Browsing Tag

Cali Hip Hop

Tony C sonically visualised the kidcore aesthetic in his hip-hop hit, Peter Pan Man

Posted on 12 September 2024

Tony C’s latest single Peter Pan Man is a defiant, high-octane triumph of playfully devil-may-care rebellion. The Californian emcee, known for his feverish flows and razor-sharp lyrical precision, takes listeners on a journey through a kidcore aesthetic with polyphonic beats that bounce and crackle under his infectiously insolent high-vibe lyrics. Flexing against the pressures to conform and grow up, Tony C proves that being forever young isn’t just a fantasy, it’s a lifestyle.

As gripping as his visual narrative is, it’s the rhythmic precision in Tony C’s bars that truly pulls you in; it really wouldn’t matter if he was waxing lyrical from the periodic table. His animated flows are impossible to resist, hooking you with every beat. The track leaves you craving more, not just from the song itself but from his entire discography, which is as diverse and dynamic as Peter Pan Man suggests.

Tony C’s origin story took place in Roseville, California, where he initially channelled his creativity into poetry before turning to music in high school. After making waves with a 10-song album produced by Zak Diebels (Z-Rokk), Tony’s debut release, Invincible, caught major attention. With tracks appearing on E!’s Khloe and Lamar and VH1’s Black Ink Crew, the iTunes editors were quick to praise his lush hooks and hyper-enunciated verses, comparing him to heavyweights like Slug, Eminem, and Mac Miller.

With Peter Pan Man, Tony C further cements his status as a rising force in hip-hop, refusing to grow up or slow down.

Peter Pan Man is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Noremac became the king of the swagger-soaked high-vibe hip-hop banger with ‘Do It Again’

Posted on 28 July 2024

Cali hip-hop icon-in-the-making, Noremac dropped a swagger-soaked high-vibe banger with his latest release, Do It Again.

The rapper and producer doesn’t just roll with the punches in the 90s nostalgia-wrapped hit, he grooves with the wit-injected punchlines which mark him as one of the most charismatic artists on the underground.

As ludicrous as Ludacris, as magnetic as Mac Miller, Noremac, with his luxe stylistic approach to production that echoes the gloss and grit of Jay-Z while staying firmly in his own lane, sonically owns everything required to enter the pantheon of the hip-hop elite.

Crafted in his home studio, where he’s been spinning tracks since middle school, Do It Again, is a timeless hit that throbs with chest-punching boom-bap bass. Noremac’s bars bounce with a cadence that’s both sharp and infectious as his presence on the mic, allowing even the most reserved listeners to find the groove.

Do It Again was officially released on July 19; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

K.I.R.B. took the crown off Nas with the rap flair in his latest installation of infectiously impish alt-hip-hop, ‘No Time’

Posted on 6 November 2023

With a slamming beat bolstering the experimental saturated in delay instrumentals, intricately unorthodox rhyme patterns in the rap bars and enough impishly clever charisma to win you over from the first verse, after the release of his single, No Time, the Cali rap prodigy, K.I.R.B., will never be kicked to the curb by the music industry.

The up-and-coming artist has enough ingenuity in his bars to rival Nas, Rakim and Method Man, as for the sonic aesthetic, that’s beyond compare through K.I.R.B.’s authenticity and determination to keep his sound pumping with a diverse array of influence.

Since making his debut, K.I.R.B. has worked with everyone from NICK BLANCO to Nick Mira, but clearly, he’s not riding on anyone’s coattails. He’s got exactly what it takes to win over an army of alt-rap fans.

Check out No Time on all major streaming platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Emotional Connection Amplifies the Sultry Chemistry in Keldamuzik’s single, Mind Sex, ft Kafani & Mika

Posted on 18 March 2023

Keldamuzik (AKA Kelda Williams) is taking over the entertainment industry with her hip-hop hits, TV hosting and acting career; her talents notably know few bounds, and her iconic hit, Mind Sex, more than proves she’s the queen of all trades.

The single, created in collaboration with the featuring artists Kafani & Mika, salaciously tips the balance towards soul while never turning down the heat to a simmer; her red hot vocal lines scorch through the jazzy RnB hip-hop instrumentals while the lyrics narrate soft sensuality into lascivious empowerment.

Cardi B could notably learn a thing or two from this testament to how sexual friction always tastes sweeter when there’s an emotional connection stirring the passion. If you’re not turned on by the outro, you might want to hold a memorial for your libido.

Check out the official music video for Mind Sex via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Find catharsis in the candour of Yen Won’s dreamy alt-rap hit, Never Fade Away

Posted on 14 March 2023

The Cali born and raised 23-year-old Korean-Japanese rapper Yen Won’s latest new wave hit, Never Fade Away, is an ethereal technicolour dream. While the strong and steady backbeat brings the energy in line with the fervidly delivered rap bars, there was plenty of room in the short and sweet mix for lush reverb and the transcendentally ascending electronica motifs which enabled Yen Won to effortlessly establish his distinction in the semi-lucid soundscape.

Beyond dying alone, the fear of fading away weighs heavy on the psyche for many, but only artists as vulnerably bold as Yen Won would ever care to admit it. By doing so, he exhibited the commonality and tore through the stigma. It comes as no surprise that thousands of listeners find solace and catharsis in his candour.

Never Fade Away is available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

$LADEGEEKIN reinvented West Coast hip-hop with his intricately experimental hit, REDO

Posted on 28 January 2023

Indio, California rapper, engineer, and producer $LADEGEEKIN, has dropped his sophomore hit, REDO. If it has been a while since a hard-hitting hip-hop production has left an ever-lasting mark on your rhythmic pulses and psyche, delve right into the hit that makes it impossible to resist the mesmerism in the beats.

After an intro of inventively arranged effect-laden guitars, $LADEGEEKIN starts to bridge the gap between alt-hip-hop and the West Coast style. Even with the passion poured into the narratively vulnerable bars, they keep an assuredly steady pace to become the centre of gravity within REDO.

His debut single, $our Diesel, was impressive. With his sophomore single, he’s proven that he’s got exactly what it takes to make his way up from the Cali underground hip-hop scene. Save a spot on your radar. We’d put money on more infectiously intellectual hits being in the pipeline.

REDO was officially released on December 25th. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast