Browsing Tag

Hip Hop Debut

Groove and soul intertwined in Ceesa’s hip-hop debut, Special

Posted on 28 March 2024

Ceesa, an emerging talent from Tifton, Georgia, made an unmissable entry into the hip-hop arena with his single ‘Special’, a track that resonates with the rhythm and soul of hip-hop and showcases his unique flair and potential.

‘Special’ opens with an intro that blurs the lines between genres, featuring female backing vocals that are as powerful as they are emotive, layered over gentle melodies reminiscent of progressive house. This fusion sets the stage for what is a genre-bending experience. Ceesa then takes the reins, proving himself as Georgia’s new flow king. His verses are crafted with a finesse that allows the emotions to resonate deeply, making listeners feel the love in this song as if it were their own.

The seamless blend of trap beats with Latin RnB guitars creates a soundscape that captures the irreplicable bliss of being seen as though the other 8.1 billion people in the world fade away. Ceesa’s debut, infused with personal emotion and stylistic innovation, is a testament to his talent and a hint at his promising future in the music industry. For fans of Yvng.Wolfe, KingTrey, and Ivory Scott, ‘Special’ is a must-listen.

Special hit the airwaves on March 12th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

3G Internet – KRASH: An Anti-Pop Alt-Hip-Hop Debut to Lose Your Head To

Posted on 7 February 2024

3G Internet, the Experimental Hip Hop/Anti-Pop duo from Northeast Ohio, literally crashed into the music scene with ‘KRASH’, a track from their debut EP that defies convention with maximum conviction.

KRASH is a 7-minute audacious trip that rips up the rules and scatters the ashes of mundanity through the harsh tonal hues that pay an ode to the legacy of Death Grips and JPEGMAFIA. It’s a chaotic blend of gritty, glitchy electronic distortions and 8-bit landscapes, that makes no apology for launching an assault on the senses.

It’s a whirlwind of ideas, each vying for attention, yet somehow harmoniously coexisting. The duo’s disregard for industry norms is evident in every beat, every synth, and every lyric. In short, KRASH is a  ballad of the bizarre.

The duo’s approach to music is refreshingly honest. They pursue every idea, no matter how outlandish, and the result is a track that’s as authentic as it is avant-garde. In a world where music often feels manufactured and soulless, KRASH is a breath of caustically fresh air.

The debut EP is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The debut single, Defective by Design, from r.a.g.s. is a wavey lo-fi outcry of poetic raw emotion.

Posted on 10 September 2023

With a sound that will draw in fans of Kae the Tempest and George the Poet like a moth to a flame, the visceral with uninhibited candour single, Defective by Design, from r.a.g.s. and tee fisher is a gravitational force in and of its hip-hop self.

Experimentalism was in no short order in the chilled wavey lo-fi outcry of poetic raw emotion. While the title gives a few clues as to what the lyrics allude to, there’s no preparing for the intellect in the wordplay, which finds profound new ways to illustrate the frustration of feeling as though you were always fated to live a life bookended with mental cognitions that will always lead you down the wrong path of perception and action.

r.a.g.s. started his musical journey by learning Indian classical keyboard at age five; he took his immersion in the music world a step further by enrolling at Leeds Conservatoire studying jazz and learning how to produce his own music. His debut single effortlessly distinguished him as an artist who will never leave authenticity by the wayside. Naturally, we can’t wait to what lingers in his obscure pipeline.

Defective by Design hit the airwaves on August 28; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chicago hip-hop duo, It’s a Cool Day, extrapolated ‘The Butterfly Effect’ in their debut

Posted on 27 June 2023

The Chicago duo, It’s a Cool Day put the trip in trip-hop by unveiling their elevated debut single, The Butterfly Effect, which fuses lush RnB melodies and harmonies with smooth rap verses and a pseudo-trap beat that becomes the centre of sonic gravity in the wavy, gravitas-packed single.

Craig Lowe and Derion Scroggins ripped up the urban rulebook and scattered the confetti through the vibe-steady hit, which spills a smorgasbord of soul as it mellowly progresses around the poetically ardent wordplay. Cathartic and convictive in its sense of passion, The Butterfly Effect is all the evidence you need that romance isn’t dead and that It’s a Cool Day has exactly what it takes to reign supreme in the Chicago scene and beyond.

The Butterfly Effect is now available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Meoni Samir has made his debut with the party rock hip-hop anthem, Party Time

Posted on 3 January 2023

If talent is in short supply in underground hip-hop, presume the Baltimore trailblazer, Meoni Samir, stole it all to create his debut body-rocking hip-hop anthem, Party Time.

East Side or West Side, you will want to move over to Samir’s side after this flawlessly fresh that sets the bar for other up-and-coming artists. The independent, for the time being, rapper pierced pop hooks into the vibrant hit that sets the mood for hedonistic pleasure around the old-school jazzy samples and nuances of RnB.

The polished-to-perfection beats create a solid platform for Samir’s Playboy persona and dynamic bars that consistently switch up in tone and tempo to create a fully rounded release that gets better with every repeat listen. It has all the makings for a staple; after the first hit, you’ll be hooked.

Party Time is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Miami hip hop trailblazer, Willie T The Hit Maker, shook up the scene with the dynamic flows in his single, Laugh Now Cry Later ft. Sauce

Posted on 1 January 2023

For his debut single, Laugh Now Cry Later, the Floridian hip hop trailblazer Willie T The Hit Maker collaborated with Sauce to deliver one of the most energetically dynamic rap drops of the year.

The consistently progressive track has already racked up over 27,000 streams on SoundCloud alone. Which comes as no surprise given the strength of the hooks that pull you right into the centre of the blazing track that keeps the vibe high, despite the dark lyrical themes.

Refusing to confine himself to one genre, Willie T pulled his weight bringing in the new wave of hip hop by melding elements of East Coast hip hop and Afrobeat around his lyrics that transpire from his life experiences that would make a monster out of most men.

After being born into the Floridian capital of gang violence, Dade County, Willie T was exposed to violence from the streets and suffered the brunt of domestic violence that had been passed down for generations. Determined to break the cycle, he turned to music to expose the life that beats down many on the daily and prove that there’s always a way out if you refuse to replicate the violence and injustice. We can’t wait to hear the vindication that follows.

Laugh Now Cry Later was officially released on December 2nd. Check it out via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alt Electro Hip Hop Heavy Weight, Sol Nocte Has Made His Entrance with ‘Hallucinating;, featuring xS!r N3llyx

Posted on 28 September 2022

Breaking new wave hip hop artist Sol Nocte sent ingenuity rippling through the music industry with the drop of his debut single, Hallucinating, featuring xS!r N3llyx.

The trippy, 8-bit discord-dripping electro beats almost veer into industrial electronica, but they are pulled back into the realms of hip hop with the groove of the melodies that work your way into your synapses under the layered dual vocals, which throw reminiscence to everyone from Labrinth to Tech N9ne.

Hallucinating is a stellar track in its own right. Even more so when you consider that it was born on an iPhone as a result of Sol Nocte’s passion that ensured the track was staunch with visceralism.

Hallucinating is now available to purchase on Apple Music and available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Floridian rapper CHDDR kept us in ‘Check’ with his debut

Posted on 1 August 2022
https://soundcloud.com/theycallmecheddar/check

Floridian hip-hop artist, CHDDR, has dropped one of the hottest rap debuts of the year with his single, Check, produced by Hvstle. The mellow, colourful indie instrumentals flirt with cultures of far-flung lands; atop the woody organic flutes and the rhythmic grooves of the 808s, CHDDR takes the opportunity to establish himself as a unique voice in the genre, with the ability to verse beyond tropes and cliches.

Every line serves to testify to his playful persona that amplifies the sticky-sweet appeal of the short yet unforgettable debut, which has already racked up over 20k streams on SoundCloud alone. Undoubtedly, he is one to watch.

Check is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: THISMINORITY welcomes us to the spiritual new age of hip hop with ‘MEDI’.

Posted on 5 July 2022

For his debut single, THISMINORITY brought hip hop into the realm of spiritual new age mindfulness to smash through the stereotypes and establish himself as a unique voice with an equally as distinctively cutting production style.

Self-awareness is a journey, but on the basis of MEDI, the New Orleans-born, Brooklyn-based rapper and lyricist is already leagues ahead of most with his recognition of the importance of the narratives we spin to ourselves.

His melodic stormer allows you to think just as fiercely as it compels you to feel as the atmospherically old school track runs through its cinematic progressions. While the 808s steadily rattle, the monochromatic vignette that THISMINORITY etched to portray the darkness he pulled himself from keeps you hooked into the classy yet juxtaposing gritty synthetics.

Here is what THISMINORITY had to say about his debut:

“Medi is a reflection on my newfound passion for mass connection and how entertainment, fame, etc come with it. Exploring the concept triggered the epiphany that the things that we need to feel good can destroy us in excess.

Satisfaction, confidence, and love can ultimately lead to greed, ego, and lust. How do I balance? I meditate…”

MEDI is now available to stream on Spotify & SoundCloud.

Follow THISMINORITY via Facebook & Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jeremiah Kingston has launched his infectiously dynamic hip hop debut EP, You’re Not Gonna Like This

Posted on 29 June 2022

Hip hop debuts keep charging onto the airwaves in 2022. Few appeared with as much style, energy, and sub-genre-melding distinction as Jeremiah Kingston’s debut EP, You’re Not Gonna Like This. From party rock hip hop to jazzy tracks, smoky enough to set off your smoke alarms through the sheer sepia-tinged luxe air; it is almost progressively dizzying.

Using reverse psychology in a debut EP title was a bold move, yet it sets a tone for the daring expression contained within. The Charlotte, NC hip hop newcomer created the EP after taking a look around at his life, hating the view and making a move to change it. No stone was left unturned.

Track 3, YNGLT, starts with the cutting lyric, “If my people found out what was going on in my head, they’d leave me in straits”, before launching into a frenetic admission of inner turmoil; that we can all probably relate to these days.

Jeremiah Kingston reminded me exactly why I fell in love with hip hop in the 90s. The larger-than-life personality, the wild energy, the eccentric instrumentals… Anything goes in Jeremiah Kingston’s debut and everything goes together seamlessly, making it one of the most promising we’ve heard this year. We hope there is plenty more in the pipeline.

You’re Not Gonna Like This is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link. Follow Jeremiah Kingston on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast