That all changes this Saturday, November 16th, when MAD will return to the stage for the first time since 2019 for an album release showcase that he\u2019s calling \u201cMasters of the Universe\u201d at the Pink Palace Planetarium. Last month, we caught up with IMAKEMADBEATS at his Midtown studio Outerspace to learn more about the album and his upcoming live performance.
To set the stage a bit, MAD\u2013n\u00e9e James Dukes\u2013has been quietly managing a rare auto-immune disorder, which has often times made keeping up with his grueling schedule a near impossibility. This struggle, he says, was a primary inspiration for his new album.
\u201cI was watching War of the Worlds <\/em>recently, and I noted the fact that the humans could not defeat the aliens\u2026the aliens were ultimately defeated by bacteria. Essentially, the strength of the aliens was undermined by one of the smallest things on earth. I started to feel like \u2018Well, maybe I have this issue. Maybe my<\/em> body wasn\u2019t made to deal with earth\u2019s atmosphere. Maybe I\u2019m not from here\u2026\u201d
This idea birthed the concept for WANDS<\/em>, his new (largely instrumental) concept album that begins with MAD leaving earth in search of his home, wherever in the cosmos that may be. \u201cEveryone who knows me well knows that for the last 10 years or so I\u2019ve been saying \u2018One day I\u2019m just gonna disappear.\u2019 This album is the story of what happens when I finally disappear.\u201d
Conceived as a movie score, WANDS<\/em> is a soundtrack \u201cfor those daring to leave the familiar behind, seeking solace and understanding in the vast expanse of the universe.\u201d As such, there likely isn\u2019t a more fitting place in the city to unveil it than at the Pink Palace, an organization that Unapologetic has already collaborated with for their ongoing Midnight Marauder series.
When I tell him that I find the budding relationship between Unapologetic and the Pink Palace as being beautifully serendipitous\u2013-especially when considering Saturday night\u2019s celestially-themed event\u2013MAD is quick to correct me.
\u201cTo quote V in V for Vendetta<\/em>, \u2018I don\u2019t believe in coincidences, only the illusion of it.\u2019 My life has been filled with instances that make you say \u2018How the fuck did this happen at exactly the right time?\u2019 I just lean into it at this point,\u201d he explains. \u201cAs a matter of fact, when I first met [Pink Palace Executive Director] Kevin Thompson, he was like \u2018Yeah man, I\u2019m not sure if you\u2019re into things like the planetarium\u2019 and I had to stop him and say \u2018Bro, you know my studio is called Outerspace right?!\u2019\u201d
This all brings up back to Saturday night\u2019s \u201cMasters of the Universe\u201d celebration, which will be held on MAD\u2019s birthday. No coincidences, right? In addition to playing his new album, MAD will also be controlling the stars in the sky and unveiling new visuals, guiding the audience through a mysterious interstellar journey.
\u201cThis is not just a performance,\u201d reads the press release. \u201cIt is an odyssey where vulnerability becomes art, and music becomes a portal to the magical realms beyond our world.\u201d Honestly, we wouldn\u2019t expect anything less.
Tickets for \u201cMasters of the Universe\u201d can be purchased here<\/a>. The event begins at 7PM.<\/em>
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<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Ezra Wheeler For nearly a decade, IMAKEMADBEATS and the Unapologetic collective that he founded have been at the cutting-edge of music, reimagining what it means to be part of the Memphis music scene. However, as he has helped lead his company to newfound heights of public recognition, including high-profile collaborations with the Memphis Grizzlies…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":28121,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,45,5129,5140,5137,127,38,3,5131],"tags":[15,5624,5621,117,5430,5504,5625],"class_list":["post-28091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activities","category-arts","category-events","category-hip-hop","category-live-music","category-memphis-music","category-music","category-play","category-things-to-do","tag-featured","tag-imakemadbeats","tag-live-music","tag-memphis-music","tag-memphis-rap-and-hip-hop-music","tag-unapologetic","tag-wands"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n