McKinley Dixon’s ‘Magic, Alive’, The Legacy Of D’Angelo, And More

Discologist

Oct 21

This week on Discologist, guest-host Philip Basnight (Broke Royals / DC Rock History Podcast) joins and Kevin to talk about McKinley Dixon’s latest hip-hop wonderland Magic, Alive, the legacy of D’Angelo, and more.

Featured Album

Magic, Alive
McKinley Dixon

On his latest release, McKinley Dixon continues to refine his singular brand of hip-hop—and the results are nothing short of (ahem) magical. The Richmond, Virginia (now Chicago) native has long leaned toward a cinematic, fully realized sound, but Magic, Alive pushes that vision to new heights.

At its core, the album is about how loss reshapes us in unexpected ways. Each track feels like a short story — self-contained yet woven into a larger narrative — making the case that magic might just be real and living inside of us. His orchestrated, jazz-inflected hip-hop that was poised to take over the world in the late-2010’s (but never quite did) makes these 10 tracks come alive. Drawing from the vast tapestry of hip-hop — echoes of Outkast, A Tribe Called Quest, and clipping. abound — Dixon not only raises his own artistic bar but nudges the genre forward into new territory.

“My target audience is everyone with heart,” he declares midway through the record. It’s both an invitation and a mission statement. Magic, Alive is indeed full of heart, but more than that, it extends an embrace to anyone willing to listen. — Kevin

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