Getting Carried Away with Julian Mendoza
By Andrew Johnson
Photo courtesy of Julian Mendoza
Julian Mendoza is a local musician who raps about the joys and hardships of life, and I believe every person should listen to his melodic rhymes that evoke the same feeling as rappers like Mos Def and Common. A great starting point for listening to some of his music is a newly released single called “Carried Away.”
“Carried Away” is a song that focuses on the joy of being fully in love in a new relationship, but also the underlying fear of being that deeply in love. Julian made the song with help from Async, a creative multimedia collective based out of New York that he is a part of. It perfectly embodies the light and dark themes Julian often talks about in his music. The song is a lot like a reimagined version of a classic song, something old and new at the same time. However, “Carried Away” is not the only song worth listening to.
If a listener is looking for something a little heavier, a great song to listen to is “Get Down,” which Julian says is about “wanting to get the sparks of the ‘honeymoon phase’ back while you know you might never be able to.” Other darker songs include “Better Today,” a song with rappers TreBouncee and Jaz Altman, and “Beauty for Ashes,” another collaboration with TreBouncee and rappers Sonar Solace and Alannah Scardino. My personal favorite song that Julian has worked on is “Dance Again.” “Dance Again” has the same type of infectious beat found in “Carried Away” and the positivity of a song like “The Way Up”.
When talking to Julian about his work with collaborators, his eyes lit up. You can tell he loves to work with other people. Julian says, “I would not be here if not for reaching out to artists I thought were cool.” He strongly encourages other people who love music to reach out to any artists they like because “you never know who will write back.” A lot of Julian’s best music comes when he is collaborating with other artists, like the song “NSTLGA,” which he worked on with Nckv, the same artist he made “Carried Away” with. Julian also freestyles with a number of rappers, including Just Jill, Aaron King, and Gio DaVinci. Another person Julian Mendoza frequently works with is TreBouncee. Recently, they worked together on the song “Beauty For Ashes,” which is on TreBouncee’s album Comfort Zone Vol. 2.
Julian says he “felt momentum after graduating from college” and started making a bunch of new music that will be coming soon. A song to keep a lookout for is “100 Years,” which Julian has played live before but has not yet formally released. He is also about to release a joint EP with London-based producer Adam Chessis called Imagine This, and if any of his previous work is a sign of what is to come, Imagine This should be a great project. Earlier this year, they released a single from Imagine This called “Waiting Game.” It has a very relaxed feel to it and shows one of the different ways Julian is able to flow in a song.
Julian has a special way of connecting with the audience which can best be shown when he is freestyling in front of a crowd. He has a dance background and is not afraid to show his impromptu dance moves on stage. People who have seen him live describe him as “electric” and “a truly unique live performer.” If you are interested in seeing Julian perform live, you can find him at Bridgeside Cypher, which happens once a month during cypher season at Starlight Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
His music is a true throwback. It makes you feel “Carried Away” with its mellow beats and smooth rhymes, and everyone should definitely check out his upcoming EP Imagine This when it comes out later this year.