Browsing Tag

Alt Hip Hop

Vatic keeps it raw and real in his downtempo emo hip hop track, 3 am

Posted on 26 March 2022

Vatic’s latest raw and honest single, 3 am, is an acknowledgement that nobody is always ok, and that’s ok. The slow tempo, heartbreak infused single takes new wave hip hop to an ambient and almost ethereal level. With the solemnly hushed vocals adrift over the simple minor piano chords, it is all too easy to find yourself at the heart of this plaintively meditative single that hammers home the depth of pensive pain that we all feel in our lives from time to time. 3 am carries no sense of ego or grandiosity; instead, Vatic paid homage to the reality of the true human experience. He’s a true artist, we can’t wait to hear what follows.

3 am was released on March 10th; you can hear it for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bradspectacular has stormed in with his latest fiery chiptune rap track, Games

Posted on 18 March 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UelKgIh2hSY

Here to finish what Atari Teenage Riot started is the alt hip hop artist, Bradspectacular, and his glitchy chiptune hit, Games, produced by Trust201. The Virginia-born, Houston-based artist takes influence from Zack Fox and Baby Keem, but in his latest stormer of an alt electro-rap track, he is standing in a fiery 8-bit league of his own.

The energy in his bass-riding playful yet convictive track is nothing short of infectious, and with his authenticity making an instant impression, it is only a matter of time before Bradspectacular ascends into the mainstream.

Games will officially release on March 18th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube and Spotify. Keep up to date with new tracks via Instagram and TikTok.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Isaiah Sweh stays ambiently humble in his 2022 EP, Far from Perfect

Posted on 16 March 2022

Isaiah Sweh brought a brand-new depth to the hip hop genre with his resilience encompassing EP, Far from Perfect, which explores motivational themes, gets up close to the grit of modernity and covers the very real reality of never being able to keep our demons subjugated forever.

The 4-track downtempo release experiments with trip-hop, RnB, pop and trap textures, but the definitively hip hop release never veers all too far from the roots of the genre. The smooth and ambient vibes in the EP, especially with track 2, TAT (Time After Time), is what vibe out playlists are made for. As a whole, the EP is a much-needed trip away from the frantic pace of our external lives. It’s a chance to pause, reflect, and drink in Isaiah Sweh’s smoothly outlaid introspection.

Far From Perfect 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

Dioneesus delivers a heavy dose of dystopic realism in his latest Avant Garde hip hop single, COVID-23

Posted on 16 March 2022

Dioneesus (Dennis McGrath) is an Avant-Garde hip hop pioneer that sonically pushes the envelope into obscurity with each new release while dissecting what it means to be human in his fiery old school hip hop rap bars. His latest single, COVID-23, plays on the fear that we’ll never see the back of the virus that has cost some of us our sanity and cost others infinitely more.

I couldn’t help but draw parallels between COVID-23 and Insane Clown Posse’s ‘The Great Milenko’; it carries the same eerie atmosphere atop of the bare-bones 808s and around Dioneesus’ bars that lull you into introspective subjugation.

The Long Island-born artist spent a decade in Nashville before he made his way to Pittsburgh in 2021. If your Ancient Greek history is rusty, his apt moniker plays on the Greek God, Dionysus, the god of ritual and ecstasy. He’s got a lot to live up to, but he’s well on his way with his subversively stylish flair.

COVID-23 is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ron A.P. gets paranormal with the past with his candidly edgy hip hop track, The Ex-Files

Posted on 15 March 2022

After a stint away from the recording studio, the South Jersey-raised, Philadelphia-based hip hop artist Ron A.P. is back on edgy and imaginative form in his latest single, The Ex-Files.

The clever ingenuity of the track title sets the bar high, but the lyrics and spacey atmosphere in The Ex-Files leaves nothing to be desired. Of all the hip hop tracks on the airwaves mused by ex-girlfriends, The Ex-Files is easily one of the most evocatively charged and complex for the way it navigates a myriad of contrasting frustrations while leaving no intimate emotion off the table.

Ron A.P. almost exudes Jekyll and Hyde vibes for the number of transitions in evocative nature. That’s just one of the facets that take this dynamic earworm to the next level. He may have taken influence from Nas, Jay-Z and Kanye, but Ron A.P. is well and truly standing in a league of his own.

The Ex-Files is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

We already have a contender for trap earworm of the year with Moth Trap’s latest alt-hip hop stormer, whenweparty

Posted on 6 March 2022

If your trap playlists need mixing up with some pounding bass, pioneering flair and almost obscene genre-bending, consider Moth Trap’s stormer of a track, whenweparty, which was produced by Erlax. It almost puts Andrew WK’s Party Hard to shame in its viscerally futuristic urban fashion.

Moth Trap proves just how far we have come from the days when Eiffel 65 was the epitome of rock-steady electronica. The glitchy electro beats mashed with the blazing hot guitar lines and the distortedly hook-filled vocals all prove that the Downpatrick, Ireland-hailing artist is more than worthy of the viral status he gained with his single, To the Moon and Back. Very few artist’s allow their talent to resonate as obsession-worthy. With Moth Trap, it comes naturally.

You can check out whenweparty for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: all is fleeting but the hype around Current’s sophomore alt-hip hop album, It’s Just Temporary

Posted on 4 March 2022
https://soundcloud.com/currentmusicofficial/sets/its-just-temporary/s-FsgdWvHAbYl?si=4f8a937f72344af8969aafaaf7d9dca1&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Here to remind us that all is fleeting is Kansas City’s hottest hip hop act, Current, with his 2022 sophomore album, It’s Just Temporary. If there was ever a point in our history that we needed that affirmation, it is now.

With the candid and epiphanous spoken-word pieces in between the mindfully lyrical lo-fi trap tracks, Current makes it all too easy to get on a level with him and his polished craft that always cuts close to the bone with the lyrics and hooks.

Even though it is an unskippable vibe of a release, the standout tracks include the stormer of a trap track, Like Me, the trippy, glitchy and angsty hit, Glow Up, and the ethereal dream-like closing single, Dreams / Demons. The concluding single is slick with delirium in the first half before Current breaks into urgent howls, depicting how we all feel from time to time while struggling for an outlet. In the second half, Current’s dynamic and primal expression makes the resonance hit infinitely harder for anyone that can sympathise with insidious racing thoughts that trigger when your head hits the pillow.

In his own words, here is what It’s Just Temporary encompasses:

“It’s Just Temporary is a project that tells a story, my story. Over the past six years, I have experienced positives and negatives; there are some days I can’t believe I am where I am. What I learned from all these experiences is that everything is temporary. I learned how to take lessons from the bad times and cherish the good. This is what I convey through my album. That there is no time not to do what you love, no time to give energy to what does not give back to you because everything is temporary.

The first half of the album shows themes of anger and resentment. There are songs filled with ego and frustration. It takes a turn through the last half, where I am focused on the depression and anxiety that I have experienced. The interludes include my thought process towards these emotions. As an artist, I always want to be vulnerable and show who I am in my art.”

It’s Just Temporary will officially release on March 4th. Check out the independently produced LP for yourselves via SoundCloud or Spotify. Connect with Current via Instagram and TikTok.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Prepare your funk-rock playlists for Alexander Godman’s zen hip hop track, Reconciliation Day

Posted on 27 February 2022

Funk rock fuses with zen hip hop in Alexander Godman’s standout release, Reconciliation Day. The London, UK-based alternative artist’s spoken-word style is instantly ensnaring for the way it flows against the minimalist funk-riding rock instrumentals.

The woody and organic bass lines bring the warmth and structure to Reconciliation Day while the bluesy and sunny guitars evolve through the raw chords and intricate finger-picked notes. It isn’t every day that we discover an up-and-coming artist with the confidence to follow their flow and style so confidently, and it shows on the Waitsy and folky B-side single, Out There Glow.

Alexander Godman’s debut is now available to stream on Spotify.

Connect with Alexander Godman via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nlsderrixk*! has released his vindicatingly infectious hip hop track, Aint My Fault

Posted on 24 February 2022

The luminary hip hop artist, Nlsderrixk*!, has exonerated himself in his latest single, Aint My Fault, which fuses the new wave with the old school, creating universal appeal to hip hop fans in the process. With justxrolo at the mixing desk, Aint My Fault is as gritty as it is lush with luxe style.

The jazzy noir effects atop the bassy boom-bap beats create a solid platform for Nlsderrixk*!’s playfully dominant rap bars that carry all of the personality of Jay Z and all of the edge of Ghostface Killah.

It isn’t every day that you come across an up and coming hip hop artist that pours this much energy into their tracks; if you are serious about keeping posted on the hottest talent, save a spot on your radar.

Aint My Fault is now available to stream on Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast