“Blurring the lines between the personal and the political,” (FADER) McKinley Dixon calls the late Toni Morrison the greatest rapper of all time; and the way he tackles topics like survival, violence, and religion within the expansive landscape of the Black experience, evokes her novels. It is from the title of Morrison's Beloved trilogy where he finds the title of his new album with City Slang Records out June 2: Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? Musically his household was defined by “artists whose first name was Mary,” including Mary J. Blige and gospel duo Mary Mary. Discovering Outkast was formative for Dixon, deepening his love for hip-hop while he also grew curious about the more theatrical rock of groups of the day, bands like My Chemical Romance and Panic! At The Disco that his Maryland friends introduced him to. “Those groups also helped me with my sense of longing, since their music reflected a sense of longing,” he says. Eventually he channeled these competing influences into a debut EP he released in 2013. With time, his music became his primary means of self-expression, whether discussing Blackness or his own relationship with healing. Across his next releases, his style evolved and his confidence grew, especially when it came to live instrumentation. His 2021 debut album For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her was a game changer, as Dixon set his sights on heartache and grief. “I was making these really dense and chaotic songs, stuffing whatever thought I had into five and a half minutes,” Dixon says of that project. Beloved! Paradise! Jazz?! is an attempt at channeling different impulses. Sometimes rough and other times delicate, this record is a journey into is a journey into the psyche of McKinley Dixon, with all of the of the attendant peaks and valleys.
Release date:
June 2, 2023
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO
Featuring a one-piece carbon fiber tonearm, precision-tuned motor, and a heavy steel platter with TPE damping, it ensures superior stability and sound quality.
-
Cartridges - Top Picks
A selection of turnatble cartridges that provide great performance and sound quality
-
Technics SL-1500C Turntable
Features a direct-drive motor, a high-precision tonearm, and a premium MM cartridge, delivering exceptional sound quality
-
Turntables - Top Picks
A selection of reliable record players you can buy today, for every budget
-
Nagaoka MP-110H Cartridge
Features a high-quality elliptical stylus that provides excellent tracking and minimizes distortion, delivering a detailed sound reproduction with an output voltage of 5.0 mV
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Quevedo Buenas Noches [2xLP]
Quevedo
July 18, 2025 -
Sanguisugabogg Hideous Aftermath
Century Media
October 10, 2025 -
The Warriors Burn Yourself Alive
Pure Noise Records
September 26, 2025 -
Mareux Nonstop Romance
Warner Records
August 1, 2025 -
Unleashed Fire Upon Your Lands
Napalm Records
August 15, 2025 -
Sprints All That Is Over (Pink Marble)
Sub Pop
September 26, 2025 -
Borracho Ouroboros
Ripple Music
August 8, 2025 -
Signs of the Swarm To Rid Myself Of Truth
Century Media
August 22, 2025 -
Margo Price Hard Headed Woman
Loma Vista Recordings
August 29, 2025 -
Conan Gray Wishbone (Black Cat Edition)
Republic Records
August 15, 2025 -
Golomb The Beat Goes on
No Quarter
July 25, 2025 -
Lorna Shore I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me [2xLP]
Century Media
September 12, 2025 -
Brent Cobb Ain't Rocked in a While
Ol Buddy Records
July 11, 2025 -
Igorrr Amen
Metal Blade
September 19, 2025