Browsing Tag

Atlanta Hip Hop

Frank Blunt redefined hip-hop’s intellectual edge with ‘Bored Games 2’

Posted on 8 March 2024

Frank Blunt’s latest single, ‘Bored Games 2′, is a testament to his stripes as a rap luminary. Blunt stayed true to his name by delivering an intellectually resonant and intellectually stimulating hit of wisdom; it’s a journey into the depths of Blunt’s psyche, a reflection of his soul laid bare through masterful lyricism

While the jazz-infused rhythms pay homage to old-school hip-hop, Blunt weaves his sonic signature through the production like gritty urban calligraphy to carve out his own unique identity, mostly noted through the cadence of his introspective gold. Blunt’s flow is a marvel of rhythmic precision and melodic inventiveness, ensuring that listeners hang on to every syllable. His ability to weave complex narratives which go plateaus beyond the ordinary tropes of the genre allows the tract to challenge perceptions while remaining grounded in realism.

Frank Blunt’s influences, ranging from Michael Jackson to UGK, from Jay Z to Outkast, are evident in his music, yet he’s far from a by-product of assimilation. After a decade of cutting his teeth in the industry, his unparalleled talent is as razor-sharp as his lyrical wit. If any up-and-coming rapper has earned their place in the pantheon of hip-hop greats, it is Blunt.

Bored Games 2 was released on February 7th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lex the Visionary artfully revolutionised alt-hip-hop with ‘Stretch’

Posted on 15 August 2023

If you like your rap tracks dark, decadent and full of hooks, delve right into the debut EP, LOTUS, from the Atlanta-based originator Lex the Visionary. Between the four tracks, the evocative trailblazer invites the listener on a journey from heartbreak to the discovery of her authentic self; the cinematic proclivities of the release give you a panoramic view of the roadmap of actualisation and redemption.

The standout single, Stretch, pushes the hip-hop envelope into artfully authentic new territory underpinned by Lex the Visionary’s delectable way of constructing moody melodies. The juxtaposition between her vocals, which give a view into her history with church choirs, and the spacey, at some points transcendent sonic motifs, is nothing short of arrestive.

After the midway mark in Stretch, the soundscape takes an ambient turn; the lush reverb drifting from the synth lines reaches the pinnacle of ethereal catharsis while giving you space to reflect on the introspective gold relayed into this elevated with luxe ingenuity release.

Stream Lex the Visionary’s EP via Spotify.

Review by 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

 

Atlanta Hip Hop Pioneer Caleb X Illuminated the Way to Tranquillity with his Vibe-Heavy Hit, Peace

Posted on 27 January 2023

Cleveland, Ohio-born, Atlanta-based artist Caleb X started a flood of tranquil melodicism by bringing in the new wave of hip-hop with his latest single, Peace.

Even with the nostalgic samples implanted in the glossily smooth hit, which illuminates the path to catharsis and emotional sanctity, there is no denying the experimentally contemporary edge that effortlessly complements the authenticity within the bars.

Though he may be influenced by DMX and Tupac, Caleb X ripped up the hip-hop rulebook before creating this vibe-heavy hit that will spice any future-embracing hip-hop playlist up with its mellifluous soul and style.

Peace was officially released on January 20th. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jay Activist led the soul revolution with his hip hop single, Problems, ft. BTF Nate

Posted on 6 December 2022

Glossing his smooth-with-soul rap bars over acoustic guitar strings and acoustic percussion in place of the usual 808s, Jay Activist’s latest single, Problems, featuring BTF Nate, is a revolution in soul.

While romanticism can’t realistically abstract people from all of their problems, it is blissful to live that fantasy and see Jay Activist expose his determination to better the lives of the people that surround him. This sticky sweet yet sleek track puts weight behind the 20-year-old rapper’s claim that he’s the breath of fresh air that the rap scene needs.

The Atlanta-based luminary that pulls on his Caribbean roots always delivers his lyrics straight from the heart instead of pulling from the lost and found box of cliché rap tropes. We can’t wait to hear what the affable originator pulls out of the pipeline next.

Check out the official music video to Problems on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Atlanta rapper MgnBlak brought substance back in style with his latest single, In My Head

Posted on 3 September 2022

Atlanta-based independent artist, MgnBlak, firmly implanted soul in his latest hip hop single, In My Head, which is just as vulnerable as the title implies.

Even though the melodically transfixing single narrates the artist’s individualistic life experiences, it is all too easy to find the resonance within In My Head – especially around the gospel elements, which manifest through the quelling timbre of the organ around the trap beats.

MgnBlak sought to be a breath of fresh air for the hip hop genre; it’s safe to say he succeeded with In My Head; its universal appeal transcends genre. Regardless of your usual aural inclinations, it is impossible not to FEEL when In My Head is in full flow. We are officially stoked to hear his debut EP, Hear Me Now.

In My Head is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

King Cooley gave us the ultimate hip hop earworm to ‘Get Down’ to after going viral with her seminal single.

Posted on 4 August 2022

After her seminal single Climate Change garnered over 280,000 streams and was added to multiple official Spotify playlists, hip hop’s fieriest newcomer, King Cooley, is set to release her latest soulful stormer, Get Down.

The Atlanta, Georgia-based artist seamlessly switches between her simmering hell hath no fury rap bars and her neo-soul-to-the-bone vocal harmonies on top of the beats that prove King Cooley has what takes to bring in the freshest new wave of hip hop.

With experimental electronic signatures in place of the usual archetypal 808 rattle, not a million worlds away from the indietronica beats from Warpaint, it is hard not to admire the lengths King Cooley went to with Get Down. She’s finishing what Eilish started.

Get Down will officially release on August 12th; hear it here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dark Pop Meets Hip Hop in Snapdibz’ latest single, Rivals featuring Rey Khan

Posted on 12 November 2021

There is nothing on the airwaves as raw as a hip hop artist throwing away every last shred of ego and pretence to show the softer side of their soul; case in point, Snapbidz latest single, Rivals, featuring Rey Khan.

When I hit play on what I thought would be yet another confrontational diss track, a stunningly pensive mash of RnB, trap, and pop started to pull me into the soul of the single that carries just as much, if not more, conviction as the harshest of rap hits.

The slight vibrato on Rey Khan’s trap pop vocals and Snapbidz animated bars over the minor key melodies is enough to test your soul’s capacity to feel as it climbs the charts.

Rivals is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Young Nino goes rogue in his latest drill hip hop track, ‘Goin’ Crazy’.

Posted on 25 May 2021

Young Nino is becoming an unignorable name in Atlanta’s Hip Hop scene and far beyond. His latest drill Hip Hop track, Goin’ Crazy, unfolds as a definitively old school, undeniably fresh track that deserves a spot on your high-vibe playlist.

With hedonistic imagery weaved into the grime-style rap bars, Goin’ Crazy is to hip hop what American Psycho is to literature. There’s a playfulness to the macabre elements in the single that has already amassed over 150,000 streams on YouTube since the music video premiered on March 17th.

You can check out the official video to Goin’ Crazy for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast