Browsing Tag

Dark Hip Hop

Jakezar waxes lyrical on his legacy in his dark rap track Blood in My Veins

Posted on 5 December 2022

At 21 years old, the Sydney-hailing rapper, Jakezar already has an eight-year spanning discography. By the time he was ready to drop his latest fervent single, Blood in My Veins, with his producer Cavula Beats, he was primed to make a fiery mark on the airwaves.

The dark experimental beats set a cinematic tone from the prelude before Jakezar blazes in with his bars that would be enough to make Sage Francis’ head spin. There’s also a fair amount of thematic reminiscence between Blood in My Veins to the production of GRACE by Sage Francis. But, judging by the dynamic range in Jakezar’s back catalogue, he moves to the flow of his expression and creativity and is never one to assimilate.

Blood in My Veins was officially released on November 23rd. You can check it out on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Klowniac went down the rabbit hole with his playfully pathological single, Mad Hatter

Posted on 16 October 2022

With a twisted vibe that sits somewhere in between Insane Clown Posse and the carnivalesque Avant-Garde brand of Fable Cry with a few dark pop tendencies thrown into the mix, Klowniac’s take on Melanie Martinez’s Mad Hatter, is a true embracement of autonomy. The playfully pathological lyrics around the helter-skelter sonics are an alchemically enlivening sensory experience for the mentally perturbed.

The airwaves are littered with tracks that advocate individuality. But there is still a very narrow parameter of how neurodivergent you can be and be accepted in a society that is all about mental health acceptance until you act TOO weird. The Klown-inspired multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and performer created the ultimate earworm for anyone who knows just how limited tolerance actually is.

Mad Hatter is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

IAMJALEO sent the notion of genre further into extinction into his jarringly dark triumph of a sophomore single, Soul Food

Posted on 15 October 2022

Subversively to its title, IAMJALEO’s sophomore alt-hip hop single, Soul Food, throws you into an old-school melancholic orchestral score before the gruff distorted verses allow you to peek behind the curtain into a schizophrenic mind and a life that is rife with systematic injustice.

The intensity of Soul Food isn’t easy to swallow, but the sombre result of the dark rap bars meeting the emotionally heightened instrumentals is a testament to the up-and-coming artist’s talent as a songwriter. That is something that artists can go ten albums without creating, but pretty much straight off the bat, the DC-born, Maryland-raised artist proved his capacity for evocatively striking art. He’s definitely one to watch.

Soul Food is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Orval Hill and Lita Lee became the ultimate dark hip hop power couple in ‘Dark Vibez’.

Posted on 10 August 2022

While everyone else is going high with their vibes, Orval Hill went dark with his rhythmic masterpiece, Dark Vibez, featuring the iconic rapper in her own right, Lita Lee. Together, the duo is as electric as Die Antwoord, but thankfully infinitely less problematic, despite the ‘schizo rap’ style which has come to define Orval Hill’s moody sonic style and playfully twisted lyrics.

With ethereal reverb snaking around the steady rattle of the 808s, there’s a phantasmal avant-garde essence to Dark Vibez, which you may be able to hear if you can tear yourself away with the hypnotic bounce of the rap bars. Honestly, if you can hit still through it, you may as well be in a coma.

The official music video for Dark Vibez premiered on July 30th. Check it out on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

New age spirituality meets alt-hip hop in Kyron Rizzo’s latest single, High Priestess Pu$$y

Posted on 15 April 2022

Any fans of Lords of Acid will undoubtedly want to delve into the salaciously spiritual latest single from Kyron Rizzo. With the jazzy horn stabs around the rattle of the 808s and the beguile in Rizzo’s smooth yet fierce RnB rap vocals, High Priestess Pu$$y is as seductive as it is darkly alluring.

In their own words, the single is “for the Hot Girlz & Tarot Reading Hoez not afraid to WIND, TWIST, & POP their shit: in the club, car, kitchen, or shower.” The Avant-Garde work may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for anyone that likes their aural poison a little stronger and steeped in edgy magnetism, it will have all the makings of a playlist staple.

High Priestess Pu$$y will officially release on April 15th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

NBH Rucci searches for gravity in his latest single, Hold Me Down

Posted on 15 January 2022

In his latest single, “Hold Me Down”, the up and coming alt hip hop artist NBH Rucci explores the disparities between fears of being held down and lonely realities where connections feel transitional and leave us feeling short-changed.

The atmospheric dark indie hip hop single is an extension of the Michigan-hailing hip hop artist’s mission to share his triggering life events as a means of connecting with his fans and shining a light on the commonality of our pain. With trap and RnB nuances weaved into the short and sweet track that runs through in under 2-minutes, there is no denying that it hits the evocative spot and does it in a spectacularly succinct fashion.

Hold Me Down dropped on January 14th; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bronx Boom Bap: Dana X Rico Nasty – AgainxAgain

Posted on 26 November 2021
Dana

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

Get high with Adubs’ debut alt-hip hop album, The Come Up.

Posted on 3 November 2021

After his successful Halloween debut, the alt hip-hop luminary Adubs has dropped his dynamic debut album, The Come Up. In the opening track, Any Means, his relentlessly enigmatic rap bars groove to dark drill beats. The release takes a melancholic turn with track two, Baddie, which delivers pure spoken-word indie hip hop poetry over mellow RnB melodies.

Track three, featuring Gutta, brings the tempo back up and infuses hard-hitting electronica elements – showing yet another facet to Adubs’ endless stream of ingenuity that flows right through the album. The Come Up reaches visceral heights in the confrontationally direct track, I Promise, which exhibits the best of Adubs’ dynamic flow and ability to squeeze new meanings from words in a time when they can feel so meaningless.

The Come Up is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bandklann Deed delivers gritty high-vibe hip hop in his seminal hit, Pop My Shit.

Posted on 29 September 2021

Judging by his seminal single, breaking US indie hip hop artist Bandklann Deed is on the rise with his grimy drill beats and even grittier lyrics. ‘Pop My Shit’ is a dark trappy hit that epitomises hustler hip hop to its core while still unravelling as fresh.

The enigmatic dominance drips with every clever lyrical blow as the old school instrumental style makes its best attempt to leave you adrenalised by the high-fire hit. Hint, it definitely succeeds. He may have an indie status, but that definitely doesn’t resound in the production quality of Pop My Shit. Hear it, and it will be in your head for days.

You can check out Bandklann Deed’s standout single, Pop My Shit, on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Novakane introduces you to his demons in his drill hip hop track, NITETIME

Posted on 26 August 2021

NITETIME is an insomnia track like no other; Novakane depicted the demons that always seem to creep in to greet us in the early hours while creating an adrenalizing drill track with party hip hop vibes.

Even though some of the glamour is stripped away from the hedonist lifestyle by the cutting witty lyrics, Novakane brought a sobering sense of realism to the release that allows you to see why so many people revel in excess and intoxicated escapism.

NITETIME is easily one of the hardest-hitting hip hop tracks that we’ve heard this year. We can’t wait to hear more.

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

Review by Amelia Vandergast