Browsing Tag

Hip Hop Pop

Lose yourself in the escapism of MUNBOI’s hyper pop hip-hop hit, Runaway

Posted on 25 July 2023

It has been almost a year since MUNBOI walked us down Memory Ln with his stellar slice of stoic hip-hop, but it only took his fiery flow in the first verse of his latest trap-pop-hip-hop amalgam, Runaway, to jog our memory and remind us of all the reasons he left us in awe.

By blending elements of hyper pop, chiptune, and grime-y hip-hop, the 24-year-old Bracknell, UK-hailing alternative artist, producer, and audio engineer enticed us into his sonic fantasy. For the two-and-a-half-minute duration of Runaway, you’re enveloped by the – quite literally – animated escapism of the hit. The sticky-sweet texture of the melodies contrasted against the blazingly rapid rap bars is enough to leave your senses in a tailspin, but the beats will always bring you back down to earth safely.

Since we last heard MUNBOI, he hasn’t failed to make major waves in the industry. With the help of his hardcore fans, he has sold out his hometown and London shows. Radio 1, BBC Introducing, and BBC Radio Berkshire also played their part in raising the artist up from the underground.

Runaway hit the airwaves on the 12th of July; lose yourself in it via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kuya! Gave Indie RnB Pop a Fresh Lick of Soul with ‘What I Gotta Do’

Posted on 5 May 2022

The Floridian genre fusionist and 90s & 00s nostalgia peddler, Kuya! Is fresh from the release of his third single, What I Gotta Do, which takes you back to the bliss of old school while showing you the future of indie soul-pop. The unapologetically loved-up track would be exceptionally placed on playlists of fans of The Neptunes, Nelly and Gwen Stefani.

Through the Niles Roger-Esque guitars, Daft Punk dancey disco grooves, Kuya!’s effortlessly soulful creative charisma and the sonic curveballs with the rap verses, What I Gotta Do is an earworm that keeps on giving. It’s the fresh lick of soul that the airwaves have been crying out for. We can’t wait to eek the dopamine out of what follows.

What I Gotta Do is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

CPTime brings it ‘Home’ in his latest high-vibe poppy hip hop single.

Posted on 19 October 2021

Douglassville-hailing artist CPTime has sent ripples through the Pennsylvania hip hop scene with his dynamic flows, constantly evolving style and commitment to keeping his lyricism clean.

His latest single, Home, pays ode to the people that instantly make us feel right at home in their company – regardless of where we are or how long they’ve been lighting up our lives. The grooving pop elements in this old school-inspired hip hop track ensure that right from the intro, you ironically feel right at home in the smooth, chill, soul-infused soundscape.

Home is a major sonic shift from CPTime’s popular Halloween track, Let Us Out, which saw his lyricism go conceptually dark as he channelled Freddy, Jason and Chucky to offer nefarious high vibes. There’s no anticipating where CPTime will take his sound next with his tendency to bounce between party hip hop, inspirational tracks and holiday tracks; high-quality remains the only constant.

Since 2012, he has released over 50 tracks on official streaming services; the most popular has racked up over 350,000 streams on YouTube alone.

Home is now available to stream on Spotify.

Follow CPTime on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Michelle Nyce’s high vibes go interstellar in her indie urban pop hit ‘Eh Baby’.

Posted on 19 October 2021

Since a young age, the spotlight has fallen onto the multifaceted talent of the Toronto-based rapper, dancer and singer Michelle Nyce. For her latest indie urban pop earworm, she collaborated with StraightOuttaThe6ix to create a high vibe drunk on love single and music video that successfully epitomises the intoxicating feeling of getting hooked on someone’s vibe.

The sun-kissed radio-ready single, Eh Baby, is a stunning extension of the sentiments offered in Crazy in Love. Even though she has the style and gravitas of a multi-platinum-selling artist, she hasn’t lost her instantly infatuating girl next door vibe that we can’t wait to hear plenty more of.

Stream and download Eh Baby via apple music. Watch the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

TT(TopTier) – SO HIGH: The euphoric pop hip hop antidote for a sick divided society

Posted on 13 February 2021

‘SO HIGH’ is the latest release from pop hip hop duo, TT(TopTier), which resonates as the antidote to a socially sick society. Yeah, protest tracks have their place, but SO HIGH shows you the value in showing people how it’s done instead of screaming at people about why they’re wrong.

After their 2020 single, ‘ENOUGH’ amassed over 500k streams on Spotify alone, it doesn’t seem like there any heights which TT(TopTier) will be unable to reach with their sticky-sweet high-vibe sound which replaces some of the love that’s been lost thanks to divisive social-political fallout.

SO HIGH is the personification of a soul-dripping earworm. So, it comes as no surprise that TT(TopTier) can garner so much hype with their contemporary sound which blazes with infectiously electric melodies.

You can check out SO HIGH for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jaxn Faw wants us all to get ‘Next To Me’ with this perfect slice of RnB-tinged indie pop

Posted on 23 December 2020

Clocking up almost a quarter of a million streams and landing on some of Spotify’s biggest playlists in your first year producing your own music is the sort of impact new artists dream of when starting out, but South Australia’s Jaxn Faw has pretty much taken those numbers and run with them. With his first independently written and produced single, ‘Block Your Number’, being name-checked on New Music Friday across Australia and New Zealand, he’s now back with new track ‘Next To Me’.

A delicious slice of slightly chilled out indie-pop, ‘Next To Me’ is a catchy little love story set to a mildly electronic backbeat and nicely bouncy synth chords, all backing Jaxn Faw’s classy upfront vocal delivery, part pop, part hip-hop flow. It’s got some R&B soul in there, alongside the catchy pop sensibilities and charming little end chorus, a touch of old school Boyz II Men or Keith Sweat sitting comfortably alongside the more obvious Ed Sheeran, James Arthur, or Lewis Capaldi references. Put simply, ‘Next To Me’ is a great little radio-friendly indie-pop song, and on the basis of this Jaxn Faw is destined to go on to greater and greater things in 2021.

Listen to ‘Next To Me’ on Spotify; check out Jaxn Faw on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

 

Bennett – Secrets (How You Want It) Feat. Dribbz

Posted on 5 November 2020

Raised in New York City, Bennett (formally E. Bennett)’s passion for music started at the age of two, before starting out in his music career in 2012 when he was signed to LookALikesUSA as a Justin Bieber impersonator. Moving on to writing and performing his own tracks, Bennett has gone on to work with artists like Bizarre from D12 and Conan, and producers like Eldar-Q and Legion Beats, and now onto his third solo album, “Secrets (How You Want It)” is his latest single, featuring UK rapper Dribbz on verse vocals.

Familiarly old-school pop-based hip hop, “Secrets (How You Want It)” takes in Bennett’s diverse influences – Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey through to Chris Brown, The Weeknd, and Drake – turning out a fresh, hooky beats-based tune that should grace radio through this autumn.

Hear “Secrets (How You Want It)” on Spotify, and follow Bennett on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

ZuZhu& brings his razor-sharp lyrical wit to their latest single “Cheating”

Posted on 25 September 2020

There’s not much that can make you feel better once you’ve been cheated on, yet ZuZhu&’s latest Pop Trap track “Cheating” which manages to put a humorous spin on the act of romantic indiscretion is sure to shed a little light on the soul destroying experience. Who said that Emo Rap was depressing?

ZuZhu&’s razor-sharp lyrical wit tears through the audacity of deception while the high-vibe Trap beats chip away at your romantic cynicism as they progress through the melodically arrestive progressions. It is an absolute earworm. Hit play and embrace the redemptive vibes.

You can check out Cheating for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

KARMAA gives Ru Paul a run for their money with the queer Alt Pop anthem “Werkk”

Posted on 26 August 2020

KARMAA has dropped plenty of fresh danceable feats of Alt-Pop, but the best introduction to their magnetically fierce sound is their single Werkk. It gives Ru Paul’s empoweringly queer hits a run for their money.

Boomers and bigots may not appreciate the high vibe, but anyone whose mind isn’t closing in on itself will appreciate the aural call for confidence and unity amongst the queer community.

With elements of Hip Hop weaved into the Pop mix, there’s plenty of conviction behind the lyrics and you’ll get just as much energy from the trancey EDM beats.

You can check out KARMAA’s single Werkk for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lo-Ke gives us a taste of “That Good Life” with his latest single ft Shadow Kyd

Posted on 26 August 2020

“That Good Life” is the latest single to drop from breaking Hip Hop artist Lo-Ke. No, it’s not another Rapper ostentatiously versing about excess and Hennessey. It’s potentially the most inspiring perception-shifting Hip Hop track we’ve heard this year.

The wisdom-soaked wordplay in That Good Life ft Shadow Kyd is in tune with the contemporary collective consensus. We’ve all had an opportunity to rethink what constitutes as a good life, if you haven’t seen the light and stopped desperately wanting to amass wealth, shiny things and your own hareem, Lo-Ke may just turn that light on for you with That Good Life.

The melodic Indie Hip Hop Pop track is sure to go down well with fans of Post Malone and Yelawolf, or anyone who appreciates organic good vibes and lyrical enlightenment.

You can check out That Good Life for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast