Browsing Tag

Emo Rap

Blank666 exposes the dark side of hedonism with ‘Wasted’ featuring Nikki Vale.

Posted on 10 May 2021

Blank666’s standout single, ‘Wasted’, poignantly exposes the darker side of the hedonist lifestyle that many rap artists are quick to glamourise. But not many lyrics hit as hard as the deeply introspective ones you will find here that wistfully regret choosing escapism over affection.

To give you an idea of just how heartfelt a track Wasted is, if Simple Plan switched from alt-rock to rap, their sound would carry plenty of reminiscences. The lo-fi indie feel to the simple yet poignant offering of alt hip hop amplifies the intimacy but Wasted is so much more than your average emo melancholy-fest thanks to the grooves and four to the floor beats that allows energy to echo through the mix.

You can check out the official video to Wasted by heading over to YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Unique M.D. wants us to hear his ‘Last Words’

Posted on 20 April 2021

Opening with some delicious violin and piano, Unique M.D.s ‘Last Words’ is a slow, chilled, but powerful slice of old-school Hip Hop telling the story of the end of a relationship, M.D.’s flow tripping over the 808 hi-hats and laid-back bassline, all early-Eminem and Dre.

Following up his earlier singles ‘Let’s Take a Trip’ and ‘First Date’, ‘Last Words’ bookends the relationship with this breakup story, the American rapper’s prolific back-catalogue showcases his style; with ‘Last Words’, M.D.’s made an easy, relaxed-feel track that still has a potent lyrical message.

You can check out ‘Last Words’ on Soundcloud now, and follow Unique M.D. on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

SixPortalz shows us the melodic potential of cloud rap with their latest release, ‘YOUNG LUV’.

Posted on 18 April 2021

‘Heartfealt’ isn’t an adjective easily affixed to cloud rap, but East Stroudsberg-based artist, SIxPortalz left us with few other ways to allude to the evocative and all-baring nature of his latest single, ‘YOUNG LUV’.

With melodic piano keys introducing the track and still running between the 808s through the verses, YOUNG LUV possesses all of the rhythmic pull of a sad pop ballad, but there’s no compromise to the raw and honest nature of the lyrics and the delivery. He’s set the bar for emo rap artists with his soulfully bruising approach.

You can check out the official video to YOUNG LUV for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Sionis wants to take us ‘Swimming’

Posted on 10 April 2021

Sionis is a 21-year-old musician from Charlotte, North Carolina, with a back history of pop-punk mixed with hip hop and rap. ‘Swimming’ comes by way of artists like Mobb Deep, Havoc, Screwball, or Tyler The Creator. Lyrically, it’s all about a previous girlfriend, and it’s clear that that relationship didn’t always go as well as it might have, with lines like ‘if we fuck then you can scratch me ‘til I bleed/ then I’ll choke you out to gain more energy’ and ‘back and forth, back and forth/ the passive-aggressiveness, I’m sick of it’, but Sionis has some pretty smooth flow mixed with the classic T-Pain autotune vocal production. There’s a solid backing of beats, bass, and piano that bounces the track along in a chilled way, but there’s an underlying anger and aggression here too that fits the vocal message.

You can hear ‘Swimming’ on Soundcloud, and check out Sionis on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Come Home: Lil Nyx takes another sip to drown his feelings on ‘Drunk Alone’ (Reproduced version)

Posted on 27 March 2021
https://soundcloud.com/lilnyx/drunk-alone-reproduced

After the phone keeps on ringing with no answer apparent, Lil Nyx tires greatly of waiting on his re-mastered release of the reflective single called ‘Drunk Alone‘.

David Huver aka Lil Nyx, is a self-motivated emo-rap music-inclined Traverse City, Michigan native, who knew he wanted to do this for a living when he was just nine years old. He stories us with an introspective style that opens the doors into your fearful mind, to introduce a state of anxiousness that shows you how wild this world is currently.

After taking this music game seriously just after he left high school, you feel like he is only taking steps upwards thanks to a consistent flow, that has you intrigued and worried about his state of mind.

”Emotions and feelings such as love, lust, and sadness have always been parts of my life and heavily impacted how I live it.”- Lil Nyx

His rap style is deep and thoughtful, with bars that evoke emotional moments that he hasn’t gotten over yet, as stories of mistrust and battling to find a real connection with friends, that is all too familiar in this social media world that was intended to bring us closer, but has done the exact opposite.

‘Drunk Alone‘ from Michigan’s Lil Nyx, wraps into your head to produce feelings of sadness as you understand his emotions of being alone, whilst taking time to get over this lost love, so that he may find a new blossoming romance that makes his soul happy again.

Hear this real track on Soundcloud and see his story on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Yung’Cid left the pill un-sugared in their feisty new wave trap track ‘Loved You Better’

Posted on 10 February 2021
Yung’Cid

‘Loved You Better’ is the latest single from Bedford, UK-hailing Alternative artist, Yung’Cid, their combination of Pop Punk, Trap and RnB grinds with the tides of New Wave luminaries such as Juice Wrld, Lil Xan and Lil Peep while flowing with Yung’Cid’s own authentic expression.

Crank up the volume and feel the full force of the aggressive rock elements, lock into the lyrics to appreciate the raw gritty romanticism which inspired Love You Better which drips with visceral angst, but if you read between the lines, you’ll find that it’s an emboldening track.

We often place the blame on ourselves when people fail to love us properly, Yung’Cid highlights the pain of that experience while serving the reminder that other people’s inability to love is not our problem.

You can hear Yung’Cid via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

SadHappyRabbit – That’s Alright featuring Lil Ringey

Posted on 2 February 2021

Before we escaped 2020, SadHappyRabbit released their pessimistically-titled debut album ‘We’re Fucked’, which may flirt with nihilism, but the essence of the Portland-hailing artist’s sound unequivocally lies in their refreshing candid vulnerability.

The standout track, ‘That’s Alright’, which was created in collaboration with Lil Ringey is the perfect introduction to SadHappyRabbit’s unique marrying of Indie Hip Hop and Emo Rap. Anyone who has a proclivity for morosity – especially in the presence of romantic disparity will find plenty of resonance in the single.

Yes, the lyrics are dark, but darkness and romanticism have come hand in hand ever since Shakespeare started doing his thing, and this barbed depiction of painful romantic duality is just as efficacious at evoking strong emotion as Hamlet.

There’s no room to wonder why SadHappyRabbit has been able to amass so much hype since making their debut in 2020. Their fearlessness when it comes to lyrical honesty is practically unparalleled.

You can check out That’s Alright for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

SixPortalz wraps their heartbreak around 808s in their Alt Indie Trap track “Welfed”

Posted on 1 November 2020

SixPortalz dropped their playfully pensive Alt Indie Trap hit Welfed on October 18th, they definitely made no bones about stamping down their evocatively nerdy signature style.

The raw volatility of the track may mean that Welfed isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But anyone looking for abrasively recognisable emotions wrapped up in a melodically lo-fi production will find plenty to get enamoured by with Welfed.

The track reveals intimate shame-laden thoughts which all too infrequently get projected back at us, but through their humility, SixPortalz unapologetically offered an olive branch of connection, an invitation to crawl out of the insecurity which romantic catastrophe left you lingering in. Additionally, any track with an Invader Zim reference is a winner in our book.

You can check out Welfed for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Horror Gardens – Insane: Darkly Downtempo Emo Rap

Posted on 24 November 2019

Up and coming Emo Rap artist Horror Garden’s recently released single “Insane” is one of the most inventively endearing admissions of insanity we have ever encountered. Any fans of MC Lars are sure to appreciate the US-based artist’s unique approach to creating evocative electronic feats of Hip Hop.

The slow experimental tempo of the single may not be everyone’s cup of tea because it takes the soundscape out of the realms of the archetypal. Yet, simultaneously, the spatial effects in Insane amplify the resonance of the emotion in the uniquely candid single.

Insane may be dark in parts, but in its true essence, Insane unravelled as an expressively raw single through the deadpan delivery of the Rap bars which sat against the stylistically modern beats which definitely didn’t fail to bring the bass.

You can check out Horror Gardens’ single Insane for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Joseph Chase – Drinking to Forget: The Prodigal Son of Emo Rap

Posted on 7 October 2018

“Drinking to Forget” is the latest single to be released from up and coming Rap artist Joseph Chase who has made a name for himself with his unique renditions of Emo Rap. Whilst melancholic Rap isn’t all too out of the ordinary these days, Joseph seems to have mastered the approach better than most. With the perfect balance of melody and plaintively poised lyrics Drinking to Forget unfolds under a down-tempo rhythm, yet the infectious capacity of the lyrical hooks is something you’re going to have to hear for yourself to understand. The flawless production of the South Florida-based artist’s work has ensured that his hits have received radio play on a myriad of stations, allowing his resonant sound to reach and touch fans internationally. The production may be commercial, yet the sentiment remains as personal as it gets.

You can check out Drinking to Forget for yourself by heading over to SoundCloud now

Review by Amelia Vandergast