The most appealing thing about DJ and beatmaker Mayer Hawthorne is his (perhaps obligatory) loyalty to both his pseudo-Detroit roots and a willingness to stray as far from them as possible. He puts an emphasis on melody over effect, reaching out to the Supreme-ish sounds of his town’s past on certain jams, then jumping into the sounds of Reggae or R&B, often relying on what sound like turrets-afflicted freestylers. Lil’ Wayne’s refrains from “A Millie”, “I’m a venereal disease like a menstrual bleed” for instance, help lend a bit of charm and humor to his abrasive attitude, which is never far from the beats he’s concocting. It all flows together with a bit more credibility that makes Hawthorne more of an authentic rebel than many of his Detroit-born DJ counterparts, which either have little original to say, or are perhaps a little guilty of taking themselves too seriously. Check out more of Hawthorne at Red Bull Music Academy.