Browsing Tag

rapper

Genaddy took motivational hip-hop to a cinematically fiery new plateau with his debut, 1,000 Mile.

Posted on 14 December 2023

After dropping his debut single, 1,000 Mile, the veraciously fresh rapper, Genaddy, has already shed his up-and-coming underdog status, amassing over 56k monthly listeners on Spotify with his astronomically high-octane energy.

By taking motivational hip-hop to a cinematically fiery new plateau with orchestral elements sweeping across the big beats, there’s no overstating the epic scale, dramatic intensity, or the way the production enhances the storytelling.

With a flow as fervent as Busta Rhymes and Twista paired with the sharp and ingenious wordplay of Nas and Lil Wayne and the production pumping out the innovative and emotional resonance of a Hans Zimmer score, we may as well hand the keys to the hip-hop dominion over to Genaddy in 2024. With a debut LP locked, loaded and ready to drop nuclear bombs on the airwaves next year, Genaddy isn’t an artist you want to sleep on.

Check out the 1,000 Mile single, featuring the B-side, Circles, on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

17thekid became the fieriest flow queen on the underground hip-hop scene with her latest single, Roll Call

Posted on 12 December 2023

Roll Call, the latest boom-bap hip-hop track from 17theKid, is a fresh nostalgic throwback to the 90s, infused with the artist’s fiery and larger-than-life energy.

The multi-talented indie artist brings her unique blend of skills as a rapper, drummer, singer-songwriter, producer, audio engineer, and dancer to the addictively electric track that is a testament to 17theKid’s intellectual prowess and sharp wit, as she weaves intricate lyrics that showcase her academic background and deep understanding of the genre. Her flow is impeccable, effortlessly transitioning between rhythms and rhymes, proving why she’s quickly becoming known for her conviction and creativity in the hip-hop community.

The beats are masterfully crafted, offering a rich and layered backdrop that complements 17theKid’s dynamic vocals. The track’s production, despite being self-recorded in a modest home studio, doesn’t lose any of its polished edge, highlighting 17theKid’s growing skills as an audio engineer.

Her ability to meld different aspects of her artistic personality into a cohesive and compelling narrative is a testament to her versatility and dedication to her craft. In Roll Call, she not only pays homage to the boom-bap style but also puts her unique stamp on it, making the track both a nostalgic journey and a bold statement of her place in the modern hip-hop landscape.

Roll Call hit the airwaves on November 25; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mizzery Jones ensnares via culturally cultivated distinction in his seminal rap track, Yes

Posted on 2 December 2023

Mizzery Jones established himself as a master of rhythmic magnetism while battling his introspective demons in his seminal rap track, Yes, which pulls listeners into a space where old-school hip-hop meets a new era of sound.

The track is a testament to Mizzery Jones’s ability to honour the genre’s roots while allowing his bars to flow into uncharted territories with his distinctive style. Vocally, there are touches of Eminem as Jones blends the foundational beats of hip-hop with fresh cinematic production stylings. If you can imagine being sonically guided through a vibrant bazaar of sounds, where each beat and note is infused with a sense of exoticism, you’ll get an idea of the colourfully layered complexity within Yes, which is prised from Jones’ EP, I’ll Be Back Before Too Long.

This sharp and esoteric indicator of Jones’ ability to intellectually stimulate through his wordplay and deliver verses with a hypnotically assertive cadence won’t fail to capture your attention and keep hold of it with a vice-like grip until the very last note. It’s impossible not to be ensnared by Mizzery Jones’s culturally cultivated distinction as he allows his lyrics to unravel as a panoramic picture of determinism, candour and emotional intelligence.

Mizzery Jones’s biography adds another layer of depth to his artistry. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, this producer and artist spent a significant portion of his life in the vibrant cultural landscapes of Chapala and Guadalajara, Mexico; experiences that have clearly seeped into the textured layers of his music.

Stream the I’ll Be Back Before Too Long EP on Spotify or purchase the EP on Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Black Silver is dark and disarming in his latest cinematic juggernaut of a rap track, Silver Linings

Posted on 20 November 2023

Black Silver dropped one of the biggest hip-hop collabs of the year by unleashing the gritty old-school rap track, Silver Linings, featuring Rakaa Iriscience, Griffen, Mykill Myers, and DJ Skilz.

With plenty of record scratching and wavily saturated distortion around the solid and steady beats in the dark and chillingly cultivated production, Black Silver (AKA the Navigator) and his band of lyrical alchemists paid a fitting ode to the 90s hip hop while showing they’re more methodical than Method Man, wittier than Nas with wordplay and boast all the cinematic charisma of Conway the Machine.

When Black Silver isn’t dropping his seminal solo rap tracks, the Las Vegas-hailing trailblazer is at the helm of his independent record label, Sterling World Records and contributing to hip-hop groups, including Analog Brothers, Tha Likwit Crew, 2000 Crows, and Black Ice with Ice T.

Silver Linings hit the airwaves on October 20th; it is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Skee x Bogart. waxed lyrical with maximum conviction in ‘Go Off’

Posted on 10 November 2023

Trip hop meets old-school East Coast flavour in the latest lyrically sharp single, Go Off, from the Switzerland-based producer duo Bogart and the rapper Skee, who more than understood the assignment before he waxed lyrical with maximum conviction over the trippy mix which blends the ethereal with the gritty and visceral.

Layers of reverb ascend from the mix that steadies itself with a rocksteady backbeat and record-scratching to create an immersive atmosphere for Skee to dominate with his bars, which leave you under no illusion that this track was versed from anywhere but straight from the soul. It’s a cutting exposition of how using the spark from your passion can take you to the greatest heights but you’ll only reach the top unscathed with swathes of resilience.

Go Off was officially released on November 10th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

K.I.R.B. took the crown off Nas with the rap flair in his latest installation of infectiously impish alt-hip-hop, ‘No Time’

Posted on 6 November 2023

With a slamming beat bolstering the experimental saturated in delay instrumentals, intricately unorthodox rhyme patterns in the rap bars and enough impishly clever charisma to win you over from the first verse, after the release of his single, No Time, the Cali rap prodigy, K.I.R.B., will never be kicked to the curb by the music industry.

The up-and-coming artist has enough ingenuity in his bars to rival Nas, Rakim and Method Man, as for the sonic aesthetic, that’s beyond compare through K.I.R.B.’s authenticity and determination to keep his sound pumping with a diverse array of influence.

Since making his debut, K.I.R.B. has worked with everyone from NICK BLANCO to Nick Mira, but clearly, he’s not riding on anyone’s coattails. He’s got exactly what it takes to win over an army of alt-rap fans.

Check out No Time on all major streaming platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Money and Image blazed across the Texas hip-hop scene with their infectious track, No Smoke

Posted on 5 November 2023

Escape into the urban aesthetic of the latest single and music video, No Smoke, by the two Texan rap legends in their own right, Money and Image, and lose yourself within the infectiously feel-good lyricality of the track that definitively proves conviction doesn’t always need to be a by-product of the aggression.

While the instrumentals find the sonic middle ground between jazzy old-school hip-hop grooves and wavy RnB pop trap, the vocals constantly shift in tone and pace to create a fully rounded hit that is all too easy to melodically roll with as you drink in the charismatically prophetic message which advocates pacifism.

The official music video for No Smoke premiered on October 21; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mythodical Joe penned an Open Letter with his old-school hip-hop & indie RnB mash-up, ft Mika

Posted on 5 November 2023

Old-school hip-hop meets contemporary indie RnB in the seminal single, Open Letter, born through a high-fire collaboration between the East Coast rapper, Mythodical Joe, and the RnB evocateur, Mika.

Open Letter spits out the old-school grit through the rhythmically sharp canter of the rap bars while the romanticism swells in the indie guitar melodies and the RnB harmonies which ignite a fervent flavour of dynamism in the release which touches on the fear that even the strongest emotions can evaporate into ephemeral dust.

It has been almost two years since the drop of Open Letter; Mythodical Joe better have something new in the pipeline, or he’ll have us to answer to. His ability to bring lyrical concepts to panoramic life over his intricate instrumentals which go beyond the usual hip-hop sequencing puts his sound strides above the rest. With enough hits in his arsenal, he will hold dominion over the East Coast – watch this space.

Watch the official music video for Open Letter via YouTube.

Keep up to date with the latest releases from Mythodical Joe via Instagram and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tony Newbury came in red hot in his latest rap track, FEEL THE HEAT

Posted on 28 October 2023
https://spotify.link/XH8n0M5G1Db

For his latest genre-evading urban earworm, FEEL THE HEAT, the virally successful artist Tony Newbury fused the bass of Boom Bap beats with rap bars which run with strikingly sharp reminiscences of Eminem and lush layers of trappy RnB.

To accentuate the sticky-sweet melodic appeal to the nth degree, when Newbury wasn’t blazing through his high-fire rap bars, he was reeling you further into the polished and sun-soaked production with clever pop hooks.

It comes as no surprise that the New Jersey recording artist has made a name for himself in the local scene and beyond since making his debut. In addition to the clear crossover appeal in his sonic aesthetics, which vary from release to release, Newbury remains committed to helping his ever-growing army of fans understand the chaos of the ride we’re all on. Everything is relative, but as his lyrics prove, plenty is universal, including the ability to appreciate the artistry in his uninhibited expression.

FEEL THE HEAT was officially released on September 25; start your obsession with the seminal track by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The urban oracle Yung Dread Da Prophet struck again with the introspective gold in his latest track, Stabilize

Posted on 22 October 2023

Stabilize is the latest wavy-with-soul, old-school-inspired drop of hip-hop from the artist, enigma and urban oracle, Yung Dread Da Prophet.

It is all too easy to get into the reverb-swathed grooves of the release as the melodies mellifluously run you through the verses which the 22-year-old South Jersey-born, NY-based rapper uses to wax lyrical on the ramifications of living in an epoch that is constantly finding ways to knock you out of cognitive kilter.

Clearly one to always see the bigger picture and project the universe’s parallels into his tracks that are as solid as introspective gold, Yung Dread Da Prophet is one to watch if you like instrumental catharsis synthesised with eyes-wide-open expositions that will make you stop, think, and press repeat.

Stabilize hit the airwaves on October 20; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast