Mike Mictlan and Lazerbeak of Doomtree Announce New Project

Stream: Hand Over Fist - "Prize Fight"

Doomtree, the up-and-coming Minneapolis-based hip-hop collective, sure know how to get the attention of its fans, even if its not necessarily in the most direct fashion. Perhaps we're all on a need-to-know basis right now with the group. Based on the MySpace Bulletin the group sent out, the most urgent piece of news that needs to spread is the formation of a new group called Hand Over Fist. The duo consists of members Mike Mictlan and Lazerbeak, one of the emcees and the producer of Doomtree, respectively.

No word on a potential release date for an album filled with new material, but if you want to hear some music, head over to the Hand Over Fist MySpace Page. There, you can stream a new song from the group called "Prize Fight".

Like many of Doomtree's other songs, including "Flex" and "I'm Talking", "Prize Fight" main theme is about persevering in the face of existential hardship. Indeed, while the first main refrain is "I don't know what I'm doing/but I keep my eyes on the prize", and Mictlan memorably laments "I promised my girl the world/but I only gave her insanity", by the end of the 70s-soul-meets-modern-day-hip-hop track (and after a breakdown consisting of piano, guitar, and a sped-up sample), Mike defiantly states that he "keeps (his) eye on the prize/could never give this up".

Whether the "this" in the lyric refers to life itself, or being in a successful hip-hop group, doesn't matter, as "Prize Fight" shows that Mictlan and company have plenty of good reasons to keep fighting the good fight.

Listen to "Prize Fight" at the Hand Over Fist MySpace Page.

Doomtree MySpace Page
Hand Over Fist MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)