Mixtress enters Houston’s rap scene honoring the recent victims of racial injustice in America
In her lyrical response to being Black in America among the recent tragedies regarding victims like George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, KY, Houston-based rapper, instrumentalist and audio engineer Mixtress makes her recording debut with her compelling new single, “Don’t Give Up.”
Recently featured in the Late July edition of the “Houston Rap, Hip Hop and R&B” playlist by locally acclaimed curator, Houston Playlists, Mixtress’ single topped the community playlist amongst songs by local legends Slim Thug, Z-Ro and Killa Kyleon. “Don’t Give Up” holds up as a melodic yet powerful message from an up-and-coming songstress & audio engineer.
“I’m shedding tears for the babies I haven’t even birthed yet.”
Mixtress begins her song with a line millions of Black Millennials and Gen-Z’ers can immediately identify and relate with - if Black Americans can get executed by the police publicly while pleading “I can’t breathe” or even in the comfort of their own homes, as seen this year, then Mixtress is already distraught over what may happen with her future babies whenever they grow up, which she reflects on throughout the song.
“Please don’t give up, yeah/Baby boy/girl go get your check/
Melanin worth more respect/Fight till there’s nothing left.”
The chorus of her single is a lesson of perseverance to the “babies [she hasn’t] even birthed yet,” pleading for her children to pursue success in spite of the obstacles and barriers raised simply due to the color of their skin. Mixtress ruminates on current events as a reminder to never forget “the beauty that lies within [their] skin.”
In addition to being poignant commentary on the state of Black America, “Don’t Give Up” is a beautiful piece of music with Mixtress’ down-to-earth yet sobering vocals accompanied by her own soulful saxophone riffs. Not only singing, rapping and performing instruments herself, this single was also mixed by herself as is evident by her name (and Audio Engineering Degree).
“Don’t Give Up” is an eloquent reflection on being young, Black and proud amid a national movement fighting for social justice and equality. As Mixtress’ emotional vocals and saxophone fades out around the four-minute mark of the song, listeners are momentarily left in silence to contemplate the powerful lyrics & message behind this song.
Mixtress is a Houstonian songstress, engineer for FLOA Studio, The Lab Recording Studio and Wire Road Studio, as well as recording artist with years of saxophone & mixing experience.
Listen to "Don't Give Up" on Spotify or Apple Music!