It’s definitely Omaha’s skyline, but with a little bit of L.A. Confidential.
And why shouldn’t M34N STR33T introduce a ’50s aesthetic into a hip-hop song that evokes late-night diner jukeboxes and cruising Cadillacs?
On a massive album populated by earworm samples, “Nite Owl” perhaps takes the cake on Mutants of Omaha. As he does, M34N STR33T’s Haunted Gauntlet (a.k.a. Adam Robert Haug) fashioned the song from a bout of deep crate-digging. And the song’s brand new video, directed by Harrison Martin, is an eye-catching synthesis of Conchance’s commanding onstage persona and the group’s deeper, and still murkier, musical ideas.
Still, there’s a resounding feeling that anachronism is part of M34N STR33T’s sense of pleasure. Slump over in your car like a Zodiac victim. Skateboard through the city. Dance in the street with other Omaha hip-hop figures, like INFNTLP and Scky Rei.
You can listen to all of Mutants of Omaha here. Or, if you like, check out Hear Nebraska’s review of the record here.
You’ll be able to see M34N STR33T live at Maha Music Festival on Aug. 16. They’re scheduled to perform at 1:55 p.m.