Zack Hemsey: Underrated and Underappreciated

Music is one of my sources of income so needless to say it’s extremely important to me. I take great pride in what I choose to listen to. An artist has to give me a really good reason to invest in them. It’s rare for me to find such artists but when I do find them it’s like falling in love again. This article is about one such artist; Zack Hemsey.A little more than a year ago I sat down to watch The Man with the Iron Fists 2; a movie which was written by and stars Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA. The film itself was underwhelming but due to the great soundtrack it led me to discover someone I believe is one of the most underrated and underappreciated rappers in modern times; Zack Hemsey.The name probably won’t ring a bell to most people. Zack is a notoriously under-the-radar kind of guy. Unlike most musicians of today he does not release music videos (save for one he released some years ago on YouTube). He doesn’t tour and do heavy promo, he doesn’t release singles, he doesn’t use social media extensively; in short he’s an anomaly in every sense of the word and this is most pronounced in his creative decisions.Zack Hemsey’s brand of hip hop can be summarized with the following two words; cinematic and epic. His music transports you into a movie-like experience. This is because he has also worked on film and trailer scores. As an artist who scores films he’s top notch and has had some of his music featured in trailers for major movies such as Inception, A Most Violent Year, Lincoln and G.I. Joe:  Retaliation to mention a few. As a rapper he’s top notch too because no one else can do what he does the way he does.Here are a few reasons why Zack is underrated and underappreciated in hip hop:

A lyricist by the simplest definition is a person who writes the words to a song. In hip hop the term is used to refer to someone who has the ability to play with words and convey a message in a creative, original and compelling manner. Zack Hemsey has an uncanny way with words. He uses his words to share a perspective, knowledge and thoughts in a concise and persuasive manner. More than anything he has the ability to conjure up emotion and sympathy in the heart of the listener. His choice of words is well-thought out. You can tell that he spends a massive amount of time to perfect and craft his message accurately.

Zack’s message comes from the heart. His lyrics are not concerned with the top emcee, booty shaking, blowing money fast or any of the usual topics that people deal with in order to get fame fast. He addresses topics that matter to him and he delivers his lyrics in a flow that he’s comfortable with. He does not try to imitate anyone else. The effort he puts into his craft speaks of his dedication and deeply rooted love for hip hop and music at large.

One of the marks of a great artist is that s/he cannot be replicated by anyone. If you listen to Zack you cannot compare him to anyone else. The combination of his lyrical style, his production style, his subject matter and overall demeanor is distinctly his.

While he’s not as famous as the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and others Zack has had his fair share of success. His music has been used in many big budget movies and trailers. He does not live a very public life so it’s difficult to gauge his net worth. However, even if he has not been financially successful he has achieved success in his craft as a musician by having the music placement in movies.

The job of a producer is to put into music the words that a lyricist formulates. Zack produces his own music and damn his musical palette is like no other. He borrows from his movie scoring techniques and creates cinematic and highly emotional music. As with his lyrics you can tell that he takes a lot of time to work on his production, using instruments such as violins, taikos, timpani, various world instruments, orchestral string sections and other lesser commonly used sounds in hip hop. He’s not the typical hip hop producer who creates a 4 – 8 bar loop which plays over and over. He composes his music to align to the emotion and message he wished to convey. For him it’s not about banging drums and a knocking 808, it’s about conveying the right emotion at the right time with the right sound.

Timeless music is marked its ability to be played back years after it’s made, within a different environment but still connect with the audience. Zack’s music has that element because he touches on issues that are common to all people of all nations and generations. For instance in his song So Silent he touches on mental slavery, self-actualization and freedom. He discusses how people are their own worst enemies when it comes to realizing their true potential and freeing themselves from mental slavery among other things. These are topics that any and every human being can relate to hence this approach gives his music a timeless quality about it.Zack is an anomaly and does not fit into the mould of your typical rapper. That might be one of the reasons why he doesn't get more recognition than he already has. It might also be that he doesn't want the typical hip hop fame, which is understandable because he doesn't strike me as a guy who's concerned with it.

Zack has released four solo studio albums to date; Empty Room,, The Way Ronin and the most recent one Nomad which came out in early November 2016. Empty Room and The Way don’t feature much in the way of rap so those might not be the best introduction to Zack the rapper. However, Ronin and Nomad feature plenty of rap songs that leave you yearning for more. Below is the only music video that Zack has released as at the time of writing this article.

Zack is clearly concerned about reaching people’s hearts and minds, forcing them to think twice about their current state and asking them how they could better themselves and the people around them. “When you linger in the desert don’t expect to find rain...you will never see the light if you refuse to leave shade.” Those are some of his lyrics from his song Teachings of a Ronin. Those are not the lyrics of someone who does not take his life seriously.Zack is by far one of the most unique rappers and it’s a shame that many people do not know him. If you value music that does more than entertain, music with a deep and meaningful message then you should take a listen to Zack Hemsey. I recently purchased Nomad and it is one of the best projects I have ever bought. You can listen to more of his music from his BandCamp and YouTube pages and if you like what you hear (which I’m sure you will) you should support him by purchasing his music. Let’s appreciate those that ring value to our lives while they are still breathing.