Denver's Alex Meazy mostly raps under the name A Meazy, but he also has a secondary identity that you really have to respect: "Ned Flanders."
See, you may know Ned Flanders as Homer Simpson's sweater-wearing prude of a neighbor-diddily-eighbor, but Flanders also goes hard. He's ripped. He's full of conviction. He's stupid sexy in a ski jumpsuit.
I don't know whether that last one applies to Meazy, but I do know his latest project just got recognized in The Source.
His latest project, embedded below, is The Real Ned Flanders 2.
(It's uncensored, so maybe don't blast it at daycare.)
His lyrics include a lot of biographical references to Denver, especially on the track Spilt Milk.
After talking about growing up on the east side, Meazy says he was "playing for Prince Hall, under Coach Bruce / was a starting running back and linebacker too."
Later local mentions include Denver South High School and the restaurant Cold Crush. The album also includes work by fellow Colorado artists Top Flite Empire, Ray Reed and Trev Rich, according to The Source.
"While maintaining his own sound, Meazy has a great mixture of new age sound with old school realism," writes author Ontoneyo.
In his interview with The Source, Meazy cites J. Cole as an inspiration. That makes sense to me, because they're both lyrical musicians who talk about coming up in cities that aren't really known for hip-hop. (J. Cole is from Raleigh and Fayetteville, N.C.)
If you like what you hear, A Meazy's album release show is July 28 at The Bluebird Theater. Pre-sale tickets are $10, or $15 on the day of the show.
Also, about Ned Flanders.
I asked Meazy via Facebook about what Ned Flanders means to him.
Here's what he said: "Ned Flanders is definitely like an alter identity. It's the rapper in me. It came from a punchline when I said 'I am the real Ned Flanders, the nicest in the town.' It's a confidence thing. I believe I'm the best."
Boom.
