Andy Mineo has been a mainstay of Reach Records for the past 10 years dating back to 2011. During this decade of time, Mineo established his own record label, Miner League. From "Background" with Lecrae to the first installment of Never Land in 2014, he's been on the steady rise establishing himself as one of the elite emcees in CHH and hip-hop overall. Never Land IIis an honest reflection of this, as it stands as some of his best production and songwriting to date. Mineo was kind enough to provide breakdown snippets related to each of the 13 tracks.
"Am I..." To me, it represents one of the greatest intros of all time. The opening track was produced by a couple of friends of mine, BEAM and Gabryl.
"...Falling?" I kicked off the record with some of my favorite lyrics I've ever penned. "Am I falling from the sky or falling in your hand? Is it a disguise or is it in your plan? Can you tell me why when I don't understand? Am I at the end or did I just begin?"
"Been About It" featuring Lecrae With "Coming in Hot" going catching a ton of steam this year and going gold recently, Lecrae and I wanted to write a follow-up record to that track. We got back together with Sak Pase who produced "Coming in Hot" and locked ourselves in the studio for a few days. We actually have a few more songs that were born out of that studio session. Stay tuned.
"You Know the Drill" featuring Wordsplayed John and I dropped a mixtape called Magic & Bird a few years back (2017). Our chemistry in the studio is unreal. He's, by far, one of my favorite collaborators to work with. We challenge each other on the bars and push each other every time we create.
"Working On It" featuring Chandler Moore and Taylor Hill This is a high-energy dance record that communicates the struggle we all have of trying to get better at something, yet always failing. I mention many of the things that I personally struggle with. I'm a die-hard workaholic and I steadily work on adjusting that habit for better overall management. I really wanted to explore new sounds and create something different than I normally make. It was produced by Taylor Hill, Alex Goose, and myself.
"New Father" An interlude, a pause in the music. My mom truly made people cry from snapshots of the past.
"Nobody's Coming" For this one, I leaned on the influence of Red Hot Chili Peppers on this track. It's a melodic and guitar-driven song. The content is moody, sad, vulnerable, yet makes the statement of asking listeners to be the answer to their own prayers.
"Remind Me" featuring JVKE The song is about the struggles we've all felt in relationships. It touches on the difficult aspects of being in an intimate relationship and needing to fight for each other. The track features JVKE who handled the hook and production. He's a TikTok sensation from his song "Upside Down" and a longtime fan of my music.
"Not Gon' Do" featuring Joseph Solomon This is one of my favorites from the album. It features my long-time friend, Joseph Solomon, who's a star in his own right. The song is upbeat, almost mirroring a disco record. Coco Chanel once said, "elegance is refusal." This record is about knowing who you are, what your boundaries are, and not apologizing for those. To be firm in your standards.
"It Could Be Worse" This is a pure rap record and was the first single released. It was used to kick off my return and end summer on a high note.
"Priorities" Another one of my absolute favorites from the album. Anthemic, melodic, but still communicated something substantial. The song begs the question, "what are your priorities in this life?"
"Trying" My actual favorite from the album. It showcases some of my best writing, ever. I sampled one of my favorite bands ever, SonLux, on the introduction and fused it with a song I wrote with a friend of mine (Thad Cockrell) from a few years back. It's rewarding to finally see this song released since I started writing it back in 2018. The basis surrounds the thought process of us trying to accomplish a million and one things in the short time we have available.
"Cross My Heart" featuring Ink The album closer. I wrote this song recently during the pandemic. The lyrics, "Cross my heart and hope to live forever, I hope this pain doesn't last too long," really resonated with me and my thoughts at the time.
Joshua Galla is an avid hip-hop head always hip to the latest releases while enjoying the classics. Music is his passion and escape from the mundane.
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