Browsing Tag

Underground Hip Hop

Fists of Redemption: T9 Da Prince Weighs in with Lyrical Equilibrium in ‘Fighting Chance’

Posted on 12 April 2025

The gloves are off in T9 Da Prince’s vibe-steady, wavy hip-hop meditation on what it means to be a true fighter, to bring your fists to justice, purpose, peace, and family. With so much division and meaningless hostility in the world, listening to this short and sweet sermon on bringing your perspective to a healthier space is so much more than a remedy; it is a necessity. With all the charisma of RZA and all the inspirational magnetism of a secular preacher, the independent rap artist found a way to hit intellectually and perspectively hard with Fighting Chance. If you could imagine Where Is the Love with chests of more lyrical gold, you’ll get a good idea of what T9 Da Prince delivered in his single, which was recently accompanied by a self-shot music video.

From Salisbury, Maryland, T9 Da Prince is retooling hip-hop soul with a gospel backbone and enough lyrical weight to crush the surface-level narratives flooding modern rap. There’s grit in his urban storytelling, but never without a sense of clarity. His musical DNA traces back to Tupac, Biggie, and 50 Cent, but it’s his alignment with the truth-seeking penmanship of Joyner Lucas and J. Cole that shapes his voice into something that speaks beyond sound.

With a tone rooted in transformation and a style that’s more sermon than spectacle, Fighting Chance isn’t a flex—it’s a reckoning.

Fighting Chance is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Apple Music and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Grimreepa Wields His Bars Like Blades in ‘THE EVILS’

Posted on 6 March 2025

Grimreepa raps with the force of someone who has fought too many battles to waste a single breath. ‘THE EVILS’ is a tirade against the deception and injustice that keeps stacking up, delivered with the conviction of an artist who has lived through the worst and come out swinging. His bars cut through the noise, fuelled by a decade of sharpening his craft and a refusal to let anything dilute his message.

Boger Beats’ production is built to hit hard. The stabbing piano keys keep the intensity honed to a razor’s edge, while the oscillating electronic motifs pull the track into the future without losing its 00s hip-hop backbone. The weight of the instrumental leaves room for Grimreepa’s flow to land with impact, sitting somewhere between Jay-Z’s precision and Xzibit’s raw energy, but charging ahead with his own firepower.

With insidious forces reaching new heights, ‘THE EVILS’ arrives as a necessary release for anyone who feels the weight of it all. It’s a rallying point for those who see through the smokescreens. If hip-hop is a battleground, Grimreepa is making sure his voice carries.

 ‘THE EVILS’ is available to stream on Apple Music and Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

4KPHIL. Schools the Scene with ‘Truancy’

Posted on 24 February 2025

Truancy doesn’t start with a whimper—it kicks the door in with a bang of cinematic old-school hip-hop nostalgia, setting the stage for 4KPHIL.’s bars that never miss. Mellifluous yet sharp, his flow rides over soul-soaked syncopated samples with the ease of an MC who knows every syllable is worth hanging onto. His hypnotic cadence pulls you in, revealing his world inch by inch with every line cascading over motifs that pull you straight back to hip-hop’s golden era.

Phillip Mitchell is no stranger to reinvention. Raised in Connecticut by Jamaican and Grenadian parents, he soaked up the sounds of the East Coast, from New York to Toronto. His early years saw him juggle ambitions as an athlete and academic, but a bullet rewrote his path, leading him to pour everything into music. For years, he built his name under a different alias, crafting a reputation through freestyles and independent releases before feeling the need for something greater. In 2021, 4KPHIL. was born.

Now a key figure on Paperjack Productions’ roster, his evolution is undeniable. With Truancy, he keeps his streak intact, executively producing, refining, and expanding his vision with longtime collaborator RunnitBack. His ability to blend old-school soul with contemporary grit proves he’s not just looking back—he’s carrying hip-hop forward with every track. 

Stream the official music video for Truancy on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

L.O.W Tha Rider Interview: Tuning into the Unseen Frequencies

Posted on 18 February 2025

Some artists make music to fill the silence; L.O.W Tha Rider crafts sound to channel the energies most people ignore. In this conversation, the artist opens up about the spiritual forces that influence creativity, the balance between chaos and escapism in music, and the unseen origins of inspiration. With an unwavering commitment to authenticity, L.O.W Tha Rider discusses the industry’s expectations, the power of frequencies, and the weight of meaningful expression. For those who believe music is more than entertainment—this is a discussion worth absorbing.

L.O.W Tha Rider, welcome to A&R Factory! It’s great to have you with us. Let’s get straight into some questions that will give our readers a deeper insight into your world, your music, and the ideas that drive you. Do you think there’s a connection between sound and the unseen forces of the world?

There’s a connection to everything. So, yeah, the spiritual realm can touch us. Such as demons we can’t see, or angels we can’t see, but if we talking music, it’s all in what energy you fester and give…

There’s a lot of chaos in the world, but some people find a strange kind of order within it. Do you think music should reflect that unrest, or offer an escape from it?

I think both, talking for both spectrums, artists should feel free to express no matter what. To single them out, if an artist wants to reflect that of unrest, it’s excellent because that shows struggle in their art and a possibility how to solve it ….. To offer an escape is to release, but also, it’s running away, but both are excellent forms of music that we need.

If we stripped everything back—no instruments, no technology—what do you think would be left at the core of your creativity?

The mindset and free spirit, also the willingness to gain understanding music sometimes distracts from what is around

Some artists say their best ideas come from a place beyond their own understanding. Do you ever feel like your music is coming through you rather than from you?

Yes, sometimes, the gods and goddesses, angels grant me insight rather in the form of an idea or a dream. Like when I’m making a beat or writing, I go with what my soul feels. So, whether it comes from them speaking through me or my own intention, it’s amazing to listen back and be like I created this… Sometimes, I ask how.

You’ve probably heard people say that certain frequencies can alter consciousness. Do you think there’s truth in that, and do you ever play with that idea in your own work?

I never heard of that. That’s dope (lol), but frequencies can alter consciousness if you let it, meaning what kind of sounds you listen to. For instance, if you are listening to low vibrating frequencies, you vibrate low; if it’s high in love and happiness and also peacefulness, then so much can happen to bring it down but will you let it? it’s kinda revolving.

The world is full of voices competing to be heard. As an artist, do you feel an obligation to say something meaningful, or is the act of creating its own kind of statement?

Everyone is competing to be heard, yet what are they fighting for and what people have the heart and mind to listen….. I’m always obligated to say something meaningful cause it’s on my heart …. When it comes to music, whether it’s a beat or a song, it speaks for itself.

If music had the power to erase one thing from human nature—fear, greed, hate—what would you choose, and how do you think it would change the world?

Greed because the mindset for money would be eliminated, and more people who made it big would be giving. Thus eliminating the room for hate and fear, possibly meaning with greed out the way more will be willing to share the road and journey, also the possibility of buying things that will help move along people to being at ease. Knowing this world. will they create more love after that happens or just take it for granted?

If you could play one song to an audience who had never heard music before, which track would you choose and why?

Endless possibilities -sonic unleashed [OST]… reason why to show the youth and adults, that there are no limits in life as humans we make our own limits so with that being said kick open those doors to grasp understanding also to free the mind also heart.

The industry can often be a machine that expects artists to follow certain trends. Have you ever felt pressure to compromise your authenticity, or is that something you refuse to entertain?

Yeah, I have been clowned a lot of times but never gave in, and my mindset is to be a person of love and freedom cause we are not free in this world right now life yes but the world no ….  I would never entertain, that’s for people who music is not free, condemned and soulless you can tell the difference.

Stream L.O.W Tha Rider on Spotify or connect with the artist on Instagram.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Aco Draco fires off in his stormer of a rap track, Ray Gun

Posted on 3 September 2024

Departing from sonic mundanity, Aco Draco’s latest single, Ray Gun, burst onto the scene with artillery that’s anything but ordinary. Opening with a faux news report, the track cleverly sets the stage for Draco’s irreverent entry, blending tongue-in-cheek humour with a punchy introduction that hooks listeners from the get-go.

Ray Gun”marries cinematic orchestral strings with classic boom-bap beats, creating a soundscape as expansive as it is epic. Draco’s raspy, convicting rap bars slice through the backdrop, proving that his command of the mic is as formidable as his creative vision.

This up-and-coming Colorado native, who carries influences from Lil Wayne to Metallica, showcases a dynamic fusion of sharp lyricism and high-energy beats that will rattle the hip-hop scene to its core.

From his humble beginnings recording in a closet with an Xbox headset to charting his own course in the rap industry, Draco’s journey is one of relentless pursuit and undeniable growth. His unique style, marked by raw authenticity and emotional depth, is capable of turning heads, bending ears and making waves with its charismatic wordplay and bold execution.

Ray Gun was officially released on the 29th of August; stream the single on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DC’s most conceptual hip hop artist, Chekmayte brings the resistance in his dark rap track, Midnight

Posted on 10 June 2022

In his first release of 2022, Midnight, the artfully conceptional alternative rapper, Checkmayte has unveiled a chillingly dark feat of experimentalism, which can only be described as Lynchian.

The creeping bass and Chekmayte’s commitment to ominously alluding to how unjust the world is for the oppressed that will know little more than the pressure of the boot on their neck make for a disturbingly immersive aural experience.  Resisting repressive regimes should never feel comfortable, which is important to remember in our era where revolutions have their own merch. There’s little room to wonder why the DC born and raised artist has become one of the hottest names in his hip hop scene since making his debut in 2020. We can’t wait to hear what follows Midnight.

Midnight is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Drop Etan Sutef’s latest trip of an alt-RnB meets underground hip hop track, Acid

Posted on 16 March 2022

Etan Sutef’s latest single, Acid, is well on its way to going viral after the premiere of the music video on February 22nd. The hazy, mellow track, produced by H.Gold, is sentiment-heavy and soulfully smooth as Etan Sutef lets the lyrics flow as a candid stream of consciousness; making it easy for the listener to find themselves in the apathy, resilience, regret and empathy.

You’d be hard-pressed finding another artist with such maturity and wit in their rap bars and tranquil catharsis in his melodies. The 25-year-old Brooklyn born artist has been finetuning his sonic signature that melds alt RnB with underground hip hop since the age of 13. That discernibly shows with Acid. The magnetic tone of the spoken-word vocals effortlessly gel with the instrumentals that have been saturated in pools of tape delay and reverb.

Check out Acid for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Doin’ it the right way: BoMuney drops promising debut single ‘My Style’ (Prod. By Holly)

Posted on 13 February 2021
https://soundcloud.com/user-255821082/bomuney-my-style?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1

BoMuney has just dropped his exciting debut single called ‘My Style‘, which is a fine song from the determined young US emcee as he shows us what life is really like right now in this crazy world.

New Albany, Mississippi artist Jabo Mosley aka BoMuney, is a charismatic underground Hip-Hop artist with a deep love for his craft and raps with a legit style that makes you groove with him word by word. He has a smooth lyrical delivery that throws the post at all of the competition with a groovy beat and positive lyrics, that shows the youth you can make something of yourself if you have a plan and work hard.

He raps about how he had to leave school and did the smart thing by getting a trade. From there he started getting paid and likes being able to pay rent and help his family out. This is a man that hasn’t taken the easy way out and resorted to crime as he knows its not right, no matter how much short-term benefits it could have- until those blue lights start flashing and everything changes forever. He is playing the smart long-term game and building up his work opportunities with music of course- a major passion of his that has been building inside his veins.

The flow is intriguing as his stories of work and life wrap into your heart as you remember how tough things are at the moment and how you are also working hard to keep those lights on. Things seem effortless when you turn him up and the beat is perfect for his rap style, never too much and always on point.

‘My Style‘ from New Albany, Mississippi rapper BoMuney is a statement of intent to the world that he is ready to take the next step in his music career. With a likable style, skills on the mic and charm for days, he shows that you can work hard and do what you love too.

In a world full of doom and gloom, he is going through the rip current and finding his way to shore. Life can be challenging but if you have the right mindset, you can achieve your dreams no matter what the world is doing,

Hear this top new single on Soundcloud and see his fresh style on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Donyae McCray offers vehemence & catharsis with their raw Hip Hop track “Jermaine Flow”

Posted on 26 October 2020
https://music.apple.com/us/album/jermaine-flow-single/1496375659

Any artist will tell you that we create to save ourselves from destruction, not every artist makes their pain quite as perceptible as Donyae McCray did with their latest single Jermaine Flow. But in the process of doing so, the up and coming artist shifted my entire perception of Hip Hop – for the better.

For the first time, I heard the pure catharsis behind the vehemence instead of just paying attention to the literal context of the lyrics. Donyae McCray offers what isn’t really available when you listen to mainstream Hip Hop artists, you know that the lyrics cut close to the bone and there’s a hunger in the delivery which you won’t hear if you hit play on any platinum-selling artist.

With their attitude, flow, and fresh contemporary sound, I have no doubt that Donyae McCray can come up from the underground.

You can check out Jermaine Flow on apple music, or you can check out the official video over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast