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The temperature dropped as the UK-hip-hop visionary GADZ reflected on our ‘Cold World’ in his sophomore release

Posted on 6 November 2023

GADZ let the UK hip-hop scene know the score with his sophomore release, Cold World, by laying it all down on the melodic lines in the choruses and holding no prisoners when it came to creating a vignette of our increasingly inhospitable world, which necessitates a backbone of steel the amount of resilience exemplified within the dynamic track.

Going by the bars, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Luton-hailing artist had lived a thousand lives. The depth of his introspective musing is an instant affirmation that he’s worth his weight in lyrical gold. Sonically, expect to be put through the evocative paces as you follow the eclectically sublime urban track through its seamless transitions from fiery bars and beats to soulful harmonies.

The track’s catchy, melodiously progressive refrain is a testament to his superlative talent. But much like his debut single, Fadeaway, which dropped on Valentine’s Day, and was subsequently backed by BBC Introducing’s Theo Johnson, it’s the magnetism in the resonance that will keep drawing you back to the track.

From a young age, GADZ developed a passion for music, a flame that was kindled by his father, a music educator and enthusiast who encouraged his musical exploration across various instruments. GADZ’s musical expedition truly began in his teens, fuelled by nights immersed in drill beats and crafting freestyles, which he would present to classmates. His relentless pursuit of mastering his craft led him to record his first track in a studio two years ago.

His talent has since been showcased at the O2 Academy Islington, earned him a nomination for Best Performance by RBE, and opened the door to BL@CKBOCK’s U18s Cypher 2022, leading to numerous appearances across Bedfordshire and an international fanbase who revere his artistic autonomy and willingness to put his heart on his bars. With a rapidly growing following, GADZ stands out as one of the UK’s most promising talents, poised for continued success as his artistic journey unfolds.

Stream Cold World on SoundCloud or immerse yourself deeper with the official music video, which premiered as a courtesy of GRM Daily on November 3rd via YouTube.

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

Chiron Loxton rolled evocatively deep in his alt-rap track, The Importance of Incorporating Healthy Outlets

Posted on 22 October 2023

After delivering one of the hottest electro-house hip-hop drops of the summer with his single, Ibiza, the alt-rap trailblazer Chiron Loxton’s mood has changed with the weather in his introspectively raw single, The Importance of Incorporating Healthy Outlets.

Stunning, dark, and haunting in equal measure, the intricate instrumentals set the ambience and atmosphere for Loxton’s grimey rap bars to storm through, making it impossible not to lock into the candour and precision of the canter as the rap luminary attests to the necessity of creativity.

It’s a window into the experience of the artist, Loxton’s determination to keep his sanctity on the straight and narrow and perhaps most importantly, a manifesto on how to keep negativity at bay. If the Somerset, UK-hailing artist isn’t on your radar already, save space on it and await more hits which have the force to shift your perceptions into enlightenment.

The Importance of Incorporating Healthy Outlets dropped on October 13; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Flex3r created a meditative dreamscape with his pop-hip-hop crossover, Let It Go

Posted on 21 October 2023

Flex3r (AKA Cedric Kasongo) versed the bars that punctuate his honeyed harmonies straight from the soul in his latest cocktail of hip-hop, RnB, Afrobeat and pop, Let It Go. Since making his debut, he’s established himself as an authentically compelling creator who pushes the limits of hip-hop; with Let It Go, he allowed his sound to sit on a plateau of pure mindful compassion.

While no one ever needs permission to let negativity go, we all need affirmations weaved into cathartically euphonic soundscapes from time to time. Harbouring hate will only serve to hold you back in life; let it go, and unshackle yourself with this stunning dreamscape of a release that borders on psychedelic etherealism.

The Congolese-American recording artist is clearly one to watch; from the distinction in his signature style to the revelations in his lyrics, the melody-maker who was born in DR Congo, raised in Zambia, and lives in Baton Rouge, is unparalleled through his determination to stay in his own lane.

Let It Go breathed freedom onto the airwaves on October 13; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Queen LaBelle played with fire in her boundary-transcending spoken-word hip-hop release, Risky Behaviour

Posted on 18 October 2023

Poetry may have been a dying artform before the release of Queen LaBelle’s LP, For the Kings and Queens Spoken Word; following the drop, you can consider the format viscerally reincarnated.

The standout single, Risky Behaviour, featuring bars from Jarren Benton which flow as smoothly as the conviction that bleeds from Nas’ verses, is the perfect introduction to Queen LaBelle’s wordplay which fuses to the exotic instrumentals and snappy hip-hop beats to deliver a striking blow of mesmerism with every spoken word declaration.

Throughout her artistic journey, Queen Labelle has performed alongside icons including Dr Cornel West, inspired courage in trauma survivors by sharing her own stories and providing positive healing affirmations, published collections of poetry, and, on this album, worked with Grammy Award-winning producers, including My Guy Mars (Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Nipsey). While some pioneers are worth following for their artistry alone, others inspire devotion through dedication to bettering an increasingly bitter world in the same creative breath. Consider LaBelle an icon of the latter camp.

Risky Behaviour was officially released on October 6; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

looCcaM remixed reality in his 90s NY Hip-Hop meets Avant-Garde Sci-Fi sonics rap track, Trumpet of the Martians

Posted on 18 October 2023

If the spacey conviction in Legend Has It by Run the Jewels left you hooked, prepare to be ensnared all over again by the latest track, Trumpet of the Martians, from the cosmically urban innovator, looCcaM.

If someone asked Nas, Jay-Z or the Notorious B.I.G. to pour their 90s NY rap flavour into a Doctor Who soundtrack, the result would be as scintillatingly convictive as this Avant-Garde boom bap homage to futuristic poetics, which simultaneously unravels as a high-fire rebuke to neoliberal dogmatism.

Following the release of Trumpet of the Martians, the Buffalo, NY native will release his LP, Silence Exile Cunning, on October 19, which was innovatively crafted to synthesise beat culture with iconography which has previously had no place in the rap scene. Expect everything from electro-punk to hyper-pop to experimental poetry. In looCcaM, we believe.

Check out the radio edit of Trumpet of the Martians via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

NTHN versed vulnerability for Mental Health Day in his shoegaze-hip-hop mash-up, The Meaning

Posted on 16 October 2023

For Mental Health Day, the UK songwriter, cloud sampler, and producer NTHN debuted his most introspective shoegaze and hip-hop-influenced track to date, The Meaning, on October 10 and subsequently delivered the most compellingly dark single of the year.

It has been a while since a rap track hit so hard it made an impact on my tear ducts, but NTHN’s command over evocative ambient melodies and the intimate vulnerability within the lyrics and delivery proved that there’s power in dragging your demons out of the closet and vanquishing them for all to hear.

Rather than keeping his sound solely in the hip-hop arena, NTHN uses hip-hop composition, sampling, and percussion around his influence from emo, shoegaze and metal genres to keep his sonic signature scribing authentically absorbing and always emotion-driven atmospheric alchemy.

“I started writing it when I was at my lowest and I am now releasing it when I’m much more in control of how I feel, and I am in a much better place. It’s my journey to accepting my own mental health issues and learning to live with them, not just exist, by looking for the meaning in the everyday. I would like to raise awareness of the need to speak out and, by sharing my vulnerability, hopefully, connect with listeners who might be able to use the track as a way of relating to how I feel and not feeling so alone in dealing with things.”

The Meaning is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast