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Baby T & Fruit Vendor Sparked a Hip-Hop Reckoning with ‘THINGS ABOUT TO CHANGE’

Posted on 18 July 2025
Baby T

In Baby T’s latest anthem, THINGS ABOUT TO CHANGE featuring Fruit Vendor, the Chicago trailblazer wastes no time setting a new standard for conscious hip-hop. As the alt-urban icon we’ve come to expect sharp social critiques from, Baby T raises the bar with his bars once again, laying down a declaration that surges with urgency and restless anticipation. Every line is metered with an intellect and wit that rips the blinders off, forcing listeners to confront the numb monotony and embrace the change surging on the horizon.

Boom bap beats snap in sync with blazing alt-rock guitars, fuelling each syllable with the fire of rebellion and the bounce of classic hip-hop. There’s no gloss or posturing; instead, Baby T holds a mirror to the superficiality in the industry, delivering a sermon in verse that demands nothing less than your undivided attention. When Fruit Vendor drops in, the track evolves into a collaborative tempest that refuses to settle, refusing to let you drift back into complacency.

Baby T’s reputation as a magnetic performer is written in the stages he’s shared with giants like Nipsey Hussle, Trina, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, but here, he etches his own legend with a single that thrums with intent and conviction.

THINGS ABOUT TO CHANGE  is now available on all major streaming platforms. Find your preferred way to listen and connect with Baby T via their official website. 


– Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jessica Lá Rel Tended the Garden of Solitary Grace with the Cinematic Soul Serenity of ‘On My Own’

Posted on 28 May 2025

With On My Own, the Chicago-hailing cinematic soul singer Jessica Lá Rel watered the roots of self-reverence with sonic poetry that blooms beyond the reach of romantic conventions. While most singers write paeans to codependence, Jessica Lá Rel reached for higher ground by illuminating how connection and self-containment are not opposing forces. They can exist in tandem, like stars holding their own light within a galaxy of others.

Taken from her garden-themed sophomore LP Three Sisters, the single attests to the strength found in solitude, and the quiet power that comes from orbiting your own centre with compassion as the gravitational pull. Lyrically, it reframes strength not as defiance, but as devotion to one’s own peace.

Sonically, On My Own keeps one foot rooted in the familiar terrain of soul while the other steps lightly into experimental ground. Luminous angular notes break up the smoothness of the production like glass catching sunlight, before giving way to the pinnacle moment where Jessica Lá Rel layers looped harmonies into a vocal crescendo that doesn’t ask to be felt, it commands it.

Following a career already punctuated with performances for Oprah, Jesse Jackson, and Civil Rights Freedom Riders, Jessica Lá Rel continues to prove that radical vulnerability is her signature power. With Three Sisters, she gave seeds of joy the space to grow wild.

On My Own is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Park National Spilled the Soul-Spiked Ache of Loving Through Self-Loathing in the Shoegazed Emo Anthem, ‘Your Mom’s House’

Posted on 15 May 2025

It took a few decades for Midwest emo to grow up, but that long-awaited maturity resounds in the sludgy shoegazed guitar tones of Your Mom’s House by Park National, which still delivers the visceral ache of emotions pouring out into a world that is all too ready to distort them with dissonance. But the cultivation on display that carves its way through the locked-on emotive target overdriven guitar tones elevates this anthem of ennui to the nth degree.

With one of the strongest guitar solos I’ve ever heard in emo-adjacent territory paired with the sheer striking sensibility of Your Mom’s House, which delivers the pained refrain of “just because I can’t love myself, doesn’t mean I can’t love you”, it is no surprise that Park National is amassing followers like there’s no tomorrow with the smorgasbord of resonance he distills into his vignettes.

Park National is the project of Chicago’s Liam Fagan, who broke through in 2020 with the self-produced The Big Glad, a record soaked in coming-of-age angst and serrated emo-pop textures. He’s now barrelling into new sonic territory with You Have to Keep Searching, a lo-fi-flecked, fuzz-soaked, genre-warping body of work that serves as a conduit for catharsis and chaos in equal measure. Guided by a DIY ethos and unflinching introspection, Fagan’s evolution is anything but obscure.

Your Mom’s House is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ESize’s Sonic Adrenaline Shot Lacerates the Loop of Perpetual Striving in ‘We Are Winners, We Got the Juice’

Posted on 17 April 2025

With We Are Winners, We Got the Juice, Chicago’s genre-morphing producer, ESize, tears through the tendency to think the next goalpost will always be greener. The hyped-up hip-hop anthem doesn’t settle into predictable territory for a second. It’s a sonic adrenaline shot for anyone who’s done bending backwards for unreachable goals and is ready to soak up the energy of their success.

ESize knows how to build something from the raw materials most would overlook. With an academic background in music theory from UIC and a professional portfolio spanning R&B chart-toppers, top-ten dance hits in the Midwest, and international licensing deals, he’s not short on accolades. He channels that experience into forward-motion rather than backward-gazing brags, giving We Are Winners, We Got the Juice its pace and punch.

After the harsh and caustically reverberant bass-drenched prelude, the track flips the script. Pop-soul vocals lift the production into unexpected choral territory before ESize delivers his signature gruff gravitas. His vocal force melds with instrumental layers that defy any textbook on hip-hop structure—rock guitar riffs crash against slick funk-charged synths, as the energy swells and contracts with eccentric precision. One ESize doesn’t fit all, and that’s exactly the point.

With four patents to his name and a mission to create music that cuts through the static—whether for sync placements or sonic statement pieces—ESize puts that inventive momentum into every beat.

We Are Winners, We Got the Juice is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

Dupree and Niche Redefined Old-School R&B with ‘Wait’

Posted on 20 March 2025

Dupree and Niche brought R&B right back to its golden era with Wait, exploring uncharted paths towards the sanctity of nostalgia. The dual-layered harmonies effortlessly synergise, spilling arcane chemistry into the dreamy atmosphere, while the luxe, kaleidoscopic haze of the production leaves inklings of modernism lingering in the mix. When the rap verses land, hip-hop’s timeless conviction takes hold, broadsiding you with impassioned bars that breathe new life into the track. If you know that loving means being prepared to wait, Wait is the ultimate love story you’ll want to lock into.

Dupree has never been one to stand still. As a singer, actor, dancer, and host, he is dedicated to disrupting reality through entertainment that transcends the mundane. Raised between the close-knit South Chicago suburbs and the vibrant pulse of the inner city, he embodies a deeply embedded hustler’s mentality and a strong connection to Black culture and identity. Music has always been his anchor—his mother encouraged him to join the church choir at six, where he first found his voice. From there, he took every chance to perform, whether in school plays or community productions, shaping an artistry influenced by Aaliyah, Beyoncé, and Usher.

Fusing R&B with House, Urban Pop, and Neo Soul, Dupree channels authenticity as though it’s as natural as breathing. With Wait making waves globally, he’s setting the stage for a fresh run of R&B singles and his debut EP; you will want him on your radar sooner or later.

Wait is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

Blue Rose’s ‘If I Had a Rose’ Finds Harmony Between Heartache and Hope

Posted on 21 February 2025
Blue Rose

Chicago’s most authentically affecting singer-songwriter duos, Blue Rose, have etched their names into indie folk pop with a rawness that refuses to be polished away. Their latest single, ‘If I Had a Rose’, carries all the hallmarks of their sound—rootsy warmth, soul-deep sincerity, and a perfectly weighted electric guitar solo that teases technical skill into an emotion-driven production.

Originally penned by Adam Wright and recorded by Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison, Blue Rose honoured its sentiment while making their own mark, writing a chorus and instrumental section, which is as euphonic on the ears as it is on the soul. Under their duress, the melodies progressions sweep up in the atmosphere around you, transcending sound to comfort you with the consolation that everyone has known the bittersweet beauty of longing.

If Blue Rose’s songwriting chops get any sharper, they’re gonna sear their way right through the earth’s core with their innovated odes to tradition; the duo’s chemistry is undeniable—Jori Griffith’s vocals carry a weight of lived experience, and Marcus Gebauer’s instrumental textures offer an unshakable foundation.

‘If I Had a Rose’ is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Brino blasted ahead of the curve with his vibe-steady alt-hip-hop earworm, ‘Out the Way’

Posted on 8 February 2025

Brino isn’t here to play by anyone else’s rulebook, and Out the Way, the standout single from his latest LP, achievemephobia*, proves exactly that. The Chicago Land-based artist has been honing his craft since 2016, and this latest release is a testament to his refusal to lock into any formula. Going beyond the archetypal rattle of 808s, he delivers a slick fusion of electronica and hip-hop, all while letting his dynamic vocals dictate the flow with a cadence that cuts through with precision.

The earworm is a vibe-steady statement of unflinching resilience, which sees Brino drench the instrumentals with soul through the bars he spits, embodying the luxe style of contemporary RnB while swerving predictable territory.

There’s no forced inspiration here, no preaching, just raw introspection spun into lyrical gold. He waxes lyrical with feverish autonomy like he’s got nothing to lose, as his lyrics narrate just that in an exhibition of what it truly means to blur genre boundaries.

Out the Way is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LZee Walks the Razor’s Edge with Brutal Honesty in ‘3 am on LSD’

Posted on 16 January 2025

At just 16, Chicago-based rapper LZee proves he’s already a lyrical force to be reckoned with on 3 am on LSD. The brutally honest track exhibits the emotional turbulence of living on the edge as a coping mechanism. While many up-and-coming rappers lean on bravado, LZee flips the script with visceral candour, exposing raw vulnerability that resonates far beyond the surface.

The juxtaposition of the warm Latin guitar melody against the hard-hitting rattle of the 808s creates a magnetic dynamic, softening the blow of the heavy-hitting bars while keeping the track grounded in its gritty realism. LZee’s flow is flawless, with every syllable delivered in perfect rhythmic precision, amplifying the weight of his introspection.

Taken from his 2025 LP, Anti, 3 am on LSD demonstrates a prodigious level of polish in both its beats and lyricism, making it clear that LZee is not just another voice in the crowd. His ability to balance emotional depth with technical chops marks him as a standout in the hip-hop scene.

With his versatility and sharp wordplay, LZee is poised to climb to the heights his talent demands. If the industry has any sense, this single will be the spark that sets LZee’s career ablaze.

3 am on LSD is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alvin Dudley’s Alt RnB single, ‘Separate’, is a blaze of heavy emotional artillery

Posted on 28 December 2024

Alvin Dudley’s new single, Separate, wastes no time establishing a cinematically melancholic tone from the first throbbing beat within the disillusion-slick intro before the trap beat arrives beneath his harmonised bars, which keep one foot in the trap arena and the other firmly in RnB territory.

The way the melodies ebb, flow, and swell around his charged-with-emotive-artillery vocals as he lays it all on the line sweeps you into the centre of a heartbreak vignette. When the vibrato in his voice is introduced, prepare for the emotional weight to bear down, as he plaintively reflects on how the past became the present and obliterated a shared future.

Released by Soulstorm Music, Separate digs deep into the regret of being at fault and the sorrow of a relationship on the brink. Written at a time when the Chicago-based artist felt lost and directionless, it resonates with anyone who has yearned for the unreachable.

Alvin Dudley has been turning heads since his debut in 2019 by blending emotion with immersive sounds, and Separate stands as the epitome of sonic raw emotion. With this single and a forthcoming EP, he’s set to prove why he has every chance of becoming one of the biggest R&B hip-hop innovators in 2025.

Separate dropped on December 19th; stream the single on all major platforms, including SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mikey Mosher – ‘Tell Me!’: A Scuzzy Slice of DIY Indie Garage Rock Romanticism

Posted on 9 December 2024

If Fidlar and The Strokes met in a garagey middle ground and took a few production and vocal cues from John Grant, the result would reverberate in the same deliciously scuzzy vein as the latest self-written, produced and recorded single, ‘Tell Me!’ by the Chicago-based DIY musician and visual artist, Mikey Mosher.

With the only other hands brought to this single and self-shot and directed music video being Joseph at Freeman Mastering, it’s safe to say that Mikey Mosher has honed his multi-faceted talents enough to emerge as a master of all sonic trades.

The aesthetic of the release is perfectly complemented by the warm, saturation-rich visuals, which hark back to the DIY videos which reigned supreme in the era of indie sleaze; now that Gen Z is determined to live through the epoch they missed the first time around, Mikey Mosher is well-placed to make major waves throughout the US and beyond.

If you can’t get enough of the haplessly hopeless romanticism in ‘Tell Me!’, keep Mikey Mosher on your radar to stay posted on his new album, Atlantis, which is due to drop in early 2025.

The official music video for ‘Tell Me!’ dropped on November 26th; stream it on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast