Browsing Tag

Lo Fi Hip Hop

Tahj McQueen brings the catharsis in his spacey lo-fi hip hop single, Healing.

Posted on 9 September 2021

Healing is the third single released by the breaking artist Tahj McQueen, which extends his legacy of lacing the airwaves with meaningful introspection that explores the darkest parts of our 21st-century psyches.

The trippy lo-fi beats are as spacey as Brian Eno’s cathartic tracks; paired with McQueen’s soft delivery of the hard-hitting lyrics, you’ll want to prime your vibe out playlists for this soulfully provoking track that runs you through a timeline of trauma. The timeline may be personal, but the problems unravelled resonate as universal. It is singles such as healing that remind you that trauma doesn’t separate us. It unifies us.

Healing was released on August 27th; you can check it out for yourselves via apple music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lorenz System has released his ambiently absorbing electronica debut EP, Sonne.

Posted on 23 July 2021

The highly accoladed artist and electronic composer Nathan Maurice has started his new project under the moniker Lorenz System. His latest release is the 4-track EP Sonne, which delivers deconstructed downtempo EDM beats with ambient lo-fi hip hop kicks.

The perfect introduction to his ambiently absorbing electronica style is the lead track, Yobuko which starts by spilling choral guitar tones before the beat kicks in and carries you through the cathartically sun-kissed instrumental soundscape. The soul that emanates from the release is practically unparalleled in the realms of ambient electronica; vocals are surplus to requirement with the evocative pull of the melodies.

Lorenz System’s debut EP is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MiGoFromMD has released his raw confessional Lo-Fi trap single, ‘Mental’ (Prod. Nono x Ele x Lufye)

Posted on 15 June 2021

US trap artist MiGoFromMD has been a prolific artist since making his debut earlier in 2021. With his standout single, Mental, he created a relatable manic track that reflects the insecurities that can stem from the self-awareness of our mental flaws.

His refreshingly honest lyrics cut right down to the bone while you listen to the lo-fi trap mix, prod. Nono x Ele x Lufye, run through. With a chorus of “I’m fucked and I’m mental, don’t know if I trust you” flowing with the indie trap beats that will be a hit with Tyler, the Creator, Mac Miller and Juice WRLD, there’s plenty of potential in MiGoFromMD’s raw and confessionally unique sound.

You can check out Mental for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pharaoh Santana treats his fans to a brand-new ambient indie trap experience with his EP, ‘PSP’.

Posted on 14 April 2021

LA-based hip hop artist Pharaoh Santana first appeared on our radar with his debut single, POP OUT, which hit the airwaves in 2018. With each new release, he has taught us to expect the unexpected. With his 2021 EP, PSP, he’s retained the soul and the wit found in his former releases and treated his fans to a brand-new sonic ambient indie trap experience.

PSP carries the hallmarks of a lo-fi hip hop record through the organic textures and intimacy offered through the minimal production. Yet, indie hip hop doesn’t come much smoother than the mesmerising tracks that are sure to lull you into a state of reflective serenity.

Track 1, Arvada Freestyle, featuring Cress Rilee, steps away from Western rhythms and serves as an intoxicating introduction to the 4-track release that keeps the grooves mellow and the beats cathartically arresting as Pharaoh Santana lays down the lyrical wisdom that he’s quickly becoming renowned for.

Track 2, Pretty Women, is a subversive ode to femininity and beauty where Pharaoh Santana holds his hands up to his vices, never being crass or misogynistic. Instead, he soulfully points out what a minefield dating can be in a hypersexual society, where sex can be used as a weapon, and people get left with scars.

Track 3, Zendaya, is the perfect summer chill hop track. As the smooth choral notes add to the ambience, Pharaoh Santana disrupts it with his strident lyrics that confront the type of person who always brings the drama instead of anything positive. Some people may pride themselves on the games they play, but Zendaya is enough to put anyone who takes pleasure in manipulation think twice.

Track 4, Tony Sparks, amps up the emotion from the former tracks and is undeniably the best introduction to the ingenuity contained in Santana’s almost haunting style on the EP. As the 90s-style RnB hip hop beats flow and glitch beneath his raw, honest vocals as he speaks of humility, you’ll get a sense that nothing was held back or added for prosaic effect. Instead, you’ll get to see how he can utilise tonal contrast to create a relatable and humanistic sense of conflict.

Pharaoh Santana’s EP, PSP, is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jay – Luv Tape: The ultimate lo-fi hip hop breakup album

Posted on 28 December 2020

New Jersey-hailing rapper & producer Jay, (AKA Jasun Ramirez) made their debut in 2018, in 2020, they dropped their Lo-Fi Hip Hop album ‘Luv Tape’ and brought sticky-sweet romanticism to the New Wave Trap genre.

The breakup album covers pretty much every conceivable emotion which you feel following a breakup, anger, insignificance, grief, lovelorn nostalgia, you name it, the 8-tracker delivers it all with a side-serving of dreamy beats pulled together in intimately sweet productions.

You can check out Hey, Stranger along with the rest of the album ‘Luv Tape’ for yourselves via Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

OriginelJay has released their experimentally raw Hip Hop track “This Town”

Posted on 3 October 2020
https://open.spotify.com/track/6brQHJ73RGB66iDG4Yzsby

South Birmingham-based emcee OriginelJay’s latest drop “This Town” is one of those insanely rare singles which makes your usual music preferences redundant. Whatever you’re into, you’re likely to find an element in it in this insanely eclectic mix.

OriginelJay holds nothing back when it comes to his mesmerically metered rap bars which offer plenty of harsh truths and humble introspection which collides with their unique mix of Grime, Rap, Punk and Lo-Fi Hip Hop.

I couldn’t have more respect for OriginelJay after hearing This Town. As the track unfolded, a smorgasbord of emotions washed over me. From empowering vibes to compassionate consolation to, you’ll hear it all in This Town.

You can check out OriginelJay’s track This Town by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lucas Ramsell: “Instagram Models” – Life through a Lens.

Posted on 28 August 2020

Lucas Ramsell is a London-based Hip-Hop/RnB artist, mixing his confessional indie inspired lyrics with sharp urban production.

Prior to lockdown, Ramsell had just come off a run of gigs including The Alternative Escape, Cargo and O2 Academy2 Islington with his group DBA; now he’s dropped ‘Lockdown: The Playlist’, a collection of ‘ten tracks, ten different vibes’, all put together with Ramsell’s vocals atop instrumental tracks composed by his friend and collaborator the multi-platinum producer Jackson Romain (Gunna, Chris Brown, Offset). ‘Instagram Models’ is laid back urban RnB, an edgy urban vocal in the style of Skepta or AJ Tracey over chilled vibes from Romain, telling the story of a world of influencers, photo-ops, and falsehood; Ramsell’s London, in four-minute microcosm.

You can check out Instagram Models via Spotify.

Review by Alex Holmes

Breaking Hip Hop artist Q Capone has dropped their freestyle rap hit “Gang X3”

Posted on 27 June 2020

If you love the raw and organic flow of freestyle Hip Hop, you’ll want to make room on your playlists for Q Capone’s debut single Gang X3.

Since the release of Gang X3, Q Capone has dropped two subsequent hits, yet their 2020 release Gang X3 is the best introduction to the artist’s playful and energetic approach to production.

Gang X3 may be a fairly lo-fi mix, but the high-vibe melodies will lift you up all the same while Q Capone lays down adrenalizing his bars in absolute synergy with the light warm Trap beats.

There’s little room to wonder why there’s so much hype around Q Capone and their exuberant sound. They’re definitely one to watch.

You can check out Gang X3 for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sheepishwolf – New Life: Soulfully Immersive Lo-Fi Indie Hip Hop

Posted on 14 May 2020

If you could imagine what it would sound like if Matt Berninger started producing Lo-Fi Indie Hip Hop, you’ll get a good idea of the immersive mellifluous magnetism found in up and coming artist Sheepishwolf’s single “New Life”.

New Life is just one of the singles on the London-based artist’s 2020 EP To Die For. While each track is as transfixing as the last, New Life serves as the perfect introduction to Sheepishwolf’s talent when it comes to infusing the best elements of Indie and Hip Hop. You’ll get the driving electronic basslines paired with the raw and intimate nature of the tenderly evocative vocals. What more could you possibly ask for?

Expect plenty more intoxicatingly cathartic singles from Sheepishwolf in 2020. You’ll want to put them on your radar right about now.

You can check out Sheepishwolf’s single New Life for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Prepare Your Vibeout Playlists for Swaine’s Soulful Catharsis-Spilling Mix CANYON INTERLUDE

Posted on 14 May 2020
https://soundcloud.com/swainesworld/canyon-interlude-prod-elkvio

Canadian artist Swaine dropped their latest hazy vibeout album DUNES on April 30th. You might want to prepare your vibe out RnB Hip Hop playlists for the mellow catharsis-spilling tracks right about now.

While each of the tracks is a soulfully expressive connectable mix, there’s no better introduction to Swaine’s accessibly sweet style than CANYON INTERLUDE. Within the layers of the mix which was deftly produced by elkvio you’ll find nuances of Lo-Fi Hip Hop, Trap, Indie, and Soul giving the track universal appeal. And with the lyrics unravelling like Urban poetry, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Hip Hop mix which parallels the amount of soul, ingenuity, and style.

You can check out Swaine’s track CANYON INTERLUDE for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast