Linqua Franqa: Model Minority  LP   (HHBTM Records)

Bio: The Model Minority LP is the first full-length release by Athens-based linguist-rapper Mariah Parker, whose scientific fixation with hip hop is obvious in the intricate rhymes she weaves over boom bap beats. Written and recorded while Parker completed a master’s degree in linguistics at the University of Georgia, The Model Minority LP tells unflinching tales of emotional instability on Up Close and Eight Weeks, drug addiction on Midnight Oil, race and politics on The Con & The Can and feminist swagger on Gold Bike and Raww. Side-B of the album treats listeners to several remixes of previously released tracks as well as new collaborations with Wesdaruler, also of Athens, and DopeKNife, of Savannah. Longtime hip hop heads will hear echoes of nineties New York underground in both her playful vocal delivery and piano-centric, classic R&B-inspired compositions, especially with...Eight Weeks, which tackles sensitive topics of depression, self-injury and abortion with both ferocity and grace, or ...My Civilian Life, which shreds class privilege and falsity in the music business without batting an eye, or...Raw, a playful nod to Busta Rhymes and an anthem for black intellectuals.