Browsing Tag

Hip-Hop

Grind to the groove of ZYNOVOX & Omofaaji’s Afrobeat Hip-Hop anthem, HUSTLE

Posted on 6 April 2025

ZYNOVOX and Omofaaji’s track ‘HUSTLE’ kicks off deceptively chilled with an ambient, tropically sweet prelude, before locking listeners into a fervent rhythm that sparks a grind-to-the-groove mentality. This isn’t empty bravado or excess flash; the Nigerian-born, Essex-based artist ZYNOVOX, known for his dexterous fusions of rap, afrobeat, drill, pop, and dancehall, fuels the fire with real intention.

Taking cues from Eminem and Kanye yet pushing beyond imitation, ZYNOVOX amplifies his influences into something slick and undeniably fresh. Paired with Omofaaji’s contribution, the dual bars bring serious heat, weaving soul-driven verses with high-fire conviction. The seamless interplay intensifies the track’s infectious dancehall rhythm, steering it clear from mediocrity and towards an anthem crafted to push listeners into new life heights.

‘HUSTLE’ is more than radio-ready; it’s practically engineered to provoke DJs into placing it straight onto their A-lists. With rhythms built for the dancefloor and lyrical bars compelling enough to elevate your serotonin levels, this track effortlessly unites substance with groove. It doesn’t flex for applause—it authentically motivates, setting a high-energy standard that’s impossible to ignore.

‘HUSTLE’ is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Holy by Drew Drake: A Hip-Hop Sermon Lighting Fires of Liberation

Posted on 1 April 2025

Drew Drake’s latest single, ‘Holy,‘ blurs the sacred lines between gospel and hip-hop, crafting a lyrically waxed sermon that uplifts as effortlessly as it unsettles preconceptions. The rapper’s smooth, soul-drenched cadence carves an introspective space for listeners to reflect and release the weight of self-imposed restrictions. Drake’s words ignite with sincerity, opening the gates for perceptions to shift and barriers to crumble. ‘Holy’ provides sanctuary, regardless of religious affiliation—offering faith through music for anyone willing to embrace it.

The seminal track pulses with the warmth of gospel’s organ keys, yet Drake injects enough rhythmically smooth RnB echoes to keep it grounded in contemporary resonance. Ethereal backing vocals hover gracefully in the background, adding arcane textures reminiscent of old-school spirituals, crafting an atmosphere that haunts and heals in equal measure.

Drake, a Huntsville, Alabama native now based in Knoxville, Tennessee, uses art to initiate essential dialogue for people of colour. His versatile artistic voice, sharpened through acting roles like Lamar Cordell in Law and Order Season 22 and stage appearances from Bonnaroo Music Festival to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, lends depth to his message.

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

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jem&i’s ‘Gemini’ is An Alchemical Invocation of Hedonic Alt-Hip-Hop

Posted on 30 March 2025

With the release of his latest single, ‘Gemini’, Jem&i effortlessly dissolves genre boundaries, merging grime, house, garage, and hip-hop into an intricate structure built for pure hedonic euphoria. Through a dark, sultry production style that oscillates hypnotically around the synth lines and the steady pulse of the beats, he crafts a track that compels rhythmic pulses into obedience. Each beat becomes more than percussion—it is a command, sinking deeper into the psyche as the mind melts into the tones.

At a time when indie rap artists frequently deliver half-cooked productions, Jem&i refuses to lower his standards, carefully orchestrating instrumentals that open portals to new sonic dimensions. His arrangements set the mood, amplifying your susceptibility to his bars, which purposefully shift away from predictable rap cadences to fuse seamlessly with melody, paying respect to house music traditions.

Yet ‘Gemini’ offers more than mesmerising instrumentals. Its grime-infused lyrical narrative carries sharp conviction and a streak of lyrical gold, balancing urban grit with atmospheric cultivation. Jem&i navigates the shifting sonic landscape with confidence, embodying an artisan’s precision in his unique approach to rhythmic storytelling.

‘Gemini’ is now available to stream on all major platforms, including YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Knife Edge of Clarity: Velly Marsh Channels Haunting Introspection in Vice Versa (Synergy)

Posted on 27 March 2025

Velly Marsh never raps from the surface. With Vice Versa (Synergy), created in collaboration with LethalNeedle and Andrew the Anomalous One, the Las Vegas-based artist invites you to the psychological front line and holds your gaze there. The hauntingly ethereal prelude, built on minor-key piano progressions and spectral-with-soul vocal textures, sets the tone for a track that doesn’t rush to land punches—it stalks your subconscious instead.

When the beat kicks in, it doesn’t undercut the atmosphere. It strengthens the spine of the track while Marsh delivers larger-than-life bars bathed in conviction and presence. Every word is locked in—deliberate, consolatory, and fine cut with lyrical candour. His introspective depth, honed from years of disciplined self-reflection and influence from artists like Mach-Hommy and MF DOOM, translates into verses that don’t seek applause—they seek understanding.

Vice Versa (Synergy) isn’t built for passive listening. It leaves your attention on an unnerving knife edge as Velly Marsh dares you to strip your mind down as bare as he lays his own. This is boom-bap realism as a soul-baring artform—constructed with care, executed with precision, and mixed with the kind of restraint only a trained audio engineer who knows exactly where to hold back can manage.

You can lock into it repeatedly and still find new lyrical details carved into its structure. It’s not about volume or visibility—it’s about clarity. Through this lens, Marsh doesn’t just tell his story—he holds a mirror up to yours.

Vice Versa (Synergy) is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

The Megazord Effect: MannyPacquiloud & LjayNFG Sync Firepower on ‘Fantastic’

Posted on 26 March 2025
MannyPacquiloud

When MannyPacquiloud and LjayNFG collide on Fantastic, the outcome isn’t just collaborative chemistry—it’s juggernautical. The hyper lo-fi hip-hop speaker slammer rides a rift in the genre’s continuum, shooting 8-bit synthetics and phasers across the mix like it’s an arcade battleground loaded with charisma-charged artillery. The conviction behind every bar proves MannyPacquiloud isn’t just tracking with the future of hip-hop—he’s hauling it on his back with unapologetic force.

It’s a spacy oscillation of pure lyrical volition. The beat bucks expectations with distorted minimalism, letting the distorted textures run riot while the vocals carve clarity out of chaos. The collaborators match the momentum with equal intent, making sure the tag-team format never slips into competition—only combustion.

There’s no gloss, no clean-cut production polish; it’s raw by design. Each element is engineered to elevate the energy, not dilute it. The low-fidelity framework serves the track’s ethos—it’s punchy, primal and built for the underground, where aesthetics bow to authenticity. This is what it sounds like when artists prioritise force over pretence and still land every blow on beat.

MannyPacquiloud’s ability to channel chaos into cadence shows he’s not just rapping for the now—he’s setting the stakes for what comes next. And if Fantastic is anything to go by, the altitude of hip-hop vibes might just be reaching stratospheric new levels through his talent.

Fantastic is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

R.O.B RECKIN’ ON BEATZ Channels Inner Ferocity Through Meditative Flow in ‘BEAST MODE’

Posted on 26 March 2025

R.O.B RECKIN’ ON BEATZ doesn’t posture, he positions. With ‘BEAST MODE’, the Lorain, Ohio-based artist turns the phrase into something far removed from chest-beating braggadocio. Instead, the track functions as a meditative soliloquy—a sharp reminder that staying in the zone takes more than adrenaline. It’s about mental clarity, grit, and a refusal to veer off course.

Since writing his first rhymes at ten, R.O.B has taken the long way round to land where he is now: firmly planted in the boom-bap soil, unbothered by trends and fuelled by decades of DIY dedication. That fire nearly went out, dulled by production issues and misaligned visions, but with a new sonic compass in producer CSB, R.O.B rebuilt from the foundation up. The result? Dope Raps & Beats, a tape built on conviction, housing BEAST MODE at its core—a statement piece hosted by DJ Flipcyide and powered by a couple of Wu-Tang affiliates.

Lyrically, he’s mastered metrical flow. Each bar cascades like a waterfall of lyrical gold over CSB’s sharp, minimal beat architecture. What separates him from the pack isn’t the intensity—it’s the restraint. The luxe aura that wraps around the production and bars moves in perfect synergy with mind, body and soul. You’re not forced into the energy. You’re drawn into it.

BEAST MODE redefines what it means to go hard—by staying still, razor-sharp and fully locked into the moment.

BEAST MODE is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

STEEZALEO THE GREAT Dropped the Hip-Hop Gauntlet in ‘Ride or Go Ghost’

Posted on 24 March 2025

Ride or Go Ghost’ is more than a high-octane hip-hop anthem—it’s a loyalty litmus test drenched in charisma, groove, and unshakeable confidence. STEEZALEO THE GREAT fires from the north side of Kalamazoo with bars that land with the weight of lived experience and a vocal command that sharpens every beat to a fine point. With some rappers, you listen. With others, you feel the energy. With Steezaleo, you lock in and absorb every syllable as it resonates with maximum impact.

Behind the velvet grit of his delivery, playfully luxe beats pop and swing with West Coast flavour, invoking the presence of Dre, Snoop, and Ice Cube without slipping into imitation. There’s no leaning on legacy—Steezaleo carves out his own with a sound shaped by hustle and elevation. Each verse is a statement, refusing to bend to gimmicks or trend-chasing. The metric flexes alone are enough to prove why he’s a self-assured outlier in a scene too often diluted.

‘Ride or Go Ghost’ captures the headrush of confrontation and clarity—who stays solid, and who folds the minute the fire rises? While the instrumentals deliver a euphoric bounce, the lyricism keeps it grounded, offering no illusions about the stakes when trust is on the line. It’s high-energy without sacrificing substance, motivational without preaching, and stylish without losing authenticity.

Ride or Go Ghost is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

Bruised Knuckles, Clear Mind: Mystic Lovelle Fights for Peace in ‘Shadow Boxing’

Posted on 24 March 2025

Taken from The 3 EP, ‘Shadow Boxing’ is Mystic Lovelle’s melodic statement of intent. old-school hip-hop converges with even older-school soul in luxe layers that form a meditative introduction to the artist’s ethos and aura. Instead of indulging in fantasies of excess, Lovelle turns the spotlight inward to document the hard-won clarity earned through personal unrest.

Everyone loves a rags-to-riches narrative, but Lovelle brings something far more grounded. With steady pacing and meticulously metered bars, the verses map out what it means to move through adversity and arrive in a place where self-respect eclipses regret. The lyrical weight is matched by the production’s depth, where the soul vox weaves around Lovelle’s words like incense.

The track is a smooth reflection carved from strife, shaped into something close to spiritual resolve. Every lyric reinforces the idea that hardship can inform strength without becoming identity, and that mental sanctity grows from resisting the urge to fold beneath pressure. The message doesn’t preach—it presents. Without self-pity or inflated ego, Lovelle builds an atmosphere where wisdom carries more currency than ego.

Tonally, lyrically, and vocally, ‘Shadow Boxing’ is soaked in an affecting sublimity. The cinematic scale meets the intimacy of confessional writing, creating a track that lingers not just through its sound, but through its intention.

Shadow Boxing is now available on Spotify and Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Perenna King Fires Shots at the Elite with ‘Billionaire’

Posted on 21 March 2025

Perenna King isn’t here to play nice with the 1%. Billionaire is a slick, sultry rejection of the pop mould, drenched in bass-heavy afrobeat rhythms that instantly set the NYC singer-songwriter apart. With rap verses that cut through with razor-sharp conviction, she delivers a scathing critique of the ultra-wealthy, making it impossible not to get caught up in the hype of this protest anthem.

In a world where Elon Musk is unavoidable and the rich-poor divide stretches further by the day, King amplifies the frustrations of those grinding to get by, only to realise the system was rigged against them from the start. The track doesn’t just highlight the disparity—it vindicates the ones left fighting for scraps while the billionaires hoard power, influence, and entire economies.

Raised on a fusion of classic rock and literature, King has always had a flair for injecting her music with theatrical drama, but Billionaire isn’t just spectacle—it’s a battle cry. Her latest tour de force breathes fresh air into a genre often too cautious to take a stand. The message is as biting as the beat is infectious, proving that resistance isn’t futile.

Billionaire is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

TNV’s Cream of the Crop – Boom Bap Nostalgia with Boundless Swagger

Posted on 15 March 2025

TNV fires off bars with the kind of force that turns a track into an event. Cream of the Crop, the standout single from his latest LP, For the Record, revives the lo-fi, jazz-infused soul of 00s hip-hop while pushing the energy into overdrive. The larger-than-life presence in his luxe lyrical delivery makes each line hit harder; anyone who grew up on Jay-Z’s prime will feel right at home in the trailblazing anthem which serves as the ultimate soundtrack to your aspiration for greatness.

Swanky melodies and soaring sax lines give the beat a sleek, refined touch, while TNV’s relentless flow keeps the momentum urban nirvana-high. Every bar builds up a kinetic charge that refuses to settle. There’s no stepping back, no slowing down—just pure adrenaline, driven by hooks designed to stick in the psyche. The massive production carries echoes of Run the Jewels, but TNV digs deep into boom bap and soul-driven jazzy hip-hop nostalgia while carving out a sound that is quickly becoming synonymous with his irreplicable presence on the airwaves.

Growing up in Los Angeles with parents deeply embedded in the music industry, TNV absorbed the culture from an early age. His lyricism holds weight, and he uses it to energise and elevate in equal measure. With a fanbase expanding with every release, For the Record positions him at the forefront of the new wave of hip-hop nostalgia.

Cream of the Crop is available now on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast