Browsing Tag

Trap Pop

Pray4Diego just can’t ‘Forget You’

Posted on 7 May 2021

Based out of Brooklyn, NYC, Pray4Diego is an independent recording artist and producer; new single ‘Forget You’ is a great mix of higher-tempo, hi-hat-focussed beats, tenderly picked electric guitar, and gentle, laid-back rap groove from Pray4Diego’s chilled, controlled delivery. Lyrically, it’s a plea to an ex-lover, where regret mingles with hope and a plea for another chance to make things right. It’s a well put-together track, nicely balanced between upbeat and longing, entreaty and repentance, all set to a simple backing of bass, hats, and that cute little repeating guitar line. The simplicity of the music and melody makes the track work, focussing the listener on the vocal line and lyrical flow, encouraging us to listen and take in Pray4Diego’s appeal. It’s tidy, it’s tasty, and it’d genuinely got soul.

You can hear ‘Forget You’ on Spotify; find Pray4Diego on Instagram and SoundCloud.

Review by Alex Holmes

RudyWade – Won’t Reply: Emotion Driven Indie Hip-Pop.

Posted on 21 April 2021

18-year-old singer-songwriter and producer RudyWade’s music always blossoms from pure emotion. His latest single, ‘Won’t Reply’, is a perfect testament to his emotional intellect and versatile style that allows him to create without constraint.

Won’t Reply kicks off with a jangly ukulele melody before hip hop, rap, and contemporary RnB influences start to take hold in the genre-melding soundscape that will inevitably lead the recently ghosted to comfort. The Boston-based artist’s track may be raw in sentiment, but in the delivery, you’ll find nothing but maturity and an excuse to add RudyWade to your playlists.

Won’t Reply is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Catch ¥oung Theory’s infectious high vibes in their latest trap single ‘Up Now’

Posted on 6 April 2021

Up and coming Dallas-hailing hip hop artist ¥oung Theory has dropped their latest single ‘Up Now’, with their tendency to start with a vibe and chase it with beats and lyrical flex, there’s no telling where ¥oung Theory will take their sound next, but we definitely appreciate the high vibe trappy direction of Up Now.

In a time when optimism is hard to find, you’ll find a delectable smorgasbord of it in Up Now which unravels as a series of mantras complemented by snapshots into ¥oung Theory’s life to make it a more intimate release.

He’s on a mission to change lives, one step at a time; based on Up Now, it’s easy to see how he’ll allow his listeners to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Sometimes, all it takes is to catch someone’s infectious vibe to shake you out of depressed stagnation.

Up Now is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MARCOUX takes a look behind branded facades with their latest single, ‘PRADA’

Posted on 5 April 2021

Up and coming Canadian artist MARCOUX started their musical experimentation by learning violin at the age of 3; in 2021, he’s racking up tens of thousands of streams with their contemporary trappy hits such as PRADA.

No, PRADA isn’t just another label and lifestyle brag; it’s a series of clever observations on the designer facades we hide behind combined with a constraint-less sound. It seems that there’s no genre MARCOUX is afraid to pull into his evocative work. From trap to pop to indie to alt-rock, this contemporary smorgasbord of deftly blended sound carries a colossal amount of commercial appeal.

PRADA is one of those rare tracks that indie fans, trap kids and pop lovers could all see eye to eye over. He may carry all of the swag of any hip hop artist unafraid to say it exactly it is through witty bars, but you’ll also find the mark of a true artist through the smooth textures in the melodic RnB pop layers.

PRADA is now available to stream via Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Daniel Ryan-Astley has released their feat of positive alt-pop ‘Spread Joy’

Posted on 26 March 2021

After making their 2020 debut, alt-pop artist, Daniel Ryan-Astley has persevered with their unique talent and vision and left an array of positive pop on the airwaves.

‘Spread Joy’ is the perfect introduction to their eccentric take to electronic pop which pulls in elements of techno, indie, trap and KPop. Each progression in the extended mix leaves you completely oblivious to what is coming next. The only consistency in the progressive mix is the positivity that projects through the vocals.

Spread Joy is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bottled Minds is set to release their emotive cloud rap earworm ‘PARANOID’

Posted on 9 March 2021
Bottled Minds

San Diego-based artist, Bottled Minds is set to release their most viscerally sweet cloud rap single to date with ‘PARANOID’, the emotive earworm may battle with fraught emotion, but with the artist’s signature sound which pulls in elements of RnB to mellow out the mix, PARANOID resounds with an exemplary optimistic feel.

PARANOID is a perfect testament to the artist’s ability to explore raw and stigmatised emotions and relay them without a hint of self-apathy or romantic cynicism. If the lyrics and harmonically dynamic vocals fail to leave you enraptured, the sugared reverb-laden trappy melodies will be happy to test your soul’s capacity to feel.

Hear Bottled Minds via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

KDX drops the follow up to ‘Red Moonlight’ with new single ‘Q Ceiline’

Posted on 3 March 2021

In a chilled out, genre-mixed confluence of ambient trip-hop, afrobeat, and out and out trappy hip hop comes ‘Q Ceiline, the latest single from Nigerian-born-but-Galway-based rapper KDX.

The first follow-up single to the EP ‘Red Moonlight’, Q Ceiline is a leader for a forthcoming album, ‘Villan Clan’, yet a classy, laid-back slice of ambient trap in its own right. Pulsing electronic bass, a trippy, catchy little sequenced lead line, and overlapping, pulled back vocals make the track groove. There’s a beautiful, mellow lyrical flow from KDX’s relaxed, rolling delivery, making ‘Q Ceiline’ a gentle, soulful and atmospheric track with nudges toward Tupac, XXTENTACION, and Kendrick amongst the little dropped influences. It’s a nice little twist on straight-out trap.

Check out Q Ceiline on Spotify; follow KDX on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Ant White will take you on a first-class trip with their standout single ‘Trappetite’

Posted on 2 March 2021

Philadelphia-hailing trap artist, Ant White, stormed 2020 with their debut mixtape, RAZR, judging by the success of the release, he’ll keep riding high right through 2021 and beyond.

The lead title, Trappetite, is the perfect introduction to Ant White’s versatile introspection and wit-deep lyricism. With AyoD on production, the soundscape boats a stylishly cathartic feel which contrasts the grounding grit in the lyrics. Mirrors are held up to today’s society while Ant White lyrically guides you into resilience, with that in mind, we shouldn’t need to tell you to get him on your radar.

You can check out the official video to Trappetite which dropped on November 6th  via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

JJ Enigma brought in a new era of pop punk with latest single ‘Happy Never After’

Posted on 1 March 2021

JJ Enigma may have only made their debut in 2020, but they’re already bringing in the new era of pop punk. Their latest release, Happy Never After is a euphorically bitey earworm, if any new track is strong enough to pull you from your lockdown apathy, it’s Happy Never After.

The optimistic-in-spite-of-nihilism track kicks off with crunchy riffs before the guitars adopt sonic soaring textures and bring you into the adrenalizing bridge which teases the anthemic power of the chorus.

With the same hooky infectious appeal as the chorus in Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ along with the raucous punch of contemporary pop punk, it’s only a matter of time before JJ Enigma rises up from the underground.

Happy Never After is available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hook-Filled Bars Grind Against Reverb-Softened Beats in Sammi Sosa’s latest single ‘Reckless’

Posted on 3 February 2021
Sammi Sosa

Floridian Hip Hop artist, Sammi Sosa, started to find his feet in the underground in 2020, in 2021. His unique melodic approach to rap is set to take him to new heights. His latest single ‘Reckless’ featuring Forever will have plenty to do with his ascention.

With an ambient electronica prelude, you’ll instantly be drawn into the atmospherically-layered mix which drips with serenity; there’s an arrestive contrast between the sedative reverb-softened beats and Sammi Sosa’s grinding hook-filled bars. Plenty of new artists fall in the trap of assimilating popular Rap artists. Not Sammi Sosa. His fearlessness when it came to using his natural charisma allowed his authentic talent to shine through in Reckless. We’re already stoked to hear what urban earworms are in the pipeline.

Reckless was officially released on January 13th, you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Stay up to date with new releases from Sammi Sosa via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast