Tahmac is a young songwriter and producer from Brooklyn New York. Growing up surrounded by the sounds of Hip Hop legends, he soon embarked on his musical journey, starting to learn production techniques at the age of 15. He’s worked as a producer for both signed and unsigned talent in America and the U.K. Travelling abroad increased his knowledge of production and writing techniques, and led to him becoming an artist in his own right, creating the global sound that has become his debut album.
There are hints of American rap and hip hop on ‘Welcome to Tahland’, which sit alongside some British soul and R&B. Think of a cross between Eminem and Craig David, and you wouldn’t be far off the mark. Alongside the 15 tracks on the album, are interludes on the theme of airline announcements; an interesting comparison between a flight, and a musical journey, which is obviously important to the artist.
When it comes to the music, this album hasn’t had the best reviews from elsewhere in the media, and in some ways the criticisms might be justified. Some of the tracks like ‘Let Loose’ are a bit too bass heavy for my liking, while some guest vocals, like those on ‘Do It Big’ are just the right side of average. In terms of lyrical content, the themes of love, sex, ladies, fame and fortune, are nothing new, the same goes for the slight smattering of rap star ego, but I think he deserves credit for putting his own spin on things. I don’t think these things will necessarily stop you from enjoying this album either. It’s a slick, well produced, on trend slice of urban music. Highlights include Tia Myrie’s song ‘Back In Time’ with it’s first class vocals, and easy to listen to summery vibe. Whether ‘Time Of My Life’ is egocentric, or merely an intro to Tahmac is open to debate, but I enjoyed the melodies in this song. Our very own Mutya Buena also makes an appearance on the album, adding her soulful vocals to the message laden ‘Give Back’. I think any of these songs could be potential hit singles, and even if he’s sticking to a formula, if he does it well, what’s to stop the rest of us enjoying it? A mostly enjoyable debut, from a guy that certainly knows his production techniques!