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Interview: Jay Activist puts Atlanta on his back with Point to Prove

Posted on 7 June 2023

Telling us all about the concept behind his new album and all the vibes in his hometown of Atlanta, Jay Activist delves deeper into his craft and shows us his hunger inside Point to Prove. Inspired by J. Cole and keeping things to the point, we find a confident creative who is ready for whatever is next in this fickle game.

We appreciate your time Jay. Where in the world are you based and who is your favourite artist of all time?

Jay: I’m based in Atlanta, Georgia and my favorite artist of all time is J. Cole.

Please tell us more about your latest release Point to Prove and the creative/production process behind it and do you feel like your sound has evolved?

Jay: I consider Point to Prove my stamp into the music industry. While this isn’t my first project, it checks off so many boxes of points I feel like I needed to prove as Jay Activist. I can do more then just rap on a song with my growing singing ability, but also produce and engineer a good sound.

What does this album mean to your brand?

Jay: This album defines my brand as the playa that put his words in a smooth way.

If you could play live on any stage in the world, where would it be and who would be on the lineup?

Jay: It would be Statefarm arena in Atlanta with acts such as Drake, J Cole, and Smino.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Jay: “Don’t take advice from people who aren’t successful”.

Where are the hot spots to you catch live music with meaning in your local area?

Jay: Definitely Apache in Atlanta or college campuses such as Georgia State University or Kennesaw State University.

Last, if you have the keys to the music industry, how would you change it?

Jay: I would make things fairer to artists and change the ecosystem to where people don’t have to sell out to be successful.

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Hear this fine release on Spotify.

Check out the progress and gig news on IG.

Interview by Llewelyn Screen

For You: Atlanta RnB artist Kay Soul is the brave warrior we needed on Profit A Man

Posted on 6 May 2023

After feeling genuine love from her last 6-track EP from 2022 called Connections, Kay Soul stuns all of our deepest senses on the wonderful new single to learn and mend from, Profit A Man.

Kay Soul is an Atlanta, Georgia-based indie recording RnB artist, songwriter, plus model and aspiring actress who sings with an incredible aura which will soothe windy skies.

After recently serving as hostess for the 10th Annual One Nation Under God Music Festival, Kay Soul is rather illuminating here. This is a stunning experience which is rather outstanding and shall ease all worries away as a true angel does.

Profit A Man from Atlanta RnB singer-songwriter Kay Soul is a rather special single which will surely warm the hearts of many. This is an exquisite track which will open up many eyes and filter through into our tired souls, with an artist who is gracious and awe-inspiring in every way.

If you love graceful music with a real message, this is a perfect tonic for any stressed soul.

Listen up on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Ike Sanders stopped the hands of time with his fiery new rap track, Stolen Clocks

Posted on 6 April 2023

Literally and figuratively, Ike Sanders’ standout single, Stolen Clocks, from his 2023 hip-hop EP, Seven Hills, is the hottest rap hit you will hear this year; prime your summer playlists for the intoxicatingly seamless fluidity to the expression.

Enigmatic yet seductive, playful yet commanding, the rhythmically rolling rap bars against the bright and scintillating alt beats set the charisma bar unattainably high. Stolen Clocks is an urban jam orchestrated to transcend to a higher plateau with.

Even with the lyrical grit, the optimistically sweet disposition stays true to the Atlanta-based artist’s ethos of orchestrating genre-bending, passion-driven conscious rap. With his tendency to pull in international influences rather than staying true to his hometown roots, you would be hard-pressed to find a more exotically alluring hit.

Stolen Clocks dropped with the rest of the Seven Hills EP on March 24; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Atlanta hip-hop heavyweight Rashaann waxed Dre-style lyrical in his latest hit, Times Like This

Posted on 3 April 2023

If your hip-hop playlists are crying out for a hit that oozes style, innovation and bruisingly clever Dre-ESQUE wordplay in equal measure, tune into the latest hit from the rap luminary, Rashaan.

Times Like This is the silver lining to living in an era where it is easy to distance yourself from sanity day by day by looking at the news and noting the disorientating injustices before taking a look at mankind and realising that we should be referred to as manunkind.

With an EDM backbeat that could make your spine shiver around the jazzy cinematic old-school layers brought by the smoky sax lines and Rashaann’s storming flows, Times Like This is a rhythmically arresting tour de force, which proves he is beyond ahead of the game; everyone else is playing by his rules.

The artist, songwriter, and producer is currently taking the Atlanta hip-hop scene by storm after relocating from NYC and releasing his latest project, Far From Home, featuring the standout hit Times Like This.

Check out Times Likes This on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Atlanta Hip Hop Pioneer Caleb X Illuminated the Way to Tranquillity with his Vibe-Heavy Hit, Peace

Posted on 27 January 2023

Cleveland, Ohio-born, Atlanta-based artist Caleb X started a flood of tranquil melodicism by bringing in the new wave of hip-hop with his latest single, Peace.

Even with the nostalgic samples implanted in the glossily smooth hit, which illuminates the path to catharsis and emotional sanctity, there is no denying the experimentally contemporary edge that effortlessly complements the authenticity within the bars.

Though he may be influenced by DMX and Tupac, Caleb X ripped up the hip-hop rulebook before creating this vibe-heavy hit that will spice any future-embracing hip-hop playlist up with its mellifluous soul and style.

