Browsing Tag

Alt Hip Hop

ADZii BOii put Scotland on the alt-hip-hop map with ‘Pleasure Beach’

Posted on 7 July 2023
ADZii BOii

ADZii BOii put Scotland on the alt-hip-hop map with his latest single, Pleasure Beach, which sun-soaked the airwaves on July 7th.

After getting airplay from BBC Radio Scotland with the title single to his debut album, Colours, he’s in equally as colourful form on Pleasure Beach, which mixes up the archetypal urban instrumentals by including saturated in delay guitars, the radiant hues of organs and sleek piano keys.

With more charisma and tongue-in-cheek charm than Limmy in his salaciously rhythmic rap bars, ADZii BOii is apologetic in his lothario-like lyricality, and Pleasure Beach is all the more electrifying for it. If you want to head to Portobello Beach without heading to Edinburgh, hit play and let the wavy melodies soak you in.

Stream Pleasure Beach on Spotify and follow ADZii BOii on all major platforms via this link.

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 

Posted on 28 June 2023
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

Spotlight Feature: Pinwheel Valley & Garrison Cade Created a Meditation in Ambient Old School Hip Hop with R.E.M. State

Posted on 30 May 2023

For his latest release, the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, Pinwheel Valley, added an old-school hip-hop top-line to the beat of the standout instrumental single, R.E.M. State, which featured on his 2023 EP, What If I.

Collaborating with the rapper Garrison Cade, who has proven to be at the top of his game in his alt/indie band, Sam the Astronaut, which has taken Canada’s West Coast by storm, the two collaborators answered the question, what does it sound like when two powerhouses collide?

While we loved the artful ambience of the instrumental iteration for the temperate atmosphere that oscillated through our speakers, the hip-hop revival of the single reached the serendipitous pinnacle of visionary synergy.

With the verses flowing with the same transcendent philosophy as the intricate progressions, the reworking of R.E.M. State unravels as a meditation in authentically old-school ambient old-school hip-hop. Pinwheel Valley & Cade couldn’t be derivative if they tried with their shared tenacity for versing and arranging melodies straight from the soul.

“R.E.M. State is the ‘Kaytranada – Bus Ride’ inspired track that started out as an instrumental on the ‘What If I’ EP released last February. A few ppl were asking for an old-school Hip-Hop top-line to the beat, and I thought Garrison Cade would make the perfect fit. Garrison is a talented rapper who also fronts ‘Sam the Astronaut’, a popular Canadian West Coast, Alternative/Indie band. I believe Garrison has the right pre-reqs for someone I could tour or perform a couple shows with at some point.”

Stream R.E.M State featuring Garrison Cade, which hit the airwaves on May 31st, via Spotify.

Follow Pinwheel Valley on Facebook, and Instagram


Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tyrus Archer launched an ‘AMERICAN CLASSIC’ with his latest alt-hip-hop single.

Posted on 18 May 2023

Don’t be fooled by the titular insinuation; the latest single, AMERICAN CLASSIC, from the alt-hip-hop innovator, Tyrus Archer, is anything but archetypally in-line with the American dream. The downtempo trip-hop beats and ethereally luxe backing vocals, which sound like they’ve been torn from a David Lynch production, take AMERICAN CLASSIC to the next level.

From the first verse, you will find yourself transfixed on the conviction that pours from Archer’s hot and heavy vocal lines, which poetically portray an exhibition of the desecrated culture of the US until the track quiescently fades to silence, allowing you to bask in the introspection that was pulled with perfectly cadenced punches. AMERICAN CLASSIC is pure Avant Garde urban aggression, which goes a long way in alluding to why the slam poet rapper self-describes himself as a wild racoon in a handbag.

Stream AMERICAN CLASSIC by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Phurah prayz is ‘on duty’ with the evocative originality in his seminal single

Posted on 16 May 2023

Evocative originality is far from in short supply in the latest EP from the London-based alt-hip-hop artist and producer, Phurah prayz. The 6-track release, we are connected, is a riot of authentic innovation; take the standout single, on duty, as the ultimate testament to that fact.

After indie ukulele and guitar strings set the melodic pace in the mid-tempo vibe-out track, Phurah prayz delivers his charged-with-compassion vocal lines which you will effortlessly level with. While the wordsmith delivers his gospel & RnB infused rap bars which will drench you in worldly-wise introspection, the warm and bright beats, which come with a touch of afro flavour, will show you the meaning of catharsis.

Stream on duty on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Smokerface Chris Clay created the ultimate hip-hop anthem for morning mourning, Don’t Wake Up

Posted on 1 May 2023

Smokerface Chris Clay pulled out all the subversive stops in his latest single, Don’t Wake Up, by fusing consciousness regret with jazzy high vibe hip hop instrumentals to create a sonic contradiction that is wholly relatable to anyone who knows how it feels to greet the cold light of day with morning mourning. Don’t Wake Up is the ultimate testament to his playfully pensive autonomy, which proves that no picture can be painted in only tones of black and white.

When it comes to rapper origin stories, Smokerface Chris Clay’s is hard to beat. When driving through Hurricane Isabelle, he hit a car head-on and was ejected from his back windshield, unbeknownst to his friend, who was driving behind him, who ran over his head. He was declared head on-site but later revived before he was comatose for a month. When he woke, he freestyled to the nurses – despite never having expressed an interest in rap before. In his semi-conscious state, he made his determination to become a rapper known; in 2022, he stayed true to that promise by dropping his first official single, Live It Up.

Don’t Wake Up is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Danny Whacko is scintillatingly speculative in his latest rap track, I got a question… (Humble Thoughts)

Posted on 16 April 2023

Even though the muse evidently found rapper Danny Whacko before he polished off his latest single, I got a question… (Humble Thoughts), plenty of ruminative musing runs through the contemplative single, which speculates on how long it will be before the world wakes up to the injustice and takes collective action.

Philosophers have argued that it is the age of the individual, but the masses are all united with their heads in the sand to what is tearing through the lives victimised to systematic oppression. I got a question… (Humble Thoughts) is a sombre experience, lightened slightly through the gentle jazzy soulful beats, but there is no fully dampening the lyrical blows which pull all the punches on the apathetic. It’s a stunning release that will ensure your eyes are prised wide open.

The official music video for I got a question was released on April 7; view it on YouTube.

Amelia Vandergast

Ike Sanders stopped the hands of time with his fiery new rap track, Stolen Clocks

Posted on 6 April 2023

Literally and figuratively, Ike Sanders’ standout single, Stolen Clocks, from his 2023 hip-hop EP, Seven Hills, is the hottest rap hit you will hear this year; prime your summer playlists for the intoxicatingly seamless fluidity to the expression.

Enigmatic yet seductive, playful yet commanding, the rhythmically rolling rap bars against the bright and scintillating alt beats set the charisma bar unattainably high. Stolen Clocks is an urban jam orchestrated to transcend to a higher plateau with.

Even with the lyrical grit, the optimistically sweet disposition stays true to the Atlanta-based artist’s ethos of orchestrating genre-bending, passion-driven conscious rap. With his tendency to pull in international influences rather than staying true to his hometown roots, you would be hard-pressed to find a more exotically alluring hit.

Stolen Clocks dropped with the rest of the Seven Hills EP on March 24; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Atlanta hip-hop heavyweight Rashaann waxed Dre-style lyrical in his latest hit, Times Like This

Posted on 3 April 2023

If your hip-hop playlists are crying out for a hit that oozes style, innovation and bruisingly clever Dre-ESQUE wordplay in equal measure, tune into the latest hit from the rap luminary, Rashaan.

Times Like This is the silver lining to living in an era where it is easy to distance yourself from sanity day by day by looking at the news and noting the disorientating injustices before taking a look at mankind and realising that we should be referred to as manunkind.

With an EDM backbeat that could make your spine shiver around the jazzy cinematic old-school layers brought by the smoky sax lines and Rashaann’s storming flows, Times Like This is a rhythmically arresting tour de force, which proves he is beyond ahead of the game; everyone else is playing by his rules.

The artist, songwriter, and producer is currently taking the Atlanta hip-hop scene by storm after relocating from NYC and releasing his latest project, Far From Home, featuring the standout hit Times Like This.

Check out Times Likes This on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

The heartfelt hip-hop innovator KNG JMZ is on luminary form in his originality-enmeshed hit, WASH

Posted on 2 April 2023
KNG JMZ

Rocksteady roots music rips through the intro to the latest alt-hip-hop stormer, WASH, from the artist KNG JMZ, who is making short work of rising from the underground with his killer lines, archetype-smashing instrumentals and infectious vocal energy.

Once the rap bars are in full flow, KNG JMZ contrasts the originality-enmeshed beats with his steady flows that will easily arrest the rhythmic pulses of any Run the Jewels fans. But if you’re looking for an assimilative artist, look far beyond this indie rapper who finds his inspiration from the dynamic culture hip-hop represents.

After being born and raised in Winnipeg, experiencing his fair share of hardship, and learning the joys of perseverance, KNG JMZ curated an ethos out of making all his content heartfelt. You scarcely need his bio to affirm that; tune into the evocatively convictive introspective wit in WASH and hear it for yourself.

WASH will officially drop on March 31. Check it out on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast