Browsing Tag

Indie Hip Hop

17thekid became the fieriest flow queen on the underground hip-hop scene with her latest single, Roll Call

Posted on 12 December 2023

Roll Call, the latest boom-bap hip-hop track from 17theKid, is a fresh nostalgic throwback to the 90s, infused with the artist’s fiery and larger-than-life energy.

The multi-talented indie artist brings her unique blend of skills as a rapper, drummer, singer-songwriter, producer, audio engineer, and dancer to the addictively electric track that is a testament to 17theKid’s intellectual prowess and sharp wit, as she weaves intricate lyrics that showcase her academic background and deep understanding of the genre. Her flow is impeccable, effortlessly transitioning between rhythms and rhymes, proving why she’s quickly becoming known for her conviction and creativity in the hip-hop community.

The beats are masterfully crafted, offering a rich and layered backdrop that complements 17theKid’s dynamic vocals. The track’s production, despite being self-recorded in a modest home studio, doesn’t lose any of its polished edge, highlighting 17theKid’s growing skills as an audio engineer.

Her ability to meld different aspects of her artistic personality into a cohesive and compelling narrative is a testament to her versatility and dedication to her craft. In Roll Call, she not only pays homage to the boom-bap style but also puts her unique stamp on it, making the track both a nostalgic journey and a bold statement of her place in the modern hip-hop landscape.

Roll Call hit the airwaves on November 25; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Canadian rapper K-Mic is keeping on the grind in his hustler hip hop track, Money Money

Posted on 30 September 2023

With the intricate and intimate indie guitars melodiously meeting the smooth backbeat, the perfect platform was constructed for the Canadian rapper K-Mic’s rap bars in his latest hustler hip-hop track, Money Money.

Old school attitude meets modern production styles in the convictive hit that stands as a testament to how money is far more than currency; it is status, your ticket to freedom, an indicator of your worth, and an ever-pervasive thought that wraps around the psyche. All of this was nuancedly relayed in the track that will add fire to your vibe-out playlists.

K-Mic, has been honing his writing talent since the age of eight and has been on the rap scene since fifteen; in addition to reigning supreme on the airwaves, he’s gone down a storm in the live circuit with several high-profile gigs under his belt, including being one of the opening acts on the Baptized in Fire Tour in 2018.

Check out the official lyric video for Money Money on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ADZii BOii put Scotland on the alt-hip-hop map with ‘Pleasure Beach’

Posted on 7 July 2023
ADZii BOii

ADZii BOii put Scotland on the alt-hip-hop map with his latest single, Pleasure Beach, which sun-soaked the airwaves on July 7th.

After getting airplay from BBC Radio Scotland with the title single to his debut album, Colours, he’s in equally as colourful form on Pleasure Beach, which mixes up the archetypal urban instrumentals by including saturated in delay guitars, the radiant hues of organs and sleek piano keys.

With more charisma and tongue-in-cheek charm than Limmy in his salaciously rhythmic rap bars, ADZii BOii is apologetic in his lothario-like lyricality, and Pleasure Beach is all the more electrifying for it. If you want to head to Portobello Beach without heading to Edinburgh, hit play and let the wavy melodies soak you in.

Stream Pleasure Beach on Spotify and follow ADZii BOii on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Take yourself to a higher plateau with Flvmo’s lo-fi indie hip-hop single, 33, ft. BYND & Keem Kooley

Posted on 5 July 2023

After cutting his teeth in the industry for almost a decade, Flvmo’s standout single, 33, couldn’t be more honed. Created in collaboration with BYND and Keem Kooley, the versatile hit leaves you questioning where it will take you next with every progression. While the stylistic aural curveballs keep you on your toes, your rhythmic pulses will find it all too easy to get into the grooves.

Fusing lo-fi indie vibes, melodically mellow hip-hop energy and RnB pop harmonies created an immersively irreplicable sonic palette, which will leave you on cloud nine from the first spin.

If you are anything like me and you’re sick of only finding ego-driven extroverts on the airwaves and you want to bed down with some soul from an introvert exposing his vulnerability in an intimately relatable way, prepare for a fistful of resonance.

Stream 33 on Spotify now. If you get a taste for Flvmo’s distinctively addictive flavour from 33, dig into his debut LP, Mind in a Mason Jar.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Pinwheel Valley & Garrison Cade Created a Meditation in Ambient Old School Hip Hop with R.E.M. State

Posted on 30 May 2023

For his latest release, the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, Pinwheel Valley, added an old-school hip-hop top-line to the beat of the standout instrumental single, R.E.M. State, which featured on his 2023 EP, What If I.

Collaborating with the rapper Garrison Cade, who has proven to be at the top of his game in his alt/indie band, Sam the Astronaut, which has taken Canada’s West Coast by storm, the two collaborators answered the question, what does it sound like when two powerhouses collide?

While we loved the artful ambience of the instrumental iteration for the temperate atmosphere that oscillated through our speakers, the hip-hop revival of the single reached the serendipitous pinnacle of visionary synergy.

With the verses flowing with the same transcendent philosophy as the intricate progressions, the reworking of R.E.M. State unravels as a meditation in authentically old-school ambient old-school hip-hop. Pinwheel Valley & Cade couldn’t be derivative if they tried with their shared tenacity for versing and arranging melodies straight from the soul.

“R.E.M. State is the ‘Kaytranada – Bus Ride’ inspired track that started out as an instrumental on the ‘What If I’ EP released last February. A few ppl were asking for an old-school Hip-Hop top-line to the beat, and I thought Garrison Cade would make the perfect fit. Garrison is a talented rapper who also fronts ‘Sam the Astronaut’, a popular Canadian West Coast, Alternative/Indie band. I believe Garrison has the right pre-reqs for someone I could tour or perform a couple shows with at some point.”

Stream R.E.M State featuring Garrison Cade, which hit the airwaves on May 31st, via Spotify.

Follow Pinwheel Valley on Facebook, and Instagram


Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mikey Vee invites you inside the mind of ‘The Artist’ with his visionary rap track.

Posted on 25 May 2023

If you have ever wondered what it is like inside the mind of an artist, the latest single, The Artist, from the hip-hop luminary, Mikey Vee, will fill you in on the struggle behind the success.

By touching on complicated relationships with perfectionism, the flow states that allow hours to slip by like seconds, and the essentiality of egos, it is safe to say that Mikey Vee hit all the right notes and painted with all the right strokes in his uninhibitedly candid rap track, which pulls in melodic guitars to amplify the rhythm of the 808s.

With a touch of playful zeal to his rap bars, it is all too easy to get on the hook of The Artist. Forgetting about the urban earworm is another thing entirely.

The official music video for The Artist premiered on May 12; catch it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: London rap artist LKS’ lyricality exposed the tumultuous nature of expression in ‘Say My Peace’

Posted on 11 March 2023

South London-based rap artist, LKS, penned one of the sincerest windows into the artistic process with his latest single, Say My Peace, which officially dropped on February 22nd.

The arrestingly deep introspection pulls you into the intimately expressive core of the melodic indie hip-hop hit that explores how creativity can push you to be the best version of yourself while exposing self-sabotaging tendencies that stem from fear and insecurity.

Every artist has a different set of motivational cogs working behind their tracks; for LKS, it is the sensation of seeing an emotionally constructed concept come to visceral life. Say My Peace is a testament to his ability to resist the allure of a façade and the superficiality of fame as an artistic incentive. Hit play and listen to your perception of success distort around the mellow melodicism.

Here’s what LKS had to say about his latest single:

“I wanted to write about that weird state of mind where you feel you have no limits, but at the same time, you suppress your success and accept the fate that comes with disregarding your talent. It’s also about the inability to grasp an amazing moment tight enough to live it to the fullest.

Ultimately, you end up with nothing and have to go through the process of accepting that too, but in the end, we can’t take our material world or success into the next life; everything we have amassed will be in the hands of others or cast away in the same vein as my disregard for my talents.”

Listen to Say My Peace on Spotify or watch the official music video on YouTube.

To keep up to date with future releases, follow LKS on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Indie hip-hop icon-in-the-making Ramey laid down more introspective gold in his melodic hit, Regrets

Posted on 14 January 2023

‘Regrets’ is the latest indie hip-hop earworm from Birmingham, Alabama-hailing singer-songwriter and producer Ramey, which has all the fixtures of a new wave country hip-hop playlist staple.

The melodically angular indie guitars around the slow and steady self-produced beats are a testament to Ramey’s ability to complement his dynamic rap flow with seamlessly synergistic beats for an evocatively immersive listening experience.

Using pop and contemporary hip-hop elements to light a fire under a distinctive brand of country ambience, the 26-year-old hasn’t failed to carve out a niche and thrive within it. In 2017, he blew up through his covers of Post Malone and Blackbear, amassing over half a million streams on SoundCloud in the process.

After the release of Regrets, Ramey has another clear shot at going viral. The only conceivable complaint is that the short and sweet hit that stands in defiance of sticking by actions despite consequences isn’t longer. Although, that’s all the more reason to check out the rest of his discography to tap into more mindfully witty introspective gold.

Regrets will be available to stream on Spotify & Apple Music via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jonathan Machen, aka Profit, sells sanctuary in his hip-hop pop track, Refuge

Posted on 12 January 2023

Singer, hip-hop artist and songwriter Jonathan Machen, aka Profit, is living and breathing proof that regardless of how many battle scars your trauma brandishes you with, success will always be in the sightline if you look for it.

Following his viral debut single, Daydreaming, which has amassed over 1 million streams on Spotify alone since it dropped in 2021, his sophomore single, Refuge, is a consoling reminder that everyone deserves sanctuary regardless of the hostility the world has shown you before.

The country hip-hop-meets-pop instrumentals against his compassion-soaked vocals that run through the lyrics and affirm everyone deserves another soul to fall into hits all the right evocative notes while unravelling as a hook-rife melodic earworm.

Jonathan Machen’s distinctive approach to music starts to contextualise around the understanding that his life experiences shaped his creativity more than any artist came before him. After suffering from extensive burns that covered 90% of his body, his self-confidence ebbing away at an early age through bullying and becoming a single father of three while dealing with the grief of losing his mother and everything he owned, music has always been his peace and motivation. Now at 35 years old, in a happy marriage, he is here to confirm that injustice never has to last forever.

Refuge was released on January 6th; check it out on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jelani Kendall laid his soul bare with sunny indie hip-hop playlist staple, YouSaidLoveAlone

Posted on 8 January 2023

Taken from their tranquilly sublime indie hip-hop album, Bush Tea, the single, YouSaidLoveAlone, is an evocative trip through Jelani Kendall’s creatively introspective mind. After a mellow saturated-in-delay intro, the momentum seamlessly picks up in synergy with the emotion conveyed in frustration through the track that narrates the bitter-sweet ending of a relationship. For anyone experiencing the same, it is a visceral shot of vindication as Kendall pulls new meaning out of common adages.

With Afro Beat textures adding temperate accordance around the US Virgin Islands-hailing artist’s bars and beats, the downtempo standout single instrumentally drips with meditative soul while Kendall lays bare his emotions which run as hot as the sun-soaked timbres intricately weaved together.

YouSaidLoveAlone was released with the LP on December 31st; it is now available on Apple Music and YouTube.

Follow Jenali Kendall on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast