Man on a Mission

At the age of 22, Toronto-born rapper Tre Mission sits in a very precarious place.  After his debut album Malmaison dropped in 2013, phrases like “Grime’s Must Watch Artist” began to circulate.  Now on his sophomore effort, Stigmata, many wonder: can Tre Mission can live up to the hype or will he be crushed under its weight? Upon first listen, its evident that Tre has learned a lot over the last few years and have developed into a more polished artist.

Songs like the title track “Stigmata” and “Money Make(her)” are perfect pop hip-hop tracks; nice beat, great hooks and lyrics for days. For some that is were the problem lies. Grime has always had the inherent grittiness to it, and Tre broke out some hot water and soap and scrubbed the hell out of these tracks. With that being said, these are phenomenal songs both lyrically and structurally. If Jay Z released “Money Make(her),” it would be played every ten minutes on the radio. On “In The Hallway (featuring Skepta),” Tre missed a few spots, and though it doesn’t shine the way some of the other tracks do, that doesn’t make it sub par.”Mily” is another track that has a rawness to it.

Tre has a chameleon-esque quality about him that allows him to adapt very well. As far as self-produced, independent artists go, Tre Mission has what it takes to make it big, and as represented on Stigmata there are signs that this rookie has what it takes to play in the big leagues. The only question that remains is in which direction will Tre Mission go next: continue as an underground artist, take a gamble with a major label or throw out a curveball?  Either way, it’s bound to be an interesting show.