Mazbou Q, the Auckland, NZ-based rapper formerly known as Unchained XL, has released what he's called the "start of his unhinged era." Using the instrumental of Dream Theater's "The Dance of Eternity," taken from the band's 1999 concept album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, Mazbou, real name Hugh Ozumba, puts his rhymes over the wild ride of a song, where time signatures are mere suggestions and change at the drop of a hat.
Ozumba is no stranger to metal, as it turns out, as he previously fronted the band East of Eden (not to be confused with the British prog rock or the Japanese band of the same name) before making the full-time switch to hip-hop in 2016. His musical sense is top-notch and goes a long way in taking this instrumental from one of the greatest progressive metal albums of all time and turning it into an accomplished nu-prog mash-up.
As part of the rap's promotion, Mazbou published a clip exploring the different time signatures found in the song, as well as how he metered out his lyrics to meet the challenge. The result is damn impressive, as seen below:
He even got a nod from Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, though he did playfully quip that he wished that the clip Mazbou featured featured him and not former drummer Mike Mangini.
Check out the full rap below:
