Mike Posner: One Foot Out The Door Mixtape (Review)

It seems like Posner couldn’t even wait for his album to be released; and I thought I was impatient. With more hype than 'David After Dentist’, One Foot Out The Door was the only thing I could think about for the past week after my eyes came across the beautiful, yet abstract and Dali-esque mixtape cover. Thursday, October 29^th was so far away…but I guess my prayers reached G-d because I found a miracle among us; One Foot Out The Door was released not one, but two days early! I stumbled across the download at MTVN Blog, and almost had to change my underwear I was so excited. I quickly popped it into iTunes, and gave it a whirl. Some might say it blew my mind, others, like TheSideNote say, “I'm listening to One Foot Out The Door… It's so sick! Like seriously, I'm having a hip-hopgasm right now.” Let’s get on with this review…

For us to understand what One Foot Out The Door is all about, we have to take a trip back in time (clocks seem to be a constant in Posner’s album art) and look at A Matter of Time. Fresh on the scene, Posner was a student producer with a mind of his own. His specialty was beat-making, not singing or rapping. As a man on a mission, he got together with a group of friends, started the Brain Trust, and pushed the mixtape out to the internet. He revolutionized distribution by utilizing iTunes U to feature his tape for free, and gained tons of credit in the blogosphere and throughout the interwebs. My favorite tracks on that tape were “Drug Dealer Girl”, “Cooler Than Me”, “Who Knows”, and “Smoke and Drive”. Three out of those four feature G.O.O.D. Music’s, Big Sean. In my mind, Sean made that tape, and while Posner’s mixing and beat-making abilities were off the chain, he just couldn’t do it alone. And then he got a deal…

Earlier this summer, in late July, Mike Posner was picked up by Sony J Records, and given a shot at doin’ it up right. With major distribution and a nice paycheck in his pocket, he was ready for greatness. Touring the country (most notably Michigan and NYC), while still keeping up a nice GPA, Posner is talented and intellectual. He started to turn his swag on, and got pumped up for the big leagues. The mixtape has numerous featured artists, and it finally feels like Posner is featuring them, not the other way around. The joints are more musical, the remixes are hotter, and his beats are bass-tastic. Check out Mike Posner as he steps out into the world with, One Foot Out The Door.

“One Foot Out The Door” Not only does Posner come out with a strong beat that feels like he’s on a journey, but he transitions into a techno-funk-trance beat showcasing the beginning of his self-guided and self-enlightened quest into the unknown of commercial hip-hop. He keeps it real to his style with an ill intro-oriented song, and nails it on the head. Good work.

“I Don’t Trust Myself” Posner stealthfully remixes John Mayer’s song here; I didn’t even know it was his song! Again, the beat is very spacy/funky and spices up the track. Here we find a deep track, matching what we saw on A Matter of Time, with “Still Not Over You ft. Eric Holljes”. Don’t think you’d get any cred bumpin’ this track in a club, but maybe you’d score some in the bedroom 8-).

“Traveling Man (Snippet)” “Traveling Man” caught me a little by surprise with the latina feel, but to be honest with you it was quite refreshing. What wasn’t refreshing is when Clinton Sparks yells at me at the end telling me that I can’t finish the song. I guess that’s what they meant by snippet. The beat matches the lyrics. I’m guessing Posner’s top vacation spot is Latin America?

“You Don’t Have to Leave” “Baby girl open up your eyes/ I’ll be in the sky/ somewhere far away/ tryin’ to find my way”. Posner’s philosophical side comes out in this track as well as his romantic personality. Not only are the lyrics legit, but I feel myself floating away as I listen. I will definitely consider adding this track to a Relax/Sleep playlist in the near future.

“Cooler Than Me (Gigamesh Remix)” When I first started listening, I was confused as to how I thought. The remix seemed to be much different than the original that I was familiar with from Posner’s first tape, but then it started to grow on me. After listening to the track, I saw Mike and Big Sean Live on Carson Daly, and realized that I really enjoyed the remix as a live version better than recorded. There are some things that just can’t be contained in a pair of headphones; this is one of them.

“Don't Trust Me (Benny Blanco Remix) ft. Kid CuDi & 3OH!3” What can I say? Huge fan of the original, huge fan of the CuDi remix, huge fan of the Posner verse addition. Who knew Posner was such a jokester? I really hope that the girls’ wager to hook up with Posner first was a reality…for all of our sakes! And yeah, when a girl says she has a boyfriend at a party, I’d say the odds of it being true are slim to none !

“Kiss Me Thru the Phone ft. Saigon” This track had already been floating through my library, but without Saigon, and I can surely say that he adds a touch of “class” to the song. I wonder if they’ll feature this song on Entourage? If you haven’t seen Posner’s Making Of Video for this track, then you’re really missing out. All I want to do is watch it 2000 times over.

“Red Button” “Red Button” is an interesting track telling the story of a girl who refuses to call Mike back after she takes a job on Wall Street. Mrs. “Too Good To Call Me” blew him off, and what does he go and do? POSNER GETS SIGNED! Lyrically solid, solid beat, solid track. Props.

“Bring Me Down ft. Big Sean & Freddie Gibbs” The return of BIG SEAN. Thank you very much! I don’t think I could have waited any longer. Freddie Gibbs is a new face and KILLS his verse (even overkills it like I used to do in GoldenEye: 007). Don’t you dare try to bring Mike down; he’s not havin’ any of that.

“Mirror's Edge ft. Bun B, GLC, and XV” This track is just a blast to play and re-play. Hopefully you caught our earlier feature, but we’ve been supporters since XV released it a few weeks ago. Huge fan, but not a new sound.

“Speed of Sound ft. Big Sean” “My life’s like, movin’ at the speed of sound”. Probably my favorite on the tape, Posner understands his educational obligations as well as his commitment to music. The track is soothing and deep, and we can feel Posner’s confusion and feelings of emptiness within a world of ultimate publicity. To top it off we have Big Sean laying down rhymes at the end about something other than weed…interesting. I’ve never seen this side of any rapper, excuse me, musician, and I really appreciate it.

Phenomenal. “Close the Door ft. Clinton Sparks” And as quickly as it began, the tape is over. The closing isn’t as strong as the opening, but I see it as a closing to the first chapter of Posner's life and an opening to his next chapter. "Goodbye to the old me / goodbye to the minutes, and seconds, and hours / Hello to the new me / I like how this feels, so close the door…” Not only does Posner rock this tape harder than he’s ever rocked anything before, but he’s ready to blast off, and he’s taking us with him. I’m almost at a loss for words after listening. To be honest with you, something this incredible shouldn’t be free. I was wowed by A Matter of Time, and once again I am wowed to the max with One Foot Out The Door. I can see why Posner was so eager to release this bad boy…he KILLED it.