Peace was officially released on January 20th. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ups and Downs: Mcubed makes everything rather clear on Who Am I

Posted on 4 January 2023

Sailing on flight mode and letting his crisp flow guide us into the dreamy clouds above, Mcubed avoids the fake glitz and shows us why the underground has the best music on Who Am I.

Mcubed aka Brandon Johnson is an Atlanta-based, Oklahoma-born indie hip hop artist who grew up rapping with his cousins and hasn’t looked back since.

”Filled with inspiration, he continues to intuitively come up with hooks to songs that he writes and records for the world to hear.” ~ Mcubed

Overflowing with confidence and soaked in a self-aware mentality, Mcubed is that electrifying ether through the speaker we all needed to sink deeply into. This is quality hip hop like it should be. There are smooth-as-ice bars here to keep even the most hardened rap cynic happy here.

Who Am I from Atlanta-based, Oklahoma-born indie hip hop artist Mcubed is a thunderous effort made with magnetic proportions many simply can’t comprehend. Laced in a firm fibre that has trigger-inducing raps to learn from, we find a terrific single which is sparked full of a track with excellent written all over it.

Tune into this fine new single on Spotify. See more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Feel the temperature drop with the dystopic chill in Kabinyo’s industrial EDM single, I Am Collins

Posted on 30 December 2022
no more chasing ghosts by kabinyo

Atlanta-based producer and artist Kabinyo drenches his hip hop beats in dark and cinematically caustic atmosphere to a scintillating effect. His latest single, I Am Collins, moves past synthwave to firmly implant itself in the ambient industrial genre.

The mostly instrumental piece carries the futuristic simulated chill of an isolated dystopia, akin to the synthesised textures within the Sucker Punch Remix of Army of Me by Bjork. Despite his experimentalism, Kabinyo has celebrated ample success with his eclectically crafted instrumentals. His most successful single to date, Vogue, was picked up by Manimal Vinyl before being published by Sony. With his upcoming LP, he’s veered further away from hip hop towards rock and EDM; it’s a move that will undoubtedly see him go further in his already accoladed career.

I Am Collins is now available to stream and download on Bandcamp.

Stay tuned for the full release of the album no more chasing ghosts, which will officially release on January 6th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spend your ‘Christmas Mornin’ with the slick RnB debut single from Jaai.

Posted on 23 December 2022

Channelling the timeless soul of Ella Fitzgerald and the slick impassioned style of Sade, the Atlanta-based gospel RnB singer-songwriter Jaai. helped her fans to celebrate ‘Christmas Mornin’ with the chilled jazzy vibe in her debut single.

The smoothly uplifting single, released on December 2nd, proves just how much Christmas music has evolved since Mariah Carey started topping the Christmas charts every year. Jaai. is on truly sublime form in Christmas Mornin, which flows to the subtle seduction of boom-bap beats and her celestially elegant vocal timbre that would leave you with a shiver if it wasn’t so warming.

The single takes away any sense of novelty away from Christmas music and strips commercialism from the holiday itself, as it reminds you that Christmas is a day like every other, where joy revolves around the people that light up our lives. The artificial lights, no matter how bright, could never compare.

Christmas Mornin’ is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Think About Me: kai Kyoto refuses to go back into a toxic romance on Escape You

Posted on 7 December 2022

Wishing that he could help save a lost soul while still feeling traumatized by the entire experience, kai Kyoto finds the exit and sticks with the original plan to fly away from discontentment on Escape You.

kai Kyoto is an Atlanta, Georgia-based indie hip hop artist who is on a courageous mission to help the world become a much better place to live.

”If you’re not willing to take the time and understand me or listen to my art, this is not the place for you. I don’t promise to be the best, but I promise to give you my best. Just like each and every single one of you, I’m human. I make mistakes. I’m not perfect. But best believe I’m trying.” ~ kai Kyoto

Nibbling our thoughts into a turmoil-filled frenzy, kai Kyoto has the ability to change perspectives. Layered so skillfully and rather audaciously constructed as our attentions veer back into a precise moment, which had the enormous power to alter everything in an instant.

Escape You from Atlanta, Georgia-based indie hip hop artist kai Kyoto is the kind of single which so many need to hear right now. Feeling stuck in something so unloving is surely bad for the heart, as this is that important reminder to rather cruise the scene before souls are crushed unnecessarily.

When the vibes are off, it’s time to switch over into a fresh path.

Listen up to this fine new single on Spotify. See more vibes on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Jay Activist led the soul revolution with his hip hop single, Problems, ft. BTF Nate

Posted on 6 December 2022

Glossing his smooth-with-soul rap bars over acoustic guitar strings and acoustic percussion in place of the usual 808s, Jay Activist’s latest single, Problems, featuring BTF Nate, is a revolution in soul.

While romanticism can’t realistically abstract people from all of their problems, it is blissful to live that fantasy and see Jay Activist expose his determination to better the lives of the people that surround him. This sticky sweet yet sleek track puts weight behind the 20-year-old rapper’s claim that he’s the breath of fresh air that the rap scene needs.

The Atlanta-based luminary that pulls on his Caribbean roots always delivers his lyrics straight from the heart instead of pulling from the lost and found box of cliché rap tropes. We can’t wait to hear what the affable originator pulls out of the pipeline next.

Check out the official music video to Problems on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast