Browsing Tag

Hip-Hop

B-Guy Griffin earned a place in Idaho’s hip-hop Hall of Fame with his seminal release, Rick Ross

Posted on 1 April 2024

Serendipitous enough that it may as well have been foretold, B-Guy Griffin’s third LP, Long Time Comin, is a cunningly cultivated collection of tracks, featuring a solid line-up of featuring artists.

The standout single, Rick Ross, embodies the titular artist’s larger-than-life persona over the mic as the lyrics cascade in a fiery cadence that will leave you psyched on the potential of B-Guy Griffin and his collaborators on this track, Tnyg & Twigg.

Rather than reinventing the wheel, the playful polyphonic melodies and solid boom-bap backbeat in this seminal track keep it old school in the contemporarily slick production as B-Guy Griffin waxes lyrical and gives the airwaves a taste of how his cheeky wit translates through his wordplay, which has easily earnt him a place in Idaho’s hip-hop hall of fame.

Long Time Comin was officially released on March 22; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Slip into the dark hip-hop abyss with my•escy’s latest harbingering hit, Fallen Fruit

Posted on 30 March 2024

my•escy’s latest single, ‘Fallen Fruit‘ is a gateway into the nefarious underbelly of dark alt-hip-hop. The track stands as a formidable force in the genre, showcasing a blend of jarring reverberation, aural annihilation, and lyrical aggression that captivates and cuts deep.

The sonics of ‘Fallen Fruit’ are akin to synthesised war horns resonating over a trap beat, creating an atmosphere that is both oppressive and exhilarating. It’s a soundscape that plunges listeners into a nightmarish landscape, yet there’s an undeniable allure in its darkness. The vocal hooks in the track are a masterstroke, evoking a sense of what might have been if Andre 5000 had ventured into the darker realms of hip-hop alongside Saul Williams.

Despite its artfully intentional disquietness, ‘Fallen Fruit’ is undeniably infectious. The hard-hitting, visceral melodies linger long after the outro, haunting the listener with their intensity. ‘Fallen Fruit’ is a testament to the power of dark alt-hip-hop’s ability to convey complex emotions and create a sonic experience that is both unsettling and utterly compelling.

Stream the single on SoundCloud and Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Whoisturso put resilience into rhyme in his viral-worthy hip-hop single, VENT III

Posted on 27 March 2024

Forget mic drop verses, in his standout hit, VENT III, the lyrical hip-hop luminary Whoisturso drops lines that will make your soul sink. After a stylistically atmospheric and contemporary hip-hop intro which lulls you into a contemplative state, the up-and-coming rapper who has moved from the streets into the studio wastes no time delivering lyrical blows that will stick with you for long after the outro.

“I’ve been fighting all my life, you expect rejection to phase me girl?” speaks volumes about the resilience of the human spirit, and our profound capacity to overcome trauma and open ourselves up to vulnerability. From there on out, every line hits hard enough that you’ll be left in awe of his ability to turn confessionalism into achingly affecting wordplay.

Regardless of your life path, as VENT III runs through, you’ll find fragments of yourself within it as you lose yourself in the scintillating production that allows the instrumentals to complement the intimacy in the candour.

If authenticity and lyrical gold got artists to the top of the charts, few artists would sit above Whoisturso. He’s got everything it takes to make it into the mainstream, it’s only a matter of time before he moves from being criminally underrated to being choked in hype. After hearing the themes of determination in VENT III, we know he’s not going to stop until he’s reached the top.

Stream and purchase VENT III on Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kelvo’s Laidback Cuts Got Sharper with His Latest Alt-Hip-Hop Release, Got2Change

Posted on 27 March 2024

North London’s Kelvo is riding an exotically mellow new wave of hip-hop while harking back to 70s soul & funk and 90s hip-hop with his latest single, Got2Change, which showcases his ability to weave introspective lyrics with vibrant beats and transcendent swathes of soul.

From the outset, ‘Got2Change’ sinks you into a tropical-infused groove; the soundscape lays the perfect foundation for Kelvo’s smooth rap bars, which glide effortlessly over the beat. His flow is as smooth as velvet, creating a striking contrast with the colourful vibrancy of the instrumental arrangement.

Instrumentally, Got2Change is a holiday from the gritty streets of London, but the big smoke is infused in the razor-sharp flow of Kelvo as he delves into themes of self-growth and introspection, challenging listeners to awaken from the slumber of unrealised potential. In essence, Got2Change is a call to action, an invitation to strip away tension and embrace a more reflective state of mind.

Got2Change will hit all major platforms on March 27th, stream it via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Baby T echoed the soul of the ‘MISUNDERSTOOD’ in his hauntingly hard-hitting hip-hop hit.

Posted on 25 March 2024

After a four-year break from the airwaves, the Emmy award-winning hip-hop artist, producer and emissary of innovation, Baby T is back, and his sound isn’t just bigger than ever; MISUNDERSTOOD stirs emotions from the depth of the soul to evoke a viscerally profound response.

Waxing lyrical around the nostalgically arcane air and cinematic flair of the 1960s classic, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, may have been a sure-fire way of Baby T playing havoc with heartstrings, but his fiery original verses – modernised for maximum resonance – and the percussive passion which brings bass-drenched depth allowed MISUNDERSTOOD to hit hard enough that you’ll feel the emotional bruises.

As we exist as ideas in the minds of everyone we meet, there’s plenty of our identity that can be lost in translation when we’re poured through everyone’s perception filters, but even the knowledge of this irrefutable fact isn’t enough to take away the sting of feeling unseen, disrespected or underestimated. Baby T’s candid introspection, laid out through instantly ensnaring vocal hooks, is all the consolation and motivation you’ll need to stay on your authentic path.

MISUNDERSTOOD is a flawless testament to his prestige. Haunting and hard-hitting in equal measure, it’s a serious contender for our favourite hip-hop track of the year.

Stream MISUNDERSTOOD on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

KAotik waxed lyrical on the tragedy of wasted potential in his old-school hip-hop track, Fascinate

Posted on 23 March 2024

KAotik (AKA Bruce Reign) kept old-school hip-hop fresh with his latest track, Fascinate, which strips the instrumentals right back to their fundamentals, allowing his killer canter to take the spotlight in the mid-tempo release.

Following a mellow, almost transcendentally toned intro, the spoken-word verses wax lyrical on everything from the tragedy of wasted potential to accepting fate without consigning yourself to it. By finding plenty of room to assert wordplay, clever cultural references and his ethos on putting lyrics to the forefront of his productions, the Washington-born, Laurel MD-residing artist of Nigerian descent used Fascinate to not only do what the single says on the titular tin, but to inspire, and he hit a home run in doing so.

If KRS One, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and Black Thought feature heavily on your playlists, make room for this profound hit.

Stream Fascinate on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

JMP tore through the façade of fallacy with their latest rap track, Don’t Lie, featuring Zinc and Sofia Kafas

Posted on 23 March 2024
https://spotify.link/QgiVqnqW0Hb

JMP’s latest feat of genre-fluid alchemy, “Don’t Lie,” featuring Zinc and Sofia Kafas, seamlessly fuses trap beats into a melodiously mellow atmosphere. As the lush reverb ebbs and flows, it envelops the listener in a rhythmic embrace, guided by the unique chemistry each vocalist brings to the track.

Sofia Kafas’s soulful voice adds a layer of depth and emotion, contrasting with the grit of the grime-y bars. Their harmonies paint a vivid picture of the narrative at the heart of the song – the detriments of deception. What truly sets “Don’t Lie” apart is its cultural richness; the bilingual verses shatter the monocultural mould, adding an exotic twist to the RnB lyrical rhythms.

Don’t Lie was unveiled as one of JMP’s most dynamic releases to date. The trio of contributors, each with their distinct style, unite under the theme of sincerity and truth. The result is a compelling track that resonates on multiple levels and is a reminder of rap’s capacity for storytelling and emotional depth, making it a standout release in JMP’s repertoire.

Don’t Lie was officially released on February 26th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

AR Jiggy followed a vibe into unchartered new wave hip-hop waters with ‘4U’

Posted on 21 March 2024

No one rides the new wave of hip-hop smoother than AR Jiggy, as exhibited through the hypersonically hot standout single, 4U, from his new LP, Ratchet Melodic 2, which strangely enough, delivers everything it says on the tin. The scintillating synths mimic the twilight as they glisten in the melodiously wavy production that will instantly get you in the genre-fluid groove of the synthesis of hip-hop, pop, and RnB.

Instead of ticking all the right hip-hop boxes with this seminal release and pandering to antiquated parameters, the East London rapper and singer followed a vibe into unchartered waters and ensured any urban innovation seekers would want to take the plunge time after time. From the precision in his sharp lyrically rhythmic hooks to the instrumental odyssey AR Jiggy puts before you in his tracks, there’s no refuting that he has exactly what it takes to hold dominion over the hip-hop domain in London and beyond.

Ratchet Melodic 2 was officially released on February 15th; stream it in full on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get your body beat with Stuee Singh’s bhangra hip-hop hit, Spiritual Sharabi

Posted on 19 March 2024

Dive into the vibrant world of Stuee Singh with “Spiritual Sharabi,” a track that effortlessly marries the rhythmic allure of Bhangra with the edgy essence of hip-hop. Singh, a multifaceted North Indian rapper, brings an eclectic mix of languages and cultural influences to his music, rapping in English, Punjabi, Hindi, Danish, and Thai. This linguistic dexterity, combined with his global upbringing in Bangkok and Copenhagen, sets the stage for a truly international hip-hop experience.

The single’s momentum is driven by Bhangra beats that compel the body to move, while Singh’s rap flows assert his distinct flair and his vibrant persona, which is deeply rooted in bringing light and mindfulness to his audience. Nevertheless, he doesn’t shy away from the grit and raw power expected from a hip-hop hit.

Singh’s journey from a successful global corporate career to embracing his true passion for music is as compelling as his lyrics. His full name, Harcharan Singh Thakral, meaning ‘With God’s Blessing’, reflects his spiritual inspiration drawn from Sikh scripture and hip-hop legends. In “Spiritual Sharabi,” he combines this spiritual depth with his sharp wit and wordplay, leaving listeners in awe of his cultivated approach to hip-hop.

Representing the modern Sikh and introducing the world to a contemporary interpretation of his culture, Singh aims to revolutionise mainstream hip-hop. “Spiritual Sharabi” is a clear indication that Stuee Singh is a visionary artist, reshaping the hip-hop landscape with every beat and verse.

Spiritual Sharabi is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast