Local Detroit artist Fvded (pronounced Faded) has released his latest mixtape, CREAM. In this project, Fvded  describes his life journey of being faced with adversity. And as most know, the cream always rises to the top. Referring to himself as the cream, Fvded used this project to express how he has always been able to rise above hardships.

The introduction of CREAM explains the inspiration Fvded received to create the project. One day, Fvded was working and encountered an older man named Mr. Brown who was singing a Temptations song. Once he finished singing, he left a few wise words which gave Fvded the incentive to create CREAM.

“There’s millions of people — only one is going to stand at the top,” Brown said. “That’s why they call me Cream, because I rise to the top.”

In this project, Fvded displayed his outstanding ability to create a quality mixtape. From his impeccable storytelling to his unique word play, CREAM deserves all ears. Out of all 13 tracks, there is not one song worth skipping. A couple of songs that stand out are “95′ Flows” and “I SEE”. These tracks not only display great quality, but they exemplify meaning and diversity in style.

In CREAM, storytelling is one of Fvded’s strengths. “95’ Flows” is a track that Fvded uses to reminisce on his early upbringing. He describes how his experience of growing up in a low income environment was the best and worst of times. This track is a personal favorite of mine because it  is very well made and highly relatable. Even for listeners who cannot personally relate to his story, Fvded’s lyrics paint a vivid picture of how he grew up. This allows listeners  to clearly imagine how Fvded’s adolescent years were.

Fvded says his favorite song from CREAM is “I SEE”. This song easily qualifies as one of the realest songs I’ve ever listened to. Fvded expresses that he recognizes those people who are truly supportive of him and others who only pretend to be. When listening to “I SEE” it sounds as though Fvded truly put his all into that song. In this single track, there’s profound emotion, word play, rhyme scheme, undeniable flow — it’s honestly amazing.

“The reason [“I SEE” is my favorite] is because it’s me,” Fvded said. “It’s just how I feel and I’m talking about what I’ve seen, how I view the world…That song is 100 percent me.”

CREAM is one of the best mixtapes released by a hip-hop artist that I’ve heard in a long time. Fvded made CREAM able to connect with people. It causes a reaction from the listener, it’s memorable and it’s well crafted with phenomenal production. CREAM is about how Fvded has overcome obstacles and rose higher, and with that message he hopes to inspire listeners to do the same.

“I was kind of down,” Fvded said. ” I was in a space where I wasn’t happy or my normal self, but I rose out of that and I always have. Hopefully someone can listen to it and it will help them overcome their situation.”

CREAM can be found on SoundCloud by TheRealFvded.