Browsing Tag

Rnb Hip Hop

The Awesome Crew turned back the hip-hop clock with ‘Back in the Days’

With more old-school appeal than DJ Jazzy Jeff, the latest nostalgia hit, Back in the Days, from The Awesome Crew is a trip back in time you will want to take time and time again. The ascending melodic keys against the scratching turntables and slow-tempo rap verses will leave you on the razor-sharp hook of the hit, which takes nothing seriously but the soul.

The modern era of hip-hop left its mark on the tonally scintillating record through the RnB infusions, but in terms of attitude, Back in the Days will safely transplant you on the streets of Brooklyn while the 80s were in full swing.

While many modern hip-hop acts are keen to emanate the 80s, The Awesome Crew are one of the only MC outfits that have seen the 80s and thrived within the hip-hop landscape; founded by Smooth D, Daddy D, and Classy D, the history of The Awesome Crew stems back to 1986. Tragically, Smooth D was shot and killed in 1993, but the remaining members are still working tirelessly to secure his and their legacy. Based on Back in the Days, they’ve profoundly succeeded.

Stream Back in the Days on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Take yourself to a higher plateau with Flvmo’s lo-fi indie hip-hop single, 33, ft. BYND & Keem Kooley

After cutting his teeth in the industry for almost a decade, Flvmo’s standout single, 33, couldn’t be more honed. Created in collaboration with BYND and Keem Kooley, the versatile hit leaves you questioning where it will take you next with every progression. While the stylistic aural curveballs keep you on your toes, your rhythmic pulses will find it all too easy to get into the grooves.

Fusing lo-fi indie vibes, melodically mellow hip-hop energy and RnB pop harmonies created an immersively irreplicable sonic palette, which will leave you on cloud nine from the first spin.

If you are anything like me and you’re sick of only finding ego-driven extroverts on the airwaves and you want to bed down with some soul from an introvert exposing his vulnerability in an intimately relatable way, prepare for a fistful of resonance.

Stream 33 on Spotify now. If you get a taste for Flvmo’s distinctively addictive flavour from 33, dig into his debut LP, Mind in a Mason Jar.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Heir to the St Louis rap scene, K!NG QUE, created alt-hip-hop ‘Perfection’ in his latest single, ft Zaetheone, Daemon & Von Mitch 

For his latest single, Perfection, the prodigal son of alt-hip hop, K!NG QUE (AKA the Melodic Rebel), joined creative forces with Zaetheone, Daemon & Von Mitch and took over the St. Louis rap scene in the process.
Seeing barriers as sonic constraints to unshackle himself from, K!NG QUE created sultry groove-slicked production that exhibits the alchemy that breeds between the contrasting and complementary vocal timbres while the body-rocking beats and melodies to perpetually ascend in the RnB and Reggaeton wrapped mix. Very few contemporary hits have what it takes to take you to the heights Perfection does.
The dynamic versatility reverberating at its core is the evolution hip-hop was crying out for. From ethereal female vocal lines to rap bars with a cadence that punctuates the mix as much as the basslines to euphoric builds to just as galvanising breaks, Perfection just keeps on giving.
Stream Perfection on Spotify now.
Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chicago hip-hop duo, It’s a Cool Day, extrapolated ‘The Butterfly Effect’ in their debut

The Chicago duo, It’s a Cool Day put the trip in trip-hop by unveiling their elevated debut single, The Butterfly Effect, which fuses lush RnB melodies and harmonies with smooth rap verses and a pseudo-trap beat that becomes the centre of sonic gravity in the wavy, gravitas-packed single.

Craig Lowe and Derion Scroggins ripped up the urban rulebook and scattered the confetti through the vibe-steady hit, which spills a smorgasbord of soul as it mellowly progresses around the poetically ardent wordplay. Cathartic and convictive in its sense of passion, The Butterfly Effect is all the evidence you need that romance isn’t dead and that It’s a Cool Day has exactly what it takes to reign supreme in the Chicago scene and beyond.

The Butterfly Effect is now available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get into the soulful hip-hop groove with the collaborative alchemy that spilt between Giuseppe Grondona, Lisabel & Nikola Kovacevic in ‘Mar My Mind’.

Giuseppe Grondona, Lisabel, and Nikola Kovacevic got into the urban groove with their collaborative RnB rendezvous, Mar My Mind, which is due for official release on June 22nd.

With the tantalising time signatures in the backbeat, the jazzy-with-soul melodious layers which allow the soundscape to gel with gravitas, and the affectionately easeful flow of the vocal harmonies, Mar My Mind is all too efficacious in its ability to leave an imprint on your sentimental senses.

Finding the perfect middle ground between syncopated innovation and 90s RnB nostalgia, the triad of luminary artists created the ultimate proclamation of resilience. Written within the lush layers of soul is the testament that, no matter what life throws at you, getting bitter is never the only inevitability.

Stream Mar My Mind via Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kalalea is set to take over the Hawaiian hip-hop and island RnB scene with his latest single, Taurus

Very few head-over-the-heels-of-romantic-hedonism soundtracks hit as hard as the latest single, Taurus, from the Hawaiian Native, Kalalea, who is making all the right moves to take over the Hawaiian hip-hop and island RnB scene.

His fiery brand of soul in the future-ready production that transcends trends will leave knees weak and speakers hot once the steamy single kicks into full flow with the trap beats lighting a fire under his passion-slicked vocal lines, which celebrate the sensual and provocative power of Tauruses.

When he’s not orchestrating summer playlist staples, he’s integrated into the film and design industry; just to affirm that his talents are as multifaceted as they are virtuosic.

Taurus hit the airwaves on May 20; get into the groove of it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Brooklyn rapper Quilley enmeshed scorn with soul in his conceptually dualistic 2-track EP, Half-Hearted

Quilley

Lifting us from the monotony of ego-driven hip-hop, the Brooklyn-based-rapper, Quilley, raised the expressive bar with the resonant dualism within his two-track EP, Half-Hearted. If you have ever wanted to know what lies on the flip side of the love songs penned in the honeymoon phase that proliferate the airwaves, this conceptual release will fill in the gaps.

I couldn’t help but be remained of the philosophy from Alain De Botton listening to Half-Hearted run through. How all the great romantic stories of the ages never allow love to endure. There’s always the grip of tragedy to obliterate the notion of mundanity or the eventual slip away from the affection that inspired hot-headed limerence in the early days.

Track 1, “That’s My Baby” kicks off with a smooth RnB Pop tinged flow behind the steady kicks and the sultry bars, before the romanticism entirely evades track 2, “Valloween”, which runs through as a trippy new wave spoken-word hit of volition.

Quilley knew just how to allow his audience to catch a vibe while laying it all down on the line in his Half-Hearted EP. The smooth grooves, razor-sharp bars, and intensity of sincerity in the lyrics stand as a triadic testament to the luminary artist’s talent that shines through his expressively humble ethos. He may not be shooting for fame, but he deserves it regardless. Get his candour in your ears. You won’t regret it.

“More than anything, my EP is about that Cloud Nine feeling of being in love and eventually being done with it. How many times can we have that feeling without becoming accustomed to it? “That’s My Baby” and “Valloween” really display that contrast.”

Half-Hearted will be available to stream on Spotify from March 10th.

Follow Quilley on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Two To Many epitomised decadent devotion in their modernist take on RnB, Fasho (Fall in Love)

Two To Many turned up the heat with their simmering amalgam of RnB, Hip-Hop and Pop, Fasho (Fall in Love). Capturing the unparalleled sensation of falling so deeply you see stars, Fasho isn’t a track you listen to; it is one you feel.

The single by the duo featuring the silky-smooth vocal timbre of Markus Shields leaves no room to wonder about the sincerity of the devotion projected through the ardently melodious grooves and the lyrics that flirt with salaciousness while rising above the lascivious fray.

The modernist spin on RnB may pay tribute to the roots of the genre, but the contemporary production styling allowed the duo to establish itself as one to watch while it brings in the future of the genre. The LA-based songwriter, dancer, choreographer and producer, Markus Shields is a soulful force to be reckoned with.

Fasho (Fall in Love) is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Grammy-Nominated Frank Swisher is on Euphoric Form in His Contemporary RnB Single, ItDontGetNoBetta ft Corio

Frank Swisher

For his seminal single, ItDontGetNoBetta, the SWILLA-signed artist, Frank Swisher, teamed up with Corio to create a gratitude-encompassing feat of RnB soul that pays homage to the unparalleled feeling of losing yourself completely in the sanctity of another.

If those three little words don’t feel enough, send your main squeeze this lusciously fresh hit their way to allude to how deep your feelings run. It’s Shakespeare for the modern era, with sublimely smooth melodies to boot.

After garnering hype as a rising artist in the hip-hop world, Swisher set his sights on the contemporary RnB scene; based on the impassioned euphoria within ItDontGetNoBetta, the Ohio-born and raised artist may just be in the running for another Grammy nomination.

ItDontGetNoBetta will officially drop on January 13th. Catch it on Spotify.

Follow Frank Swisher on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LA’s Sani Knight is ‘BADASF’ in his latest slice of seductively self-aware RnB Hip Hop

At 19 years old, the LA-residing artist Sani Knight has conquered the music industry with over a million streams on his collective discography, which kicked off in 2020. Marrying RnB and new wave hip-hop, his latest single, BADASF, allows wavy RnB melodies to seductively flow to the solid trappy beats.

If that wasn’t enough to get you in the mood, the pop-pinched effect-laden vocals that flow as mellifluously as the instrumental melodies in the short and sweet hit are hypnotic in their salacious vibe. Lyrical gold runs through the entire duration, but no line hits harder than “even if we don’t feel the same tomorrow, even if the love we made is hollow”.

Few artists are more self-aware of the inclination of wanting to ride slow as a means to a dopamine-fixing end. Undoubtedly, that is a vital key to the success the artist inspired by The Weeknd, 6LACK, and Che Ecru has unlocked.

BADASF was officially released on December 16th. Check it out on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast