Honest As/In Hell: M-Dot’s Sophomore Project Shines Through Darkness
Boston’s best MC follows up his history-making 2017 debut with a full-length equal to its predecessor
Michael Januario — the Boston-based MC, producer and artist known as M-Dot — is without a doubt the hardest-working artist representing Massachusetts — and has been for years. A glazier by day and insomniac idiosyncratic by evening, M-Dot completely torched the competition in 2017 with egO anD The eneMy — his record-breaking official solo debut and easily one of the single best debuts in hip-hop history.
Following up Dining In Dystopia — his January 2022 project comprised of 11 ‘loosies’ and itself a classic release (who else has Kool G Rap, Conway, RJ Payne and Ras Kass on an in-between-albums project?) — Dot returns with egO anD The eneMy 2: A Dissolute Paradise — the official sequel to his debut and equally as honest.
The brilliance of the twelve tracks (and one expertly-used There Will Be Blood-sampled Intro) comes almost entirely from the strength of M-Dot the auteur. Nearly no features (those who made the cut reward M-Dot’s belief in their presence by lyrically keeping pace) and entirely transparent, egO anD The eneMy 2: A Dissolute Paradise lands like a confessional recorded over dope beats.
Think The Diary from Scarface and “Song Cry” by Jay-Z. Think Stranger Than Fiction from Kevin Gates and “Muddy Waters” by Bizzy Bone.
egO anD The eneMy 2: A Dissolute Paradise lands among the most raw, honest, anti-swag full-length releases ever. No frills, no faking, no forcing and no fugazi — just facts; as painful as reality.
As with the majority of M-Dot’s career, the underlying spirit beneath the pain is the purpose; these tracks are designed to reveal not just the struggle but the persistence required to not succumb to them, to strive for more beyond these times, these days. Keep going.
It takes an extremely confident and capable artist to share these illuminations through a lens of perspective and control. This isn’t venting or a cry for help; these are banging rap tracks which happen to shed light on the struggles of M-Dot — and the rest of us. If not directly roommates, his vices, his mistakes, his struggles at least live in the same tenement as ours. These aren’t long-lost family members returning as ghosts, these are the spirits in the house; it was theirs first.
Moreover, egO anD The eneMy 2: A Dissolute Paradise plays spoiler to what will most-likely be M-Dot’s next chapter and next release: complete self-control and composure over his own complexities. egO anD The eneMy 2: A Dissolute Paradise weighs the same as the middle chapters of a self-help book; M-Dot is going through it. Embracing his difficulties with this much grit, authenticity and transparency will beget nothing less than growth and rebirth on the other side. Expect M-Dot’s best work to date with whatever follows up egO anD The eneMy 2: A Dissolute Paradise.
In the meantime, his prolific portfolio thus far is something special.
- “Dissolute Intro” prod. by Victor Keys & M-Dot
A perfect reference point from one of the greatest films ever created, egO anD The eneMy 2: A Dissolute Paradise opens with a familiar character exploring familiar themes M-Dot expands on across the album.
2. “Silver Bullet” prod. by Pro Knows Music
“They say I need a paper trail to buy a house / and told me that my rap cash / it ain’t the right amount / but what they know? / my savings is high / this American dream, though / has created a lie”
Off a beat reminiscent of something from GZA’s Beneath the Surface, M-Dot maps out the mind state of the project: broken, not beaten.
3. “Running Home” prod. by Dub Sonata
“She tells me never let your chin touch your chest plate / listen, son / they couldn’t be you even on their best day / there’s some battles you win / and some you might lose / but a soldier inside you is built to fight through”
In the first verse, M-Dot captures a snapshot of struggles within his upbringing before pivoting in the second verse to the struggles of his own children. Beautifully-designed imagery of adolescent strife and the genetic through-line tying them together.
4. “Done” prod. by Apollo Brown
“Nowadays it seems like every day a rapper’s dead / he chose to act tough / puff his chest / go flap his lips / he’d rather trap instead / than tighten his wordplay / I’m just shining light / like God on the first Day”
Scathing critique on hip-hop, fame, social media and clout. M-Dot clings to and insists upon his authenticity, his story and his truth. How he reflects his perspective is both admirable and refreshing; hopefully “Done” ushers an era of genuine personas back in.
5. “Not Today” prod. by Black Milk
“The path that I’ve taken / is traveled less often / they used to be joking and laughing and gawking / now I’m on planes / back into Boston / thirty-day tour / wrapped up and slaughtered”
Part of what makes egO anD The eneMy 2: A Dissolute Paradise and M-Dot so enjoyable to listen to is his lack of excess; both in substance and style. Similar to Nipsey Hussle and his classic Victory Lap, M-Dot has nearly no talking before or after the beat kicks in; he waits for his drop and gets to work. Additionally, “Not Today” represents double-timing from M-Dot, a new flow which works perfectly against the Black Milk-produced banger.
6. “HoopHop” f/ Alexander Padei prod. by Erik Sermon
“Let me tell you how it all came together / practice each day / until the ankles swell up / then it’s back to the grid / time to record / I would dream as a kid I’d find my rhymes in The Source”
A break from the introspection, M-Dot brings the famous funk of Eric Sermon — and a great chorus from Alexander Padei — to detail his storied basketball career across multiple colleges, as “HoopHop” stands as one of the first four singles off the album.
7. “Break” prod. by Gajos
“Let it build in your chest / heart palpitates / with your drink at the bar / let it quell your pains / nothing’s changed / it’s the same as it always was / money’s false hope / so you break like a dollar does”
A Jerry Wonda-inspired beat, M-Dot dives deep into dependency on “Break” — specifically alcohol. Sandwiched between tales of financial hardship and its attack on pride, M-Dot shines as a relatable wordsmith looking to tell his tale regardless of its appeal.
8. “Fall” prod. by !llmind
“She’s spazzing / and smashing dishes / she’s asking / “you smashing bitches? / every time you on the road / do you look back and you miss us?”
Another beautifully-used movie sample — this time from Doctor Sleep — “Fall” lands in the puddle started by its predecessor “Break”, falling fully into alcoholism and self-loathing, opening the track with a truly heartbreaking look at his wife’s perspective of his career.
9. “Pain & Haste” prod. by Pro Knows Music
“The heat is on me / and I’m contemplating cocking back / the homie Joe Joe did six years / didn’t talk or rat / the way it’s supposed to be / character / integrity / until I’m in my coffin when they carry / and they bury me”
Perhaps the strongest track on an album full of them, “Pain & Haste” hearkens back to mid-90’s boom-bap, the nostalgia updated by M-Dot’s references to COVID, blogs and drug overdoses.
10. “Destitute Dreams” (f/ Lateb) prod. by G Koop
“Last pour / this the final one / put it in my cup / I ain’t lying / then I’m done / I’m trying for my son / and I’m trying for my daughters / hear my Pops’ voice in my ear / telling me I got it”
Another fire flow, as M-Dot breaks away from the lows expressed during the middle of the album; more confident, refusing to give into the struggle and strife surrounding him. Joined by fellow Boston MC Lateb, this is a track that would fit nicely in Ghostface Killah’s catalog.
11. “Round Table” (f/ Willie The Kid, Vast Aire & Revalation) prod. by Gajos
“I find myself often searching for a meaning / what’s the purpose to be dreaming / if our purpose on this Earth is a mystery / deep and deceiving / trapped in a paradox / baby, I’m leaving / grab my laptop bag / I’m off”
A borderline battle cry, M-Dot continues to show his talent and versatility on the first — and only — posse cut off egO anD The eneMy 2: A Dissolute Paradise. Impressive verses from Willie The Kid, Vast Air and fellow EMS member Revelation support M-Dot as he completes his final form: ready.
12. “Pond Street” prod. by Pauly Cicero
“Bossman says there’s no work / to go home / motherfucker / how I’ma buy a house / with no loan? / landlord floor below says the music’s loud / got the kids nervous now / not to move around”
Despite the progress and positivity displayed on the previous three tracks, old demons quickly reappear; M-Dot details struggling to connect with his son, lamenting the impact of COVID on his daughter and the unreliability from friends when funds are low. What separates these tails from others is the detail; anyone who can relate to M-Dot’s struggles know how real he — and those struggles— are.
13. “The Atonement” prod. by Pete Rock
“Riots are brewing / the water supply is polluted / yet the flag we’re crying over / who’s trying to salute it / while kids are abandoned / shooting schools / killing at random / we’re worrying about who’s sitting and standing?”
Perhaps it’s the beat — or the producer behind it — but M-Dot basically blacks out to end the album. Ridiculous flow, full of his patented self-belief and heart.
This version of M-Dot can run pace with any rapper out, without question. Ironically, the more introspective and raw M-Dot can equally hang with any lyricist out. The duality of talent M-Dot possesses is captured on egO anD The eneMy 2: A Dissolute Paradise. Can’t wait for the next chapter.
