North Portland-raised rapper Mic Capes established himself years ago as one of the cityโs most promising hip-hop artists. Whenever he gears up to drop new music, the city is ready and listening, amped to support and promote the artist. On his fourth studio project, In Spite Of… Capes’ evolution as an artist is on display, and that growth is paying off. Since its official July 20 release, In Spite Of… peaked at the #4 spot on the Apple Music Hip-hop/Rap Albums chart.
The In Spite Of… title means to keep going in spite of oneโs obstacles and adversity. Throughout the project, Capes spits inspirational, motivational lyrics that pay respect to his family and roots. The project as a whole sees Capes evolving from more ego-driven tapes like Cold Blooded Vol 1, and 2017โs Sheesh; the new album is about his journey with music, staying humble, working hard, and being true to his faith and values.
On โAffirmations,โ which features Farnell Newton and jaminah, Capes raps about his family being on food stamps and getting free boxes of food when he was growing up, and how that motivated him to pursue his music dreams. โI chose to quit my job and go against the odds/Iโd rather chase a dream than work a 9 to 5/Iโd rather take a risk than say I never tried,โ he raps like a mantra, and then goes into prayer mode with โLord give me strength/ Lord give me drive.โ Another standout track is โUrgency,โ in which he appropriately raps at a fast pace, and mentions balancing his music career with his relationship with then fiance (now wife): โI found the lady I love, yeah/ She wanna settle down/ I wanna marry her, I do this music though, hard to be tethered down/ I made a promise though, I gotta keep my word/ I know I gotta pray/ Ainโt even trippin though, I put my faith in god, I know weโll find a way.โ
โHunger (featuring King Leez)โ takes off where 2017โs โI Mightโ left off, affecting a similar rhythm and energy in the choru. But instead of materialistic goals like buying a plane as the inspiration, itโs more about surviving and thriving as an independent artist. โTired (Grateful)โ sees Capes rapping about being โtired of getting by,โ and another major highlight is โReminders,โ which packs groovy nostalgic production by Dontฤ and featured vocals by Jane Handcock. Capes delivers lines like โSame cops that used to stop and give us stickers/ the same cops that wanna lock us up and kill us,โ and rhythmic lyrics like โThey say my flow could be the catapult to stack a profit/ lately I been losing weight, just making space for fatter pockets/ Remember that lame though told me that Iโd never make it/ In my mind I used that doubt to elevate to greatness.โ On the track โW.W.J.D,โ Capes samples his late father who recently passed away from cancer, and credits him as โMy Dadโ on the track, which also features Flvmingo and Big Bro Johnny.
On the excellent final track โAdamant,โ Capes raps about how far heโs come in spite of loss, giving credit to his parents for the man he is today: โSon of a hustler, Iโm functioning with my dadโs genes/ Son of my mother, another one of her Black kings.โ He talks about the murder of Nipsey Hussel, and references Dame Lillard as a proxy for himself and his loyalty to his hometown of Portland: โA fixture in my home like Dame Lillard, the same spirit/ Loyal to my team, ainโt switchin/ We raised different.โ
Iโll never forget the first time I saw Mic Capes perform; it was a We Take Holocene hip-hop show, and Damian Lillard was in the crowd. Understandably impressed by Capesโ set, Lillard proceeded to share an Instagram post praising his skills as a lyricist and performer. Capes has gone on to garner Lillardโs praise on several occasions over the years. In an interview with Nardwuar in July 2020, Lillard AKA Dame DOLLA shouted Capes out as Portlandโs best rapper and Capes sampled the clip for the beginning of โReloaded (Freestyle)โ: โMic Capes might be the best rapper in Portland, to me. Me included. I think Mic Capes is the best,โ says Lillard.
Whether itโs better than his debut full-length Concrete Dreams is up for debate, but it definitely matches it. The overall result of In Spite Of… is a deep, heartfelt and mature project that not only shares a three-dimensional Capes with his Portland fanbase, but also has the power to resonate with a national audience and put some authentic Portland hip-hop on the map.