mixed Blood Majority will test the rest of the record's live translation in a big way with a Dec. 11 release party at First Avenue, which will also feature P.O.S.'s first main room set in a while as well Grrrl Prty (ticket info here).

Pre-order info for "Insane World" is up at the Doomtree site.

about the writer

about the writer

Chris Riemenschneider

Critic / Reporter

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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