“MTF (More Than Friends)” by Feez da Popstar

“MTF (More Than Friends)” is the new single from New York City rapper, producer, and writer Feez da Popstar. It’s the next rung up the ladder of success for an outstanding and personable performer who has successfully made the leap from club mixer to performer without missing a beat. It’s the latest musical triumph in a brief but notable run since launching his musical career. Feez da Popstar fine-tunes his songwriting skills with each new release, and “MTF (More Than Friends)” reflects this from the outset. Its two-minute running time seems to imply that the song is a throwaway, but that’s far from the case. It’s a tightly constructed and focused track that synthesizes multiple musical styles without veering far afield from its core rap identity.

He plays with a handful of different musical inflections; this single is never just one thing. It isn’t a stylistic mishmash. There’s unity of texture and sound prevalent from beginning to end. It is a rap song, first and foremost, and whatever smattering of other influences listeners glean from their listening experience inform the sum of “MTF (More Than Friends)” rather than jumbling the overall picture. Feez wears a few different hats during the song, but he dons each one with individual flair. It’s a song geared for broad-based appeal, particularly to a young audience, but the track’s underlying fundamentals are recognizable for any listener.

His vocals cap everything. He doesn’t have an abrasive presence, but it is pervasive. His ability to modulate his delivery to suit the song’s purposes is one of the keys to the single’s success. Feez is in command at every juncture of the performance. The secondary voices cropping up throughout the performance blend well with the primary vocals and supply a compelling counterpoint. It is impressive how much is going on when you consider its abbreviated duration.

A little over two minutes seems like it isn’t nearly enough to develop a memorable track. However, Feez da Popstar confounds that assumption. The track’s unique trajectory has distinctive flair rather than contenting itself with aping other artists in the genre while maintaining enough similarities to make it familiar to us. You’ll likely finish the song every bit as fulfilled as you might have been by an equally effective song that’s twice as long. Feez has produced a masterpiece in miniature that invites multiple listens.

He does that without ever trying to remake the musical wheel. Instead, he embraces his individuality and a personal vision of what makes great rap music circa 2024. There are no compromises. He doesn’t sell himself, or the listener, short. It’s a substantive musical experience that likewise never fails to entertain its intended audience. Feez da Popstar has remarkably remade himself, and one of the most heartening aspects of that reinvention is that it’s still in progress. We should listen with great anticipation for what direction he’ll next explore and trust that it’ll pack the same thrills, differently, that we experience with “ MTF (More Than Friends)”.  

Michael Rand