Since the creation of Bitcoin, many have made songs about the orange pill. Even through projects like Counterparty (XCP) and Ordinals, musicians have put music on the blockchain, not many, or possibly any can say that they’ve dropped a ‘Bitcoin-infused’ album. Kane Mayfield however, has done exactly that.
DUST a head nodding, foot-tapping, lyric-lore-filled piece of musical innovation, is an album that includes the ‘sound of Bitcoin’ in every track, ultimately becoming exactly what Kane himself describes as “Bitcoin infused music”.
Throughout the album, Kane takes us through a journey, a story, his-story, providing us with a peek into his journey in life, the decaying music industry and Bitcoin. Filled with one boom-bap jam after another, the project oozes the gritty sounds of classic NY Hip-Hop, with a little sprinkle of Bitcoin. Yes, every song and skit contains the sound of BTC!
So, what do we mean by the ‘sound of BTC’?
Hearing from Kane himself on his inspiration for the project, the sounds were abstracted from the UTXOs of the first transactions Bitcoin creator Satoshi sent to Bitcoin’s first-ever user, Hal Finney (RIP) using the Bitcoin network. Those sounds were engineered and sprinkled across the entirety of the album…like dust, which lends the album title itself to a double entendre, as ‘Dust’ is also a term used to describe small amounts of, or often unspendable (due to the amount) satoshi’s or crypto left over in a wallet.
F**k your wave!
One thing that I loved about this album is Kane’s unapologetic tone and cadence throughout much of the album. Tracks like “FckYoWave” bring out the rawness of Mayfield’s story and push the drive behind putting in that proof-of-work not only with his music but in life overall, letting other emcees know Kane is not here to play!
Jumping into many of Kane’s normally thought-provoking, but highly jovial Twitter spaces, he talks often about his ambition, drive and dedication to getting things done, no matter how hard life is. This sentiment is most definitely a part of this project with tracks like “Old Scratch” telling the stories of everyday life where Kane comes from and his battle with his pain and self, giving a visualisation of his many experiences.
Final Thoughts
An album for Hip-Hop heads and those with a love for a rapper’s rapper (like me, ha!), DUST is a great listen and has become a regular play for me since it dropped. For those looking for a “Drill” or “Trap” album, this may not be the one for you. That being said the album itself is full of lyrical gems and the concept itself should be one to learn from. We have a lot of love here at 2140Art for musicians teaching about and incorporating Bitcoin into their music. Maybe that makes my opinion slightly biased, but that’s just me. Check the album out below and maybe you’ll add it to your collection. A must-have for Bitcoin music.
