Browsing Tag

Hip Hop Collaboration

Skee x Bogart. waxed lyrical with maximum conviction in ‘Go Off’

Posted on 10 November 2023

Trip hop meets old-school East Coast flavour in the latest lyrically sharp single, Go Off, from the Switzerland-based producer duo Bogart and the rapper Skee, who more than understood the assignment before he waxed lyrical with maximum conviction over the trippy mix which blends the ethereal with the gritty and visceral.

Layers of reverb ascend from the mix that steadies itself with a rocksteady backbeat and record-scratching to create an immersive atmosphere for Skee to dominate with his bars, which leave you under no illusion that this track was versed from anywhere but straight from the soul. It’s a cutting exposition of how using the spark from your passion can take you to the greatest heights but you’ll only reach the top unscathed with swathes of resilience.

Go Off was officially released on November 10th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Heir to the St Louis rap scene, K!NG QUE, created alt-hip-hop ‘Perfection’ in his latest single, ft Zaetheone, Daemon & Von Mitch 

Posted on 28 June 2023
For his latest single, Perfection, the prodigal son of alt-hip hop, K!NG QUE (AKA the Melodic Rebel), joined creative forces with Zaetheone, Daemon & Von Mitch and took over the St. Louis rap scene in the process.
Seeing barriers as sonic constraints to unshackle himself from, K!NG QUE created sultry groove-slicked production that exhibits the alchemy that breeds between the contrasting and complementary vocal timbres while the body-rocking beats and melodies to perpetually ascend in the RnB and Reggaeton wrapped mix. Very few contemporary hits have what it takes to take you to the heights Perfection does.
The dynamic versatility reverberating at its core is the evolution hip-hop was crying out for. From ethereal female vocal lines to rap bars with a cadence that punctuates the mix as much as the basslines to euphoric builds to just as galvanising breaks, Perfection just keeps on giving.
Stream Perfection on Spotify now.
Review by Amelia Vandergast

iluvmali, Philly? & Michael Liriano get luxe in their collab, Saks Fifth

Posted on 10 June 2022

Let your speakers feel the heat in the sun-soaked summer hip hop single from the collaboration between the rap luminaries iluvmali, Philly? & Michael Liriano.

Saks Fifth melds pockets of deep reggae groove with indie vibes and, for instant arrestive appeal, the snaking sonics of Eastern rhythms. The shimmering instrumentals almost pour as much dopamine into the mix as the optimism breathing rap bars, which deliver hook-y lines on a very 2022 brand of luxe romance.

If iluvmali, Philly? & Michael Liriano stay on the underground after this infectious hit; there is something decidedly wrong with the industry. The sheer satisfaction from the first hit of Saks Fith is beyond words.

Saks Fifth is now available to stream on all platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Zoplo has made his hooky alt-hip hop debut with Gimme Ur Love

Posted on 8 February 2022

For his hooky alt-hip hop debut, Gimmie Ur Love, the instantly trailblazing Toronto-hailing artist, Zoplo, teamed up with P.A.X.O. and Ryder Ross. The bitey yet sardonically sweet track doesn’t hang around before it starts to work its charm with the choppy piano keys and enigmatic rap bars that break into harmonic pop vocals in the chorus. Gimmie Ur Love finds the perfect balance of relatable content and playful expression, making sure the track hits hard without sending you completely under.

Gimmie Ur Love unfolds as the best possible introduction to the 25-year-old blind and queer hip hop artist and activist that seeks to diversify the current discourse with his narrative of navigating disability, intergenerational trauma and institutionalization. So far, his career highlights include opening for Tech N9ne, Yung Lean and Riff Raff. Based on the infectious gravity in Gimme Ur Love, it’s only a matter of time before he’s headlining the major stages. Watch this space.

Gimme Ur Love is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

FrayGo brings the ‘LOVE’ in his latest single, featuring JST. PRAH

Posted on 25 January 2022

Jamaica-born, Maryland, US-based artist FrayGo (Kerzan McKenzie) is known for pushing the envelope with his impassioned sound and boundless experimentalism. His latest single, LOVE, proves just how all-in he is when it comes to both expression and affection.

He didn’t leave his hometown roots far behind in the RnB-laced track that delivers smooth harmonies in arresting cadence and full-bodied instrumentals that leave plenty of room for ample soul in their progressions.

It’s tracks like LOVE that serve as the perfect reminder that finding passion is only the start of what is often a cat and mouse game where we’re contending with our desires and insecurities as neither of them is afraid to pull punches. You’d be seriously hard-pressed to find an artist delivering such nuance in their lyrics as FrayGo. He goes beyond the superficial to pay ode to a love that you can actually believe exists. Through the power of his humility and candour; we actually have an RnB-inspired track that encompasses true love where no one is perfect and no one is toxic. Instead, devils and angels wear the same faces under cupid’s bow and FrayGo’s witty wordplay.

LOVE is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lyrical hip hop luminary, Griegz, battles demons in his latest single, My Own Enemy, featuring Aria and Nyukyung.

Posted on 31 August 2021

While plenty of artists rushed to drop their lockdown-inspired tracks in 2020, the lyrical hip hop luminary, Griegz, meditated on the causality between isolation and anxiety to create a cutting track that sympathetically validates any lingering feelings of fear and frustration.

If you needed any affirmation that you weren’t alone in the world as you questioned your sanity, you will find it in My Own Enemy featuring Aria & Nyukyung. The concepts explored in My Own Enemy couldn’t be darker, but optimism still shines through this contemporary indie hip hop release that will be a hit with any fans of Tyler, the Creator, Post Malone, Mac Miller and J Cole.

My Own Enemy is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ZH Livid – Why Did You Leave featuring Kaylee Hailey.

Posted on 6 May 2021
ZH Livid

For his latest single, ‘Why Did You Leave’, up and coming hip hop artist ZH Livid collaborated with RnB Pop vocalist Kaylee Hailey to weave a narratively immersive love story. The collaborative chemistry breathes between them as intensely as it does in any of Eminem & Rihanna’s tracks.

With his sights set on gracing the billboard charts, it is easy to see the Oklahoma-born-and-raised artist’s vision coming into fruition. When you consider his catchy yet poignant lyrics, contemporary yet familiar trap beats and the sheer amount of passion he pours into each vocal note, ZH Livid is a triple threat. Why Did You Leave unravels as the ultimate poetic earworm by illustrating the art-inspiring beauty within romantic regret.

Why Did You Leave is now available to stream and purchase via apple music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast