REVIEW: COMMiSSiON- GROWiNG UP

 Modern independent musicians wear many hats, from guiding the production of the music they love, directing merch and marketing, and working the mechanics necessary to get their music heard. Likewise, content creators have to stay on their toes to contribute consistently; staying in touch with the game and building relationships with everyone in and out of the machine is essential.Joe Commisso, aka COMMiSSiON, also serves as the editor and webmaster of DetroitRap.com, creating content that supports and reviews Detroit music. He also supports Detroit acts directly at shows and events, and has been actively performing and preparing his own contribution to the discussion about Detroit hip-hop.As the new decade opened, Commission released "GROWiNG UP" across platforms and chose to weave a narrative about his past as his first full project.With appearances from VStylez, Kid Vishis, Jonnie Morris, Sin Crawford, and Redman, there is an edge to GROWiNG UP that reflects the struggles that COMMiSSiON encountered growing up on Carlisle Street in Detroit. JRGotTheHits, who helmed the majority of the production on the album, provided him with a synth-heavy soundscape that is sparse enough to allow Joe to do his thing while incorporating a good live feel that should translate well in Joe's performances.

Standout tracks include "Tell Em," "Too Much," and "Flagrant," where Pontiac's Sin Crawford drops a notable verse. COMMiSSiON does a great job of maintaining a subtext of growth throughout the tape, and the album climaxes with "Rapper Dad," where Joe balances music with maintaining his connection with his family.Overall, GROWiNG UP is a solid project. Making a thematic album for a debut is challenging, as streaming playlists don't always allow today's listeners an opportunity to hear records in context. Nevertheless, the songs can stand on their own, and it will be interesting to see how COMMiSSiON and JRGotTheHits continue to build chemistry. As we look forward to future projects (and content) by COMMiSSiON, we can bet that his music will stay true to what those of us who are music multitaskers already know -- having balance is the most important thing.https://open.spotify.com/album/01I8UwpSag1D0hksjzGo5Q