Browsing Tag

Alt Trap

Lucky Swami – $wipe icard: Atmospherically Fresh Dark Hip Hop

Posted on 15 April 2020

Lucky Swami and Foolish G teamed up once more to create a darkly atmospheric feat of Hip Hop with their 2020 release $wipe icard.

If you’re a fan of Rap tracks which offer beats which are just as authoritative as the Rap bars, you’ll undoubtedly want to make $wipe icard a firm fixture on your playlists. It boasts old school lyrical conviction while making sure it is bang on trend with the polished bass-heavy Alt Trap beats.

There may be plenty of energy thrown into the ensnaring mix, but thanks to the easy melodic groove of the ominous track, it’s one you can easily slip into.

You can check out Lucky Swami’s tracks for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Grunge Trap Trailblazer Zlumpyy Has Dropped His Fiercest Track Yet with “Rude!”

Posted on 14 April 2020
https://soundcloud.com/zlumpyyyyyyy/rude

Up and coming Trap artist Zlumpyy has created plenty of mould-breaking Trap hits in 2020, but the best introduction to their fiercely authentic style is undoubtedly their recently released aural storm Rude! produced by Mathiastyner.

By incorporating the same untameable angst as 90s Grunge pioneers into their adrenalized Trap mix, Rude! is as volatile as Trap gets. The track may be short, but it packs a convictive punch and you can practically taste the creative catharsis which it contains.

Zlumpyy’s invention of the Scream Trap genre may not be for the faint-hearted, but truly expressive rarely ever is.

You can check out Zlumpyy’s track Rude! along with the rest of their releases via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

KDX – 24hr Ghost: Ambiently Smooth Alt Trap

Posted on 13 April 2020

24hr Ghost is the latest track to be released by up and coming Trap artist KDX. If his former releases have slipped past your radar, the experimental slow jam will serve as the perfect introduction to their velvety smooth approach to Trap.

KDX mixed up the usual Trap beat style by weaving elements of Electronic Folk into the quaint and beguiling into the soundscape while the vocals find the balance between magnetic soul and resounding conviction.

In short, if you’re looking for ambient vibe-out Trap mixes from a breaking new artist, KDX has you covered with 24hr Ghost. If all Trap releases were as authentic and as immersive as 24hr Ghost, the genre would get plenty more respect and acclaim in the mainstream.

24hr Ghost is available to stream via all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DANNI VENDETTA – Nobody Around: Indulgently Nihilistic Trap

Posted on 29 February 2020
https://soundcloud.com/danni-vendetta/nobody-around

Earlier this month breaking Trap artist DANNI VENDETTA dropped a 30-second teaser of their upcoming single “Nobody Around”. Naturally, we’ve joined in on the hype around the hotly anticipated release which is due to drop soon.

The indulgently nihilistic tones in Nobody Around affirm that there are very few artists putting out such darkly experimental Trap on the airwaves. This definitely isn’t your average offering of dark or sad Trap. With the inventive use of the vocal reverb, DANNI VENDETTA ensured that his unfuckwithable lyrics were as ominous as possible and the beats were equally as abrasive.

You can check out the teaser from DANNI VENDETTA’s upcoming single Nobody Around for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

You can also get an impression of what’s to come checking out their previously released mixes. His latest single YUdodat didn’t get over 40k streams in under a month on SoundCloud alone for no reason.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sheldon Johnson – Arizona: An Artisan Blend of Trap, Electronica & Alt Rock

Posted on 24 February 2020

Hazy Alt Hip Hop doesn’t get much more arrestive than what you’ll find in the 2019 album “Suburban Wolf” from up and coming Nebraska-based artist Sheldon Johnson.

While each track is a sublime artisan mix of genres including Hip Hop, Synth Pop, and Rock, the perfect introduction to Sheldon Johnson’s mesmerising pioneering sound is the track “Arizona”.

The lush wavy reverb borders on hypnotic while the deep throbbing basslines provide plenty of structure to the quite literally unforgettable track. Expect the sticky-sweet melodies in Arizona to stick to your synapses for days.

If it sounds like we’re overly excitable over Arizona, you’ll soon see that the exuberance is more than justified when you taste the ingenuity in the mix for yourselves.

You can check out Arizona along with the rest of their album by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Adan Del Rio – Can’t Believe U featuring Netta: Sentiment-Soaked RnB Trap

Posted on 19 February 2020
https://soundcloud.com/adandelrio/cant-believe-u-unmixed

For their latest single “Can’t Believe U” Alt Trap artist Adan Del Rio teamed up with RnB vocalist Netta to create an evocatively deep mix which is full of collaborative chemistry.

Despite the fast pace of Adan Del Rio’s bars, it was all too easy to drink in the passion-soaked poetic lyrics thanks to his clean, clear and convictive diction.

What a needle is to a haystack is usually what melodicism is to Trap music. But in Can’t Believe U, the light and cathartic guitar notes find the perfect balance in the mix against the 808s. It’s everything you could possibly ask for from a contemporary Rap track.

You can check out Adan Del Rio’s latest track Can’t Believe U by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Breaking Alt Hip Hop Artist FINLINCE! Has Dropped Their Latest Darkly Wavy EP “Threeway”

Posted on 21 January 2020

After making their debut in 2018, FINLINCE! has become one of the most exciting artists in Hip Hop thanks to their tendency to go with his own flow rather than assimilate urban artists before them.

Their most recent EP “Threeway” dropped in January 2020 and each of the five tracks is as dynamically visceral as the last. By mixing elements of OS Hip Hop with New Wave Trap, Synth Wave, Alt Rock and EDM, FINLINCE! was able to offer some of the most indulgently abrasive Hip Hop we’ve heard in quite some time.

The tracks may be short and snappy, but this only amplifies the raw, convictive unpolished emotion which they contain. If he’s not already on your radar, get them firmly placed right now.

You can check out FINLINCE!’s latest EP for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alt Rock Meets Trap in BLVCK ZEDSU’s Latest Single “Insomnia”

Posted on 28 November 2019
https://soundcloud.com/zaire-nashon-farmer/insomnia

If you were under the impression that sad Hip Hop couldn’t be fire, you may want to check out BLVCK ZEDSU’s recently dropped single “Insomnia”.

Mixing pensive alt-rock guitars with solid trap beats allowed Insomnia to become a universally accessible hit which easily hooks you in through the harrowed melodies. Unlike most Hip Hop which sits on the more melancholic side, Insomnia wasn’t a display of self-pity, it was raw, resonant, honest expression versed through witty bars.

While BLVCK ZEDSU can lyrically hold their own, they brought in Rap artist Cliiiford, to introduce more chemistry and yet another dynamic into the experimentally unforgettable mix which constantly evolves throughout the duration.

You can check out BLVCK ZEDSU’s track Insomnia for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shrt_Lyf – Sloppy Top: Aggressively Absorbing Alt Hip Hop

Posted on 5 November 2019
https://youtu.be/rbiHxs_Osuw

Up and coming Alt Rap artist Shrt_Lyf dropped their aggressively absorbing Trap single “Sloppy Top” on September 2nd.  If you haven’t already had the pleasure of revelling in Shrt_Lyf’s own organic brand of experimentalism, Sloppy Top is the perfect introduction.

Their dark and macabre style throws you right back to the days when there was plenty of people on the hype around the Insane Clown Posse. Yet, Shrt_Lyf’s sound is firmly rooted in the new wave of Hip Hop. There will be plenty of Billie Eilish comparisons made as the world wakes up to Shrt_Lyf’s charmingly fierce approach to Rap. But credit where credit is due. Shrt_Lyf is a pioneer through the way he seamlessly merged old school Rap with new wave to create an accessibly refreshing hit.

You can check out the transfixing absurd music video to Sloppy Top for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Daimōnic – The Serpent King?: Anthemically Smooth Alt Trap

Posted on 7 September 2018

If you can point me in the direction of one Alt Trap tracks which carry deeper waves of ethereal resonance than Daimōnic’s latest single The Serpent King? then I will be prepared to eat my words. But until then, let me introduce the slick styling of the up and coming Hip Hop artist who amplified the energy of his Trap beat by polishing the track to absolute Pop perfection. Generally, self-produced hits can fall a little flat, yet, Daimōnic’s production skills are just as fresh as his Rap deliveries and approach to lyricism. Overall, the Serpent King has an almost overwhelming cathartic vibe which draws you into the lucidity of the mix. The tentative pacing of the track draws you further into the stark sentimentality which The Serpent King? has been constructed around, you’d be hard pressed to find a more transcendental urban soundscape from an emerging artist.

You can check out Daimōnic’s latest drop the Serpent King? for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast