After years of hustle and struggle, Yungsta’s much-awaited studio debut album – “Meen” is out. As the name suggests, “Meen” takes its origin from the zodiac sign Pisces and is the emotional adventure of the Piscean Yungsta. While a lot of major DHH artists have released their debut albums with a tried and tested theme of their come-up story, Yungsta’s spin on the theme by relating it with his zodiac sign traits and backing them up with personal anecdotes is very fresh.
On a thematic level, “Meen” is undeniably the most vulnerable piece of art that we have ever heard from Yungi. The Full Power rapper takes us through a roller coaster ride of emotions as he narrates the lows of his life with equal pompousness and detail as his highs. To sum it up, it’s a coming-of-age story that talks about a variety of untouched topics in hip-hop with depth and clarity, all while being rooted in reality.
ACT 1 – HEAD
Act 1 of “Meen” titled ‘Head’ is all about the mindset and mentality of the Mehfil hitmaker. The songs in the first act are a reflection of the mind and when I say they are a reflection, I mean it. The intro Ruhbaru is one of the most powerful prologues I have heard in the scene today. As the song title suggests, Ruhbaru is a face-to-face conversation between Yungsta and his audience where he narrates everything about him, from his humble beginnings to his come up. Up next is Dilli with long-time collaborators Frappe Ash and Calm which is an all-out expression of his alpha mindset delivered with authority and confidence. But is that all his mind is about? It’s not and that’s what Sansani is about – a social commentary on the filthy journalism standards of the country backed with instances of vices of the society which deeply affect the rapper.
Next is Sukoon which marks the onset of our journey to the darkest and vulnerable corners of Yungi’s mind. It is a song expressing the frustration and exhaustion of Yungi stemming from the lack of success in his early days. Sukoon masterfully expresses the exasperation that Yungsta had in his mind at one point in his life and the results that stemmed from it. The last song of the first act is NASCAR / NEEDS which is one of my favorite songs off the album. The song is special because of two main reasons – A very unique comparison of anxiety with NASCAR [rarely used in DHH] along with Yungsta’s open admission of suffering from acute depression which again is a powerful admission considering the testosterone-loaded egos most rappers in the scene have today.
ACT 2 – HEART
The second act of the project has three songs covering the themes of family, and acceptance. Homecoming [Interlude] starts with a powerful speech by Yungi’s girlfriend AK about the impact of art. AK’s speech about music’s powers being above Yungsta sparks a change in mindset really changes his perspective on success which forces him to reconsider.
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The first step is to go back home, and appreciate all those who have supported him. People tend to get carried away in showbiz and take relations for granted but when all is lost, that’s when many realize that only your Day 1’s will be there for you no matter what. The interlude is Yungi expressing his appreciation to his well-wisher. Next is Jeena Isi Ka Naam which is Yungi gradually accepting the universal truth of life – Pain is inevitable, and suffering is optional. He accepts this nature of life and starts accepting it – the second step towards his comeback. The last song of the act is Savera which is an extension of JIKN and the themes of affirmation and hope.
ACT 3 – HAND
While the first two acts dealt with emotions and vulnerabilities, the third act is all about his hand, a euphemism for his art and writing. The first song in this Act is NLITI [No Love in This Industry] which starts with a speech by Faizaan [MVMNT] where he encourages the rapper to come up with “Meen”. NLITI is a terrific expose of the fickle and dishonest nature of the music industry in the country. While the first half is all the struggles he had, the second half is his learnings and change in mindset from the years of disservice from the industry. Up next is Totka featuring Ikka which is a song very similar to Dilli in terms of theme but very different at the same time because of one key difference – maturity. The album ends with Hona Hi Tha featuring his earliest industry friends Encore ABJ and Raga where they reminisce about the days of struggle albeit with an air of inevitability because even then, they knew that they would make it. It’s a song full of confidence and swagger.
PRODUCTION
Sez on the Beat is the executive producer of the album and frankly does an incredible job with the sounds introduced. The album has flavors and sounds of everything from heavy guitar riffs [shoutout Aman Sagar] to experimental kicks and boom baps to finely chopped vocal samples. The sound of “Meen” in all honesty isn’t something that will catch your vibe on the first listen but I can say with conviction that after listening to this album on loop for the last 2 days, this is a certified gamechanger by Sez and deserves it own article in itself.
CONCLUSION
What impressed me the most about “Meen” was its cohesiveness and Yungsta’s ability to draw references and metaphors to his emotions with a fresh take. The sequencing of the album is smooth like butter and manages to convincingly express Yungi’s coming-of-age story. All in all, “Meen” is a project that scales new heights in Yungi’s discography and sets up an ocean of opportunities ahead of him to swim smoothly in life. Gamechanger!
You can stream the album here!
