Sweet dreams
New London rapper Young Meishy gets personal on debut
Willie Nelson was 38 when he wrote the “Yesterday’s Wine” LP. That Frank Sinatra’s wistful “The September of My Years” came out as he turned 50 was not a coincidence. Prince Paul was almost 32 when he came out with “A Prince Among Thieves,” and Pete Townshend was an emotionally battered 28 at the time of “Quadrophenia.”
A few thoughts spring to mind from these seemingly random bits of musical history: All four of these titles are so-called “concept albums” — which is to say each comprises a collection of songs that tell a cohesive narrative. And since the above are, respectively, country, jazz, rap and rock records, the idea of a concept album transcends musical genre.
Finally, it’s reasonable to suggest that, to conceptualize and compose such self-reflective concept albums, a certain amount of age and wisdom comes into play — the sort probably not associated with a 16-year-old about to enter his senior year of high school.
Then again, to listen to “Dreamer Boy,” the recently-out eight-song album by New London High School’s Micah Rodriguez, known musically as Young Meishy. “Dreamer Boy” is a thoughtful, hooky and ambitious collection — alternately wounded and brash — exploring the nuances of an ill-fated romance seen through the prism of Young Meishy’s own experiences.
“I wanted to tell a story. I fell in love with someone, and it didn’t work out, and I started writing songs with a theme of heartbreak,” he says. It’s a warm July afternoon, and Young Meishy is sitting on the shaded front porch of the New London home he shares with his mother Nicole, younger sister Makayla and his twin brother Mekih. “I wrote songs until I’d said all I had to say, and it was interesting because I felt relieved and a little sad — but I also felt like it was a really good album.”
In fact, “Dreamer Boy” is extremely accomplished, with songs that spring from vulnerable confusion — “Heartless,” the title track — to witty, confident boasts that seem as much about a belief in inevitable success as they are exercises in nuancing self-esteem (“Welcome to the Show,” the spitfire “Up Next”). The backing tracks are artfully supportive, segueing from haunting, fingerpicked acoustic guitar figures and garden-lush ambient synth patterns to more raucous party beats — all delivered with Meishy’s smooth, assured flow and rhymes.
The album was recorded in his own studio, which is in an upstairs bedroom at home and includes the basic monitors, pre-amps, microphones, synthesizers, Midi controllers and sundry instruments. Like most hip hop albums, there’s considerable
audio sampling, beat construction and track layering — and collaborative contributions from classmates/ pals like Yake, I Am the 3rd, Top Dawg, Proph3tz, Lil Jahoo and Mekih R.
As per delivery trends in the music business, “Dreamer Boy” isn't available on CD or vinyl, but via platforms like SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple and Amazon.com and has collectively scored over 20,000 streams.
Meishy says any given song starts with a music sample. For a lot of the “Dreamer Boy” album, obviously, he was drawn to sad and melancholy snatches of melody and atmospherics.
“The music always suggests the lyrics,” he says, “and I'd find these airy vibes that made me want to write about sadness. But sometimes you want to get aggressive and go uptempo. It was all about finding the balance that captured all the emotions I was feeling.”
Dreaming is hard work
If the idea that “Dreamer Boy” is the effortless product of a prodigy, well, Meishy is certainly gifted. But his burgeoning career and the album are also indicative of his hard work and goals. Like many artists, Meishy had an epiphanic moment. He was 12 and over at a friend's house when he heard local rapper Dappa V.
“I'd heard rap, of course,” Meishy remembers. “But there was something about seeing someone I knew. I just said, ‘I wanna do that.' I wrote my first song that afternoon, and it was natural. It was immediately home to me.” He pauses, then adds, laughing, “It wasn't a good song. But I thought that it had potential.”
Meishy went to work. He's written hundreds of songs, he says, and was consistently encouraged by the progress he was making. He cites Eminem as being his first major influence, and talks about ill-fated artists Lil Peep and XXXTentacion as rappers who made musical impressions but also provided real-world lessons.
“I think music affects everyone, but maybe differently,” Meishy says. “You need the right artists saying the right things at the right time, and you can change the world. Hip hop is associated everywhere with drugs, money and girls, and that's part of the image. It's part of the reality, and I get that. But rap can also be socially aware, and that's what I try to work on. I think my music is enjoyable and fun, but at the same time, the cause is important.”
Fully commited to rap, Meishy spends two to three hours a day working on music. He might be writing or recording songs or practicing freestyle deliveries. He's a fan of finding interesting words, then seeking out synonyms that might add different rhythmic possibilities or textures.
In addition to happily devoting time to working on music, Meishy is also a student of how the music business works in the age of social media, streaming and downloading.
“... You have to concentrate on social networking — Twitter, Instagram and (streaming platforms) SoundCloud. You have to, to make any progress. A lot of people are happy to listen to established artists and aren't always into new music,” he says.
Meishy would love it if making music was a career. Even though “Dreamer Boy” has only been out since June, he's already dropped a new single, “Come Over,” and plans on releasing an EP of new material in September. He's also activiely seeking opportunities for live performances, though none are confirmed at the moment. After graduation, he says he might try college; if music doesn't work out, he says he would like to mentor young people and, as a big fan of basketball and soccer, maybe coach.
He likes living in New London, remarks on the support of artists and people in the community and the staff at the high school, and thinks it's possible to establish a national music career here. Meishy smiles, thinking. “At first, I thought, you know, if you make good music, people are going to hear it. It's gonna get out there. Of course, I was 12. That was a bit naive,” he says. “But this is what I want to do. It's more than possible to be an indie artist and make it, and to do it in New London.”