Browsing Tag

Bronx Hip Hop

Cameron Jay Drops the Curtain on ‘Jimmy Kimmel’ in His Red-Hot Rap Track

Posted on 10 April 2025

Jimmy Kimmel is just one of the tour de luxe hip-hop forces featured on Cameron Jay’s EP, USB Dump Vol. 1. The track does so much more than wax lyrical on the legacy of the late-night figurehead; it drives stylistically smooth rhythms straight into your pulse. The reminiscences to Jay-Z don’t cloud the iconic innovation—Cameron Jay gives the flashy, fully fleshed, scintillating hip-hop timbres a new lease of life.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Cameron Jay is no stranger to sharpening his bars against the concrete of lived experience. With a stage history that includes sets alongside Trina, Joell Ortiz, Sadat X, Steele, and Craig G, and a discography that spans acclaimed mixtapes and 2019’s December’s Son—which saw Ya Tu Sabe rack up over 250,000 Spotify streams—Jay has earned his stripes without theatrics.

Now, with USB Dump Vol. 1, he unloads the vault. Jimmy Kimmel stands as a high-voltage benchmark in that archive—a track that fires through tight, textured beats with bars fuelled by raw charisma. His infectious lyrical delivery doesn’t hit the brakes until the atmospheric outro rolls onto the beat. He keeps the intricately layered instrumentals adrenalised to the last breath, leaving no second sounding like a throwaway cut.

This is more than a nod to pop culture; this is Cameron Jay playing host to his own story, with a delivery sharp enough to cut across the airwaves.

Jimmy Kimmel is now available to stream on all major platforms including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LR – Red Dress: Hip-Hop From the Streets Into the Soul

Posted on 14 December 2024

The single ‘Red Dress’ from LR’s EP, It’s Late, locks you into a smooth, seductive groove with its Latin-tinged guitars after a wavy, trappy R&B intro which gives way to LR’s arresting cadence that hypnotises you into his marked with metric precision verses.

As the complete epitome of vocal charisma, the up-and-coming rapper ticks all the right boxes in this multi-dimensional, progressively exhilarating hit that radiates with so much more than lust; it’s a celebration of beauty that will make you question the perception filter you view the world through.

LR veers away from any sense of pretence and taps straight into the soul with his expertly stitched bars that give you a sense of the Bronx grit that has shaped the artist’s conviction. Rather than merely imitating the revered rappers he grew up listening to—those whose names still echo through New York streets—he channels their raw honesty into his own reflections. Influences from the likes of Aaliyah and Missy Elliot shape his fluid approach to melody and harmony, resulting in a style that refuses to settle into any one corner of hip-hop.

Red Dress is now available via Apple Music and Spotify with the rest of LR’s It’s Late EP, which dropped on December 2^nd.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

From Bronx Streets to Beats: An Interview with Sapuis

Posted on 20 November 2024

Sapuis, the Bronx-born artist known for his introspective lyrics and innovative production style, joins us at A&R Factory to uncover his creative origins and the evolving narrative of his sound. Sapuis discusses how the challenging environment of his upbringing wasn’t just a backdrop but a vital component in sparking his artistic flame. Throughout the interview, we explore the profound personal and cultural influences that shape his music, his straightforward approach to his artistry, and his aspirations to make a lasting impact on the music landscape.

Sapuis, welcome to A&R Factory! Thanks for sitting down with us to discuss your artistic origin story, identity, and where you’re heading with your sound. Was it easy to ignite your creative spark in the Bronx?

Hell Yeah! In the South Bronx, your only option is to get creative. Whether it’s the meal you make out of what’s in the house, the outfit you put together to not get your ass cut, or even coming up on some money you gotta get creative.

Look, all the way back to the music of hip hop, rap and its culture were birthed from the creativity Bronxites had. They used that creativity to escape hell on earth, through song and dance. You gotta get creative or you will end up dead in the Bronx, so waking up is the ignition. Whenever I’m in a creative rut I can just think of the Bronx; the good, the bad, and the ugly which I came from.

You’ve made a name for yourself with your introspective lyrics, genre-bending, and signature production style; which artists have had the most profound influences on your sonic fingerprint?

My sonic fingerprint is influenced by me.

How do you feel after introspectively pouring your heart and soul into your tracks?

I feel relieved because I got to pour that out. Going back to naming the Album “Before I Die” you can now better understand the title. (which is entendre in itself) I had to get that all out before I die, too many people never get the chance to do something like this. Others are found after death, but not me I made sure this was released on my terms.

Which aspect of writing and production came easiest, and which did you have to work hard to hone?

The writing comes the easiest since my music is about my life, mixing and mastering was difficult at first. Anything you work on gets easier tho. I’m gonna be good no GREAT regardless.

You’re clearly determined to forge your own way through the hip-hop landscape and blaze your own trail; what are the main factors that are pushing you forward and putting momentum into your career?

Coming from the South Bronx, Fox Street. Pushes me forward. Using that as the foundation of anything I do… gives me the momentum to complete, accomplish, and systemize anything I fucking want.

You’ve recently released your sophomore LP, Before I Die; what’s the story behind the album and how does it align with your broader career goals?

This album came off the heels of completing the second year of my “song a week” campaign. Midway through that journey I noticed that there wasn’t a body of work to show the work I am putting in. So I needed to put this out. I have some goals in my career to release albums that change music history and this is the start of that.

If you had to elevator pitch Before I Die, how would you sell it?

Listen to my album Before I Die.

What’s next for Sapuis?

I’m trying to go on tour so if u seeing this book me rn. I’ll take care of the logistics no matter where it is on Earth.

–

Stream Sapuis’ Before I Die LP on Spotify now.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Getem Jesus da prince brought wavy lo-fi hip-hop to the Bronx with ‘Why Are You On Me’

Posted on 26 August 2023

Getem Jesus da prince’s latest single, Why Are You On Me is as wavy, minimalist, and lo-fi as hip-hop gets, but if that is exactly what your playlists are crying out for, wipe away the tears with the ambient hit that will leave your speakers dripping with catharsis.

The Bronx-hailing rapper and singer is also the leader of the Team Sveda Guardian Shit movement; when he’s not crafting Drake-esque hooks, he’s versing hip-hop gospel on his podcast.

While improvements to the production quality could make his hits more people’s cup of tea, props have to be given to the fearless emissary of stripped-back hip-hop-flavoured soul who makes rap tracks worth getting pious about.

Check out Why Are You On Me here or check out his YouTube channel.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get your Latin Trap ecstasy hit with FJP’s latest drop, Molly Party

Posted on 7 August 2023

FJP’s latest single, Molly Party, dropped (or should that be came up?) on the 14^th of July to blur the boundaries between Latin Trap and the evolution from Jamaican dancehall, Dembow, and to generate a fierce party rocking with conviction and culture hit that could fill any Bronx dancefloor.

With a sound so hedonistically filthy that you’ll get a contact high from your speakers as the bass and harsh snares are blazing through them, there’s no better hit to get your party started – literally.

To create his galvanising distinctive sonic signature, the Dominican Bronx-born-and-raised artist fuses his Latin Caribbean roots with eclectic hip-hop influences to produce riddim-riding anthems that will safely secure his place on the Bronx hip-hop map.

Add Molly Party to your Spotify playlists.

Keep up to date with the latest releases from FJP on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Drift away with WIN’s latest single, Goodnight, and see why he is the brightest Bronx trap luminary in 2023

Posted on 12 July 2023

Smooth out your playlists with the latest RnB-infused, pseudo-trap lullaby, Goodnight, from the up-and-coming urban trailblazer WIN.

With dreamy jazz nuances worked into the soporific mix, Goodnight is a soulfully musical exhibition of the Bronx-hailing recording artist’s talent and ingenuity, which has seen him performing at a series of high-profile music festivals, including Harlem Art Festival, SXSW, and Daze Summit.

With his melodic uptempo spoken-word bars dominating the hazy mix, there are few vibe-out tracks that succeed in spilling catharsis and feel-good energy simultaneously in this vein. With his infectiously enigmatic charisma paired with his cutting wordplay skills that paint vivid vignettes of life in the Bronx, you can consider WIN as the brightest trap luminary in. 2023.

Goodnight hit the airwaves on June 7th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bronx Boom Bap: Dana X Rico Nasty – AgainxAgain

Posted on 26 November 2021

Dana brought boom bap hip hop into the millennial age with their latest dark track, AgainxAgain, featuring Rico Nasty. While old school hip hop fans can grasp at the nostalgia in the domineering mix, the new generation can get exhilarated by the clever hooks and versatile talent.

The featuring vocalist brought an incredible dynamic to the track; once the rapid-fire bars start to unravel, you can appreciate just how magnetic the drawl and deadpan preceding bars were. Throughout his career, the Bronx, NY-based artist has proven that his vocals can complement any beat, and he knows just how to create a laceratingly sharp vocal hook. He’s definitely one to watch.

AgainxAgain will be available to stream from November 26th, 2021, via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lyrical rap luminary CIV delivers adrenalizing gritty poetry in ‘Hero’

Posted on 18 February 2021

There’s clever lyrical wordplay, then there’s the fiercely meta linguistic tussling which you’ll find in the Bronx, NY-hailing rap artist, CIV’s latest album ‘Glitched Tapes Vol.1’.

Wit and intellect run rampant through each single, but the perfect introduction to CIV’s relentlessly ingenious style is ‘Hero’.

Energetic beats which marry old school gangster rap with contemporary electronic hip hop blaze behind the bars which are a gift which keeps on giving. Hero is a track which you’ll want to hit play on until you know the lyrics well enough not to let them catch you off-guard with the gritty, clever charisma-dripping creativity.

On the basis of Hero, I can’t imagine that CIV gets invited to all too many rap battles through fear of annihilation.

You can check out CIV’s single, Hero, for yourselves via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast