Browsing Tag

LA Hip Hop

It’s all bells and no whistles in Roman Gastelum’s ingenuitive hip-hop track, Pavlov’s Dogs

Posted on 14 November 2023

After a bell ring in the intro to pay a conceptual nod to the iconic conditioning experiment, Roman Gastelum moves straight in with an amalgam of funk grooves, jazzy timbres, and hip-hop beats in his standout single, Pavlov’s Dogs taken from his debut LP, EQlibrium.

With the single and LP title, we probably don’t need to tell you that the LA-based bassist, vocalist, lyricist, and composer is an intellectual cut above the rest. In fact, if there were any more genius touches to this release, Roman Gastelum’s door would be blown off its hinges after an army of sapiophiles came knocking. But it is far from just pretentious art over substance.

The sublime sonic atmosphere conjured around the bruisingly clever bars by the artist who received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from the Musicians Institute in LA ensured that even on the 100th listen, you’ll take something new from Pavlov’s Dogs. As the cherry on the urban alchemist cake, the spacey sci-fi surrealism towards the outro is a lesson in experimental scintillation.

Pavlov’s Dogs is now available to stream on Spotify with the rest of the EQlibrium LP which dropped on September 29.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

justMusic radiated originality in his stylised and cinematic hip-hop track, MORNING SUN

Posted on 2 September 2023

The Virginia & Florida-hailing hip-hop pioneer justMusic pays no loyalty to coastal sub-genres; he drifts between stylings and pulls in inspiration and creativity where he imaginatively sees fit. His latest cinematically soulful single, MORNING SUN, is the perfect introduction to his tendency to colour outside of the archetypal melodic lines to paint an urban picture of pure originality.

As the synthesised orchestral strings cut through the immersive atmosphere, justMusic pulls it back together with his harmonised vocal lines that soak the soundscape in soul between the dripping-with-conviction rap bars.

When the singer and rap artist isn’t cooking up hits to supplement his already eclectic discography, he’s using his passion for success in his highly accomplished skateboarding career but he’s stepped off the board for long enough to work on his latest project MuX. 

MORNING SUN hit the airwaves on August 25; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Join Black Prez & Shaun Reynolds on cloud nine with the high-vibe hip-hop staple, Feel Good

Posted on 24 June 2023

With the million streams mark way behind him in the rearview mirror, few contemporary hip-hop artists share the success of the Berlin-born, LA-based, songwriter and actor, Black Prez.

After playing shows with everyone from Big Sean to G-Unit, getting sync deals with Netflix & HBO and his hits featuring on Fast & Furious, Call of Duty and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skaker, he stepped into the studio with Shaun Reynolds to collaborate on the hot summer single, Feel Good.

Showing the sunniest sides of their cheeky devil-may-care dispositions, Feel Good is an infectious serotonin-spilling celebration of positivity. While the lyrics show you how to compartmentalise negative energy, the pop-instilled keys and horns tabs paint blissfully euphoric melodies to implant you on cloud nine alongside Prez and Reynolds. Who said perfection can’t exist in music?

Get Feel Good into rotation by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

It is all in the hooks in XRick SaenzX’s latest pop-rap earworm, Trust No Thotty

Posted on 23 August 2022

Hip hop got infinitely slicker with the drop of XRick SaenzX’s audaciously infectious new single, Trust No Thotty, which comes with a beast of a chorus and enough charisma to rival his influences, Dre, 50 Cent and Eminem.

Hardened by the streets of LA, XRick SaenzX started his rap career aged 13 when he started writing rap bars. In 2019, he dropped out of college to peruse his passion; on the basis of his latest single, he’s more than got what it takes between his commercial appeal and unique magnetism. Few new urban sonic signatures are bolder than this.

Trust No Thotty is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DopeLame is matchless in his melodic trap track, No Competition

Posted on 18 June 2022

Making LA even hotter, one of the most luminary up-and-coming rappers on Cali turf, DopeLame, dropped his latest single, No Competition, on June 17th.

After starting his rap career in 2019, he’s been steadily gaining traction with his distinctive rap flow and his no holds barred lyricism that helps you feel the weight of the conviction in his contemporary melodic trap productions.

With his eyes on the prize of emboldening his listeners with his domineering dissections of ego, existence and social construction, there is always a reason to jump on his new material.

No Competition is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ahmad Nur & Mauni Maun brought the call for justice back in trend with ‘Old News’

Posted on 31 May 2022

It is all about the old school grooves in the luxe hip hop debut from LA newcomer Ahmad Nur. ‘Old News’, featuring Mauni Maun, throws in RnB vocal melodies and Snoop Dogg-level chill rap bars on the inventively distorted jazz-infused instrumentals, which immediately sets Nur apart from the rest of the up-and-coming names that have flocked to the airwaves in 2022.

Yet, the far more striking distinction in Old News is the soul that was thrown at it as a consequence of Nur’s anger that racial injustice is old news once again – despite all of the issues that sprawled across the headlines are still happening every day, just as rampantly.

Old News is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tanner Molique puts emotion into ‘Motion’ in his latest RnB hip hop track

Posted on 1 February 2022

It is all about the vibe in Tanner Molique’s discography of tracks. The LA-hailing artist strives to make music to drive, think and be intimate to; he discernibly succeeded based on his first 2022 single, Motion. The hazy lo-fi RnB Hip Hop track gives you plenty of ambience and reverb to sink into while you follow the grooves in the trappy melodies. It’s almost enough to conjure imagery of a neon-lit urban cruise through bustling metropolitan streets as Motion mellifluously runs through the sexually charged progressions.

Motion is the ultimate testament to Molique’s emotionally charged ethos as a songwriter and artist who seeks to evoke emotion by delivering evocative content hand over fist.

Motion was officially released on January 14th; it is now available to stream and purchase via Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bryana Arlette – More Life: Cathartically Intimate RnB Hip Hop

Posted on 31 January 2022

If you let one of the most evocatively hard-hitting hip hop songs that dropped in 2021 slip you by, we’re giving you a second chance to slip into the arrestingly raw single, More Life, by the Ohio-born, LA-based independent artist, Bryana Arlette.

Through her music, she shines a melodic light on the experiences that shaped her and sank her into a silent depression. Her vision as an artist is bed by the hope of connecting with fans that have lived through similar experiences or worse. As much as she deserves to be applauded based on her candid bravery, her sound is equally as breathtaking. Her composed and neo-classic spin on RnB-laced hip hop amplifies the emotion in the lyrics while simultaneously creating a cathartically intimate urban atmosphere. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

More Life is available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Newfaces embraces the chaos in his glitchy EDM hip hop single, I Can’t Make You Love Me

Posted on 25 December 2021

Experimentalism has always been an intrinsic part of Newfaces’ creativity. Yet, with his latest alt electro single, the LA-based artist and producer moved into Avant-Garde territory with his glitchy serving of hip hop, Neo soul and RnB pop.

With stormy and tribal textures entwined in the artful arrangement, I Can’t Make You Love Me is touched by chaos as a reflection of torrid human emotion. While the driving momentum in the gorgeously layered single never lets any of the weight in the candid lyricism sit uncomfortably. If Saul Williams collaborated with Radiohead, the sonic result wouldn’t be all too different from the absolute triumph that is I Can’t Make You Love Me. Newfaces’ sound leaves you with no uncertainty around how he managed to garner so much hype. He’s definitely one to watch.

I Can’t Make You Love Me is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cush Wallace establishes himself as the new West Coast hip hop heavyweight with ‘AMMO’.

Posted on 6 December 2021

LA-based alt-rap artist instrumentalist and producer Cush Wallace is well on his way to securing a place in West Coast hip hop history. His latest EP, DRICO II: THE RISE OF FREDERICO DOWN BY PICO, stands as a testament to his trippy and atmospheric style and his cuttingly sharp wit.

His Afro-Latino roots pull through in the standout single, AMMO, which runs his tens of thousands of listeners through the weight put on him from his haters. Being the inspirational artist that he is, he lyrically fights his way through adversity and shines as before the track reaches its gritty outro.

Cush Wallace is so much more than your average I-downloaded-garage-band-3-months-ago kind of rapper; the classically trained multi-instrumentalist mastered the guitar and cello, those melodic skills notably lent themselves to AMMO.

AMMO is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast