Browsing Tag

Alt Hip Hop

Beavus has launched his experimentally originated hip-hop eponymous debut album.

Posted on 6 December 2022

The up-and-coming alternative artist, Beavus, proved that beyond-the-curve experimentalism is in high demand with hip-hop fans after the launch of his self-titled debut album.

The standout single, Song 4 Might Be Finished, is a meditatively chill window into the artist’s vibe-heavy inclination. Running through like a semi-lucid lo-fi trappy lullaby, the single exposes you to intimate confessionalism while the downtempo beats drench you with tranquil catharsis.

The sense of sweet yet cheeky playfulness takes the soundscape to the next level, and Beavus’ 5,000 monthly Spotify listeners would be more than inclined to agree.

Check out the eponymous debut album from Beavus on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jakezar waxes lyrical on his legacy in his dark rap track Blood in My Veins

Posted on 5 December 2022

At 21 years old, the Sydney-hailing rapper, Jakezar already has an eight-year spanning discography. By the time he was ready to drop his latest fervent single, Blood in My Veins, with his producer Cavula Beats, he was primed to make a fiery mark on the airwaves.

The dark experimental beats set a cinematic tone from the prelude before Jakezar blazes in with his bars that would be enough to make Sage Francis’ head spin. There’s also a fair amount of thematic reminiscence between Blood in My Veins to the production of GRACE by Sage Francis. But, judging by the dynamic range in Jakezar’s back catalogue, he moves to the flow of his expression and creativity and is never one to assimilate.

Blood in My Veins was officially released on November 23rd. You can check it out on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Roots music wraps around rap in BigRedMusic’s melodic indie hip hop single, Pack Mentality

Posted on 30 November 2022

Roots music meets rap in BigRedMusic’s latest single, Pack Mentality, which will win over any B. Dolan fans. To spice up the genre-fluid instrumentals, Spanish guitars with a touch of Eastern rhythm intricately weave a melody around the trappy 808s and the rap bars that hit every single mark.

Lil Nas X walked in Old Town Road so BigRedMusic could run in Pack Mentality, which wittily explores cultural phenomena of people’s tendency to act insufferably every time they are together enabling each other’s toxic behaviour. The introspection is just as hot as the immersive grooves in the high-fire track, which established the up-and-coming artist as talented as Eminem when it comes to slamming rap bars. It is no stretch to say that he is one of the hottest rappers on the underground right now.

Pack Mentality is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pluto Mars – This Ain’t That: Strap In for a Psychedelic Space Adventure

Posted on 30 November 2022

Luminary Richmond, CA rapper Pluto Mars teamed up with the music video director, Kiko Valle, to take his fans on a psychedelic space adventure with his latest single, This Ain’t That.

The kaleidoscopically fiery rap track meets electro anthem creates a galvanising platform for the bars that bring the new wave of hip hop crashing in around the genre-fluid instrumentals that could easily fill a floor and make it writhe to the futuristically rich melodies.

True to current trends, the short and sweet track runs through in under two minutes, but Pluto Mars used every second to drench you in drum and bass grooves that you will want to sink in time and time again.

This Ain’t That premiered on November 20th; you can catch it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jaytovxn is on the prowl in his dynamic rap track, Pink Panther

Posted on 26 November 2022

Using the Pink Panther theme tune in his hot summer hip hop drop was a bold move for the 18-year-old Southern rapper, Jaytovxn, but given that the official music video racked up over 40k streams before it fell into our ears, it more than paid off.

His track, Pink Panther, with Ja Morant is a fiery, polished new wave production that lures you in with its convictive charisma, collaborative chemistry and the concise delivery of the bars that snap as hard as the beats.

If you loved the creativity within Pink Panther that uses conceptual twists and turns to keep you immersed in the artistry, you’ll be a sucker for Jaytovxn’s recently released EP, Eclipse. It stands as a testament to the luminary’s ability to meld genres to create his blazing signature that others will undoubtedly be keen to forge and assimilate.

Watch the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

From Street Rapper to Soul Sensation: DOMO4200 raised the roof and put it on a new plateau with ‘PREACH’

Posted on 23 November 2022

Street rapper, DOMO4200, has made a name for himself through his galvanising live shows, versatile rap style that melds soul with old-school conviction and fresh beats. He lived up to that name in his serotonin-spitting high-fire latest single, PREACH, featuring Rahzil Blckwell.

After an energetically jazzy prelude, the melodic track unfolds around his viscerally uplifting rap bars that preach a very different gospel to what you hear reverberating through churches but written in the lyricism, you’ll find relatability and motivation by the smorgasbord.

It’s no surprise that DOMO4200 isn’t failing to rack up the streams with his effortlessly expressive tracks that make no bones about where he came from and put no limits on where he’s going. After hearing PREACH, that’s a journey you’re going to want to take with him.

Stream PREACH on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Brooklyn beats meet southern trap grit in Superstar Freddy & Low Patcho’s alchemically dynamic collaborative single, Move

Posted on 19 November 2022

Alone, Brooklyn’s Superstar Freddy and Southern Trap artist, Low Patcho, are forces to be reckoned with. With their contrasting sounds sparking urban sonic voodoo while they pay homage to their Haitian roots in their joint LP, The Curse, they are inexplicably hot.

The standout single, The Move, carries all the motivation of an archetypal hustler hip hop anthem and none of the cliches that usually revolve around motivational tropes. The high-octane hit permits the instrumentals to conjure urban devilry about the blazingly dynamic bars that will leave you galvanized before the first verse has stormed through.

Fans of Travis Scott, Pop Smoke, and Pierre Borne won’t want to miss the colossal track that came to life in Anchour Studios in Maine.

“The Curse album is a collaboration of Superstar Freddy’s upbeat hip hop style with Low Patcho’s Southern trap music. The mixtape was inspired by our Haitian heritage. Voodoo and magic are always associated with people from Haiti.

I wrote the song Move after a trip back from my hometown, Brooklyn, NY. The song illustrates my desire for continual success and elevation. It shows you can’t fall off, no matter what. You’ve got to love what you do and flaunt it when necessary but never sell out. I love the cash sound when my phone dings and I know it’s coming in all day. If you ain’t moving toward your idea, then someone else will manifest it so get going today.”

Stream The Curse on Spotify, and follow Superstar Freddy on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook to stay up to date on his future releases that are set to mark a shift in his sonic style from this ground-breaking LP.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

All isn’t fair in love and war in Orval Hill’s progressively immense alt EDM hip hop single, Nowhere

Posted on 19 November 2022

After a strikingly sombre alt-pop prelude complete with beckoningly harmonic vocal lines which pull you into the emotion of the release, Orval Hill’s latest feat of ‘schizo rap’, Nowhere, slams right into a body-rocking EDM hip hop anthem with scuzzy bass-drenched beats to pound your speakers to oblivion around the minor key piano stabs.

Nowhere is the ultimate testament to Orval Hill’s ability to wildly juxtapose the next progression against the last to accurately portray the off-kilter nature of the human mind. We like to fool ourselves that we’re rational creatures, but we rarely let logic get in the way of emotion. Orval Hill stays true to our animalistic proclivities while delivering contrasting declarations to prove that all isn’t fair in love and war. If anything encapsulates the clusterfuck of dating in the modern age, it’s the off-kilter exposition within Nowhere.

Nowhere is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nicolas Alan is riding on the new wave of hip hop in his exotically exultant hit, Superstar ft. JCedric

Posted on 16 November 2022

One of the hottest names in the Salt Lake City hip hop scene, Nicolas Alan, just got hotter after launching another cathartically rhythmic RnB-tinged new wave hit with his latest single, Superstar, featuring JCedric, which allows you to traverse his ascent to the top of his game.

Never letting ego get in the way of relatability and sincerity, Alan has a distinct way of versing directly to you as he proves with his dynamically fluid bars that adversity doesn’t ever have to be the end of your story.

While the originality in his sound comes as a result of having an eclectic array of musical interests, the soul in his sound comes via the roadblocks he’s overcome that have enabled him to reach notable heights in his career. It should go without saying, he’s one to watch.

Superstar dropped on October 28th; catch it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

NY rapper and producer, Jon Harris is rich in lyrical gold after his latest hip hop release, Great

Posted on 1 November 2022

NY rapper, songwriter and producer Jon Harris tore up the rulebook in his latest old-school-meets-nu-skool single, Great. After a cinematic intro that will speak to the senses of any Tarantino fan, the single moves into more familiar hip hop territory through Harris’ down-to-earth versing style, inspired by the visionaries, Eminem, Kanye and Jay Z, while the instrumentals work melodic magic in the background.

With bells chiming in place of the usual 808s and plenty more ingenuity written into the rhythmic works, Great is an arresting feat of urban innovation. And that’s before we get to the cutting wit that puts all of the wannabe rappers in their place with solid lines that get stronger with every repeat hit of Great. Which is everything it says on the tin.

Every lyric is quote-worthy, but “I’m the bad guy for trying to speak up, constantly telling me to shut up and stick to music, well, guess what bitch, now you gotta listen to it”, may just cut slightly above the rest.

The lyric video for Great premiered on October 22nd. Catch it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast