In my search for a Halloween-esque album to review on “No Skips” this week — where we analyze albums that have no skippable tracks — I realized my answer was staring right at me. “Mista Thug Isolation,” a pivotal record in the underground music scene that influenced my preference to dig below the surface to find new stuff, is a haunting listen I hope you’ll check out this season. Plus, the Halloween-y album cover most listeners have familiarized themselves with depicts a decaying hand held up to a neon-green light emitting radiation.
Travis Miller is the creator of this masterpiece. Known as Shawn Kemp, Bedwetter, Vudmurk and Lil Ugly Mane, the final name is his most prolific and the one to whom this project is attributed. Lil Ugly Mane was predominately Travis’ rap alias until 2021’s “Volcanic Bird Enemy and the Voiced Concern,” where he toyed more with rock and psychedelia. Regardless, “Mista Thug Isolation” is his most well-known and occult record to date, for good reason. Recorded in Maryland, it shows up in much of the music it draws inspiration from, including Memphis rap, which originated in nearby Tennessee. Furthermore, he proves that dated aesthetics of 1990s and 2000s Southern rap have plenty of staying power in the modern day.
If you manage to get through the few minutes of white noise that initiate this album and his follow-up, “Oblivion Access,” Miller has a treat waiting for you with the saxophone-tinged “Serious Shit.” He not only lays down his inventive wordplay but also his ability to flip samples off the jump. The chorus doesn’t even have any of Miller’s vocals on it; rather, a combination of Kurupt and M.C. Money, the latter of which the song’s name is derived from.
“Maniac Drug Dealer III” isn’t about drug dealing, though I would turn to his subsequent EP “Uneven Compromise” for a detailed exploration of the topic. This song is actually about murder. Calling back to other rap movements of past decades such as horrorcore, Miller raps, “Got me waiting outside of the club with the pump / Ready to dump, put you on slump / I know cats on your crew that all say you a chump.” He also gives love to the “Bling Era” when claiming, “When I smile, all you see is the diamonds in the cluster” in a time before most rappers had a mouth full of jewels.
“Wishmaster” is Miller at his prime both in production and rapping to a self-aware degree, as he repeats “Don’t you wish you could be me?” to a sped-up sample of the funky “Don’t You Wish You Could Be There” by Crackin.’ Other vocal and violin samples during the verses, where he says he “blow[s] spots just like a Molotov” culminate into the most high-octane track on the album, and potentially the entirety of his expansive discography. “Bitch I’m Lugubrious” sees Miller spitting at an impressive speed whilst maintaining his lyrical hubris when he remarks, “Your YouTube page is viewerless, it’s humorous.” The piano melody and saxophone notes are yet another layer of this sleeper hit that keeps listeners returning based on its Spotify play count.
Linking this article back to Halloween, we have “Cup Fulla Beetlejuice.” This is a music column, so don’t be shocked when I admit I haven’t watched either “Beetlejuice” movie and likely never will, despite this being one of my favorites on the record. The chorus is another example of Miller’s swagger when he proclaims, “Ain’t a killer on my level, I be wearing the crown,” and the verses are backed by ghoulish organs and other noises calling back to Halloween. The following three songs are notable for their use of cowbell and Miller just gets in a flow state, though I can’t wait any longer to discuss my favorite track from Miller.
“Twistin” features Denzel Curry, as the two were frequent collaborators during the 2010s, with Curry eventually blowing up in popularity. It’s unfortunate many fans haven’t heard his verse on the front end of the song that, in hindsight, makes it unsurprising that Curry would release the fast-paced “Ultimate” two years later. Retrospectively, it’s also funny when he states “Fuck a man on the moon” in reference to Kid Cudi, who he would later work with on “Talk About Me” with Dot Da Genius and JID. The infectious sample-based hook reappears, and somehow, Miller keeps the momentum of the track going, at least with bars like “Leave you imprisoned inside of a chalk line around your final position.” We got “JPEGUltra!” — this should’ve been called “UglyUltra.”
“Lean Got Me Fucked Up” is nothing but spooky vibes, from the sample of a child singing in the background to the alarming beginning of the first verse, “I’m a project ghost, I’m a hood apparition / Murder on my mind, money is my mission.” Miller’s most popular track, “Throw Dem Gunz,” flips “Small Cafe” by the late Leon Ware to create a cloud rap aesthetic, one that would become far more relevant in the coming years. Finally, the instrumental that finishes “Mista Thug Isolation” off is a small taste of the vocal-less hip-hop that dominates his “Three Sided Tape” series.
The most skippable track for many people is “Slick Rick” due to the piercing CRT TV sound that thankfully only annoys me a little since I grew up playing Mario games on old televisions. The same can be said for “Lookin 4 Tha Suckin” where the shrill sound of a bed or chair creaking is looped, presumably to insinuate sex, though the beat is quite laid-back outside of this.
Nevertheless, this album is heat from front to back and I wish resellers didn’t hike the prices of the vinyl pressing up so much. Speaking of, someone had bought one of his later releases and immediately listed it online for an exorbitant price, so Miller’s label found out who the seller was and sent them a box of rocks. Don’t show up to this guy’s doorstep on Halloween; rocks in your candy bag will be the least of your worries. Just kidding — thanks for all the music, mane.