Browsing Tag

Caribbean Hip Hop

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

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

Rapper and producer, JaefKae is razor-sharp in his Reggaeton hip hop single, New Machete

With a danceable versatile flavour like no other, the Chicago-hailing rapper and producer, JaefKae, burst onto our radar with the genre-fluid beats in his latest single, New Machete.

The tropic earworm picks at the roots of hip hop, Caribbean Dancehall, Reggaeton and Soul and plants the seed for a fresh new sound, defined by kaleidoscopically colourful instrumentals and the effortlessly high-vibes in the vocals.

During his career, JaefKae has opened for Nas and Pusha T, taken his high-energy performances across Chicago, and used his platform to represent his Afro-Purto Rican and Japanese descent, be a force of resistance against police oppression and to fight for black liberation.

His moniker comes from JFK because his 200-song discography “will blow your f***ing mind”. Considering that New Machete completely dominates your psyche before flooding it with dance-worthy rhythms and elevated talent, JaefKae had every basis to be that bold when settling on the pseudonym that will ripple across the globe attached to his infectiously upraising tracks.

New Machete is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Juice Patrol squeezed plenty of extra soul into his latest single, Timeline.

Before the grips of winter sink their teeth, get a taste of the Caribbean sun in the up and coming alt hip hop artist Juice Patrol’s third single, Timeline. The ambient grind and the hazy layers construct a mellifluously soothing platform for Juice Patrol’s soft, gentle and endlessly magnetic vocals to dominate as they work through the spoken word urban poetry.

The Ugandan-based solo artist used his fusionist genre and border-spanning sound to prove that soul can spark from the most emotionally fraught experiences. Timeline was inspired by a revolving door relationship and our tendency to turn a blind eye to red flags when affection and history are involved. Instead of giving it all in black and white, Juice Patrol added to the conversation in warm tones and kaleidoscopic colour.

With the depth and wit in the lyrics, Timeline makes you realise just how little nuance there is when it comes to lyrical introspection on toxic relationships. As for the chillwave vibe, you couldn’t ask for a sweeter vibe-out playlist staple.

Timeline is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast