Welcome To New York.

The New York state of mind is a period of reflection, characterized by hometown heroes like Billy Joel and Nas. Staten Island’s Mack Wilds found himself in a similar headspace last year on his Grammy-nominated debut, New York: A Love Story.

Produced majorly by Salaam Remi, the album is a throwback to New York City’s golden era. Leaning heavily on indigenous breaks, the project evokes a nostalgia that hasn’t been packaged since Ron G’s heyday.

Mack begins his love affair in the slums of Shaolin with Method Man on “Wild Things”. From there, his buttery croons are sequenced in perfect formation. Mobb Deep’s “Burn” is fluid on “Henny” and “Remember The Time”, while lead single “Own It”, reupholsters “Eric B For President’s” boom bap.

Vocally, Mack emits a cool that’s reminiscent of Maxwell and Lauryn’s formative years. He showcases this dexterity on songs like “MaGic!!!”, “Keepin It Real” and steamy “Don’t Turn Me Down”.

Through it all, New York: A Love Story serves as a ripe backdrop for the Rotten Apple. For a city with 8 million tales, Mack told the best one.—B.Dot