Browsing Tag

Independent Hip Hop

Brandon Blvd’s single, The Outcome, ft Mai Ty, is a melodically mindful revelation.

Posted on 2 August 2023
Son of David: A Tale of Righteousness by Brandon Blvd

Taken from his LP, Son of David: A Tale of Righteousness, the Memphis-hailing breakthrough rap artist Brandon Blvd’s seminal hit, The Outcome, featuring Mai Ty, is a melodically mindful revelation.

All too often, rap artists glamourise aggression and emotion-driven reactions in a bid to instil conviction in their hits; Brandon Blvd rose above it all to flood his single with introspective gold and soul that won’t just make you think twice; it will shift your entire perception in a positive direction.

Working with Mai Ty’s ethereally pure vocal timbre, Blvd offered direction and sonic solace in equal measure in The Outcome, which stands as a testament to his talent that is intrinsically entwined with his determination to shine lights on better ways of living and better the world while he is making his mark on the Memphis hip-hop map.

Son of David: A Tale of Righteousness was released via Problematic Nation LLC in April 2023; purchase the album on Apple Music or Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Blaccstar Honcho contributed to the future of trap with his latest single, skirt

Posted on 31 May 2023
Blaccstar Honcho

Blaccstar Honcho, AKA Thearean Johnson, made his contribution to the future of the trap genre with his seminally salacious single, skirt.

The wavy, red-hot release doesn’t allow the excessive use of autotune to filter out any of the flavour in the smooth vibed-out vocal lines; it solely serves as cohesion between the trappy beats, elements of old-school atmosphere and lyricism that finds a gritty way to write a contemporary love letter, signed and sealed with seduction. Any fans of the Weeknd will undoubtedly want to drink in the dark soul of skirt, which perfectly balances light and dark to create an evocatively well-rounded release.

Check out skirt on BandLab and follow Blaccstar Honcho via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DreadpooL resisted oppressive gravity in his upraising Old-School hip hop hit, Nothing Comes Easy

Posted on 8 April 2023

If everyone was exposed to the harsh and universal truths in DreadpooL’s single, Nothing Comes Easy, before stepping into the jaws of reality and felt how sharp the teeth are first-hand, there would be infinitely less disillusion amongst the disenfranchised youth.

The lyrically rich old-school hit is the perfect introduction to the Springfield, VA-based artist and producer, who formerly released music under the moniker Crescendo. He lay it all down on the enlivening luxe backbeats that are heightened with the jazzy trickling keys and smoky sax lines that bring filmic class to the addictive release that keeps on giving with every listen. It is the ultimate manifesto on how to keep your head high, even when everything is working against you and pulling you down. Piteous apathy won’t stand a chance agains this trailblazing hit.

Nothing Comes Easy is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ike Sanders stopped the hands of time with his fiery new rap track, Stolen Clocks

Posted on 6 April 2023

Literally and figuratively, Ike Sanders’ standout single, Stolen Clocks, from his 2023 hip-hop EP, Seven Hills, is the hottest rap hit you will hear this year; prime your summer playlists for the intoxicatingly seamless fluidity to the expression.

Enigmatic yet seductive, playful yet commanding, the rhythmically rolling rap bars against the bright and scintillating alt beats set the charisma bar unattainably high. Stolen Clocks is an urban jam orchestrated to transcend to a higher plateau with.

Even with the lyrical grit, the optimistically sweet disposition stays true to the Atlanta-based artist’s ethos of orchestrating genre-bending, passion-driven conscious rap. With his tendency to pull in international influences rather than staying true to his hometown roots, you would be hard-pressed to find a more exotically alluring hit.

Stolen Clocks dropped with the rest of the Seven Hills EP on March 24; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Raw candour and cadence collide in South London rapper LKS’ single, Say My Peace

Posted on 9 March 2023

If you thought the titular metaphor in the South London rap artist LKS’ latest single, Say My Peace, is something, wait until you feel how the introspective wisdom grips you through the fluid cadence it is delivered through

The gentle and melodic guitars spill accordance under the luminary artist’s soberingly raw bars that compel you to lean so deeply that you will feel every syllable crawl under your skin. Based on Say My Peace, no one could ever accuse LKS of not keeping it real. The candour in his admissions of creative mental friction sounds so much sweeter when you hear what a luminary he is. He’s undeniable.

The official music video for Say My Peace is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MHE is stratospherically ahead of the curve in his rap hit, On Me

Posted on 10 January 2023

Rapper MHE is so stratospherically ahead of the curve it’s barely in his eye line in his LP MHEvsMHE, which dropped toward the end of 2022. The fiery fusionist standout single, which melds old-school with the new, On Me, sets the pace for the future of trappy atmospheric rap tracks.

While the cleverly layered backing vocals galvanise, his fluidly dynamic verses pull to the front of the mix to exhibit his ability with wordplay, which is right on par with his ability to contort his bars into a rhythmically hypnotic canter.

The candidly confessional hit lays it all down on the line while keeping on the luminary artist’s on-brand cheek and swagger that hits with the perfect mix of attitude, intellect and charisma. In short, he’s a triple threat with a bright future ahead of him in the industry if he sticks to tracks in the same vein as On Me.

Check out On Me via Apple Music & YouTube.

Follow MHE on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

What Friedrich Nietzsche is to philosophy, Vontred is to hip hop with his dark and gritty single, Nihilistic Deathbed

Posted on 11 December 2022

Starting with the question, do you ever feel like you have overslept your life? Vontred’s standout single, Nihilistic Deathbed, from his 2022 album, Dark Corners of a Broken Mind, is definitively a release that will comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.

For hip hop fans who feel like their life can be defined by the voids in it, the up-and-coming artist is bound to bring a world of resonance and nihilistic solidarity. I, for one, can fully get on board with the bars that breed solidarity with every line delivered in the snappy, dominant, no holds barred track.

Stylistically, Vontred’s sonic signature in Nihilistic Deathbed isn’t worlds away from the gritty, grime-y, bass-heavy dark hip hop vibes in DMX’s more visceral tracks, but clearly, his sound is of his own making as it wraps around his lyrical themes that Friedrich Nietzsche would be proud of.

Nihilistic Deathbed is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Brooklyn beats meet southern trap grit in Superstar Freddy & Low Patcho’s alchemically dynamic collaborative single, Move

Posted on 19 November 2022

Alone, Brooklyn’s Superstar Freddy and Southern Trap artist, Low Patcho, are forces to be reckoned with. With their contrasting sounds sparking urban sonic voodoo while they pay homage to their Haitian roots in their joint LP, The Curse, they are inexplicably hot.

The standout single, The Move, carries all the motivation of an archetypal hustler hip hop anthem and none of the cliches that usually revolve around motivational tropes. The high-octane hit permits the instrumentals to conjure urban devilry about the blazingly dynamic bars that will leave you galvanized before the first verse has stormed through.

Fans of Travis Scott, Pop Smoke, and Pierre Borne won’t want to miss the colossal track that came to life in Anchour Studios in Maine.

“The Curse album is a collaboration of Superstar Freddy’s upbeat hip hop style with Low Patcho’s Southern trap music. The mixtape was inspired by our Haitian heritage. Voodoo and magic are always associated with people from Haiti.

I wrote the song Move after a trip back from my hometown, Brooklyn, NY. The song illustrates my desire for continual success and elevation. It shows you can’t fall off, no matter what. You’ve got to love what you do and flaunt it when necessary but never sell out. I love the cash sound when my phone dings and I know it’s coming in all day. If you ain’t moving toward your idea, then someone else will manifest it so get going today.”

Stream The Curse on Spotify, and follow Superstar Freddy on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook to stay up to date on his future releases that are set to mark a shift in his sonic style from this ground-breaking LP.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Numb up with Poppa King Oats’s trap hit, Painkiller

Posted on 2 November 2022

Driven by the inspiration of Jay Z and LL Cool J, the Massachusetts-born and raised trap artist Poppa King Oats started rapping at 15. By the time his latest single, Painkiller, arrived, he was primed to unveil a killer of an atmospheric rap track that encompasses the human proclivity to numb the pain.

The minimalistic yet efficaciously melodic beats create a solid platform for his rap bars that carry an old-school sense of conviction. Nothing about Painkiller feels inhibited. Not the lyrics that get to the crux of the issue. Not the energy of the rap style. And certainly not the authenticity demonstrated that will see the up-and-coming artist go far in the trap scene.

Painkiller is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Zinc XD cuts loose in his melodic experimental hip hop track, NO TIES

Posted on 23 October 2022

Northern California hip hop artist and producer Zinc XD used our innate incapacity for honesty as the muse for his stormer of a latest single, NO TIES.

NO TIES breaks boundaries with its intricately exotic instrumentals and sniping lyrical wit that puts the independent 100% DIY artist leagues above the rest. Few push the experimental envelope further than Zinc XD with his melodic electronic sequencing that effortlessly complements his vocal style, which allows you to bask in the charisma in his expression.

After playing around with drums, guitars and lyrics since the age of 6, Zinc XD waited until he was 17 to launch his debut. Many would believe that is still too early to boast a matured sound; to that, I would say just press play and drink in the colourful mellifluous flow of this new wave hit.

Stream NO TIES on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast