Browsing Tag

Indie Hip Hop

Terrell calls for compassion with ‘Wishes’

Posted on 15 November 2020

2020 has sucked for so many reasons, but the amount of perception-shifting consciousness it has brought to the airwaves almost makes up for it, such as Terrell’s debut single, ‘Wishes’, which shares a poignant depiction of the struggles which young black Americans face day in day out.

If you’ve been paying attention, you will know how systemic racism still hinders the progression made by black Americans. Wishes asks you to find some compassion for the sufferance. With Terrell’s cutting RnB vocals, you’ll find it hard to refuse.

Wishes is no archetypal Hip Hop hit. It subverts the time-old ‘rags to riches’ tropes while offering the raw intimacy which only soul-deep Indie Hip Hop tracks can offer. It’s intricate, it’s melodic, it’s just pure striking alchemy.

You can check out Terrell’s soul-baring single Wishes for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

B dot Fresh – Back to Rome: The ambiently trippy soundtrack to your wanderlust.

Posted on 1 November 2020

B dot Fresh’s latest single Back to Rome offers ambience with a kick. The Alt Indie Hip Hop artist experimentally layered the production with Jazzy, trippy, stylistic Dreampop alchemy to ensure that you’ve never heard a track quite like this before.

The breakbeats may disrupt the melodicism, but with the tranquilly-light notes breezing through the glitchy beats, there’s no denying that Back to Rome is an entrancing track.

Don’t be surprised if you’re left with wanderlust after you hit play on this mesmerizingly nuanced release. Even if you’re not heading outside, you can head to a new plateau with this smoothly lit single.

You can check out the official video to Back to Rome for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chicago emcee Blac Samurai shows ever-growing consciousness with ‘Brand New’

Posted on 30 October 2020

Chicago emcee Blac Samurai shows ever-growing consciousness with ‘Brand New‘ and this is a strong effort here in the cloudy world of 2020.

Born and raised in Chicago, Brandon Watkins decided on the name Blac Samurai. This was a name that was created by the Wu Tang name generator as he is a huge kung-fu fan and the legendary Wu-Tang Clan.

You feel a bit different today. This is a brand new feeling that you haven’t had to deal with before and it feels strange. You want to feel normal again, you want to get back in the zone again.

Taken off ‘Compendium‘, this is a sterling effort, full of lyricism that is rare to hear these days with so much mumble distorting the speakers all over the world. This is that A grade music, full of skills and thought.

Blac Samurai is one of those Hip Hop artist that raps about real things and there is no flashy fake glitz and glamour here. ‘Brand New‘ is a quality track, made with that extra bit of class, filled with raps that make your mind drift away. This is a terrific single from the Chicago-based emcee and he further cements his name in the upper echelons of the Hip Hop game.

Click here for the Spotify page.

Head through to the Insta page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Qn9nety takes lyrical Hip Hop to a new level with their debut album “Occupying Space”

Posted on 13 October 2020
Qn9nety

Qn9nety’s debut album “Occupying Space” which is due for release on November 6th is a poignant reminder of just how powerful Hip Hop can be.

The Derry, Ireland-based artist took inspiration from lyrically-minded rap artists, mixed it with his own passion and ability to contort the words into new meaning and released a ground-breaking album which will make it harder for you to claim that 2020 has sucked for music.

The perfect introduction to their sonic sound is irrefutably the concluding track “Everyday” which mixes 80s Synthwave with convectively striking Rap bars. It’s hard to ascertain which aspect of Everyday is blowing your mind. Is it the playfully atmospheric aural alchemy conjured by the beats? Is it how Qn9nety’s distinctive beyond definition Rap bars collide against the immersive melodic rhythms? Is it the raw gritty compassion contained in the lyrics? Whatever it is, you’re going to want to hear it again and again.

You’ll be able to check out Occupying Space for yourselves from the date of release via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

New York’s multi-talented storyteller Nikki Taylor is excellent on new single ‘Games’

Posted on 3 October 2020

Taken off her electric new EP ‘Siren‘, New York singer-songwriter, indie-hip hop artist and actress Nikki Taylor, is back with the indie-pop fused single ‘Games‘.

With a voice that grabs your attention like a song that makes you stop. This is an electro-food fusion that makes the whole listen a happy one. This is about standing up for yourself as you learnt from feeling so low. You know that the time for mindless games is over, you have seen through all the fake games and now you are stronger for moving on.

This is a fresh artist who is growing before our eyes, she has stopped the mind games around her and is on a mission for independence from unfit influences. The way her voice projects is so fresh, she is so tired of small things that mean so little taking up space. This is a poet who is ready to move into her own zone and Nikki Taylor’s ‘Games‘ is an excellent track.

Click here for the Spotify link.

Head through to the Facebook page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Udoka Malachi – Purple Sky Sunday: Dreamily Distorted Vibe-Out Alt Hip Hop

Posted on 1 October 2020

Alt Hip Hop artist Udoka Malachi served up a delectable genre-mashing urban hit with their latest single “Purple Sky Sunday” which dropped on September 20th.

With elements of Lo-Fi Indie, 90s Grunge, RnB, Pop and Hip Hop weaved into the mix, you’ll get a multi-faceted hit of aural nostalgia, but at its core, Purple Sky Sunday is an immensely fresh track. Every evolving progression will leave you more in awe of the artist’s unapologetically bold experimentalism. The best part? None of the accessibility was hindered despite the devilish aural curveballs thrown into the ambient vibe-out mix.

The lyrical melody to Purple Sky Sunday has stuck to my synapses like superglue and the dreamy distorted guitars ensured that the track stole a significant proportion of my soul.

You can check out Udoka Malachi’s release Purple Sky Sunday via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Trap Meets Alt Rock in Hazy’s Melodically Entrancing Indie Hip Hop Track “Thousand Suns”

Posted on 25 September 2020

Usually, you need to choose between atmospheric mesmerism and melodic entrancement when it comes to Indie Hip Hop, but with up and coming artist Hazy’s latest release “Thousand Suns”, you’re treated to both in equal measure.

The Alt Hip Hop track sweeps across an emotional smorgasbord in Thousand Suns which starts as a slow meandering entry into the captivating hit which unravels through the perfect blend of Trap, Pop and Alt Rock. If you thought that Linkin Park’s contribution to Hip Hop was evocative, you may need to strap yourselves in for an emotional bruising. The sincerity stings and the lyrics are practically meta poetry.

You can check out Hazy’s latest single Thousand Suns via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

BagDadLean & Slutty Jordie rip the mic on the new Hip Hop single ‘Jackwoods’

Posted on 10 September 2020

BagDadLean & Slutty Jordie give us a life lesson about ladies and 420 here on their new Hip Hop track called ‘Jackwoods‘.

BagDadLean is a young Midwest artist that is very versatile as he can rap and switch it up to an R&B number all in the same song. This is a rare skill that is often not done well. He does however impress on this new track that is only his 2nd even release on Spotify. With lots of hunger and aspirations to be as massive as Drake, this is an ambitious emcee and singer with big dreams. I love this confidence, going for the top is the way forward.

This is all about being careful with the ladies. You need to find a loyal lady otherwise if you end up with the wrong one, she will suck your bank account dry and then vanish like the cleaning product. The beat is so laid back and stoner style, with the deep voices and you feel the smoke filled energy in the air.

BagDadLean & Slutty Jordie show us their skill set on the new ‘Jackwoods‘ single that is a winner in the Hip Hop playlists all over the world. If they can keep consistent and focus on getting their music out there, there is a chance they could make it massive.

Click here for the Spotify link.

Head through to the Facebook page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

ACIZM, Evil Ebenezer & C-Lance step up with the quality ‘Don’t Leave Me Hanging’

Posted on 10 September 2020

ACIZM, Evil Ebenezer & C-Lance step up to the mic with the quality ‘Don’t Leave Me Hanging‘ that gives us such an awe-inspiring single for 2020.

ACIZM is a hip hop artist from Brisbane in sunny Australia who’s hard hitting topics are mixed with a flow and writing style that is both technical and extremely lyrical. This style has earned him some pretty major accolades including a song featuring the legendary B-Real of Cypress Hill and Slaine of La Coka Nostra fame.

The Vancouver-based emcee Evil Ebenezer has shared the stage with internationally recognized names such as A$AP Rocky, Tech N9ne, Raekwon just to name a few. His dope flow is masterful and the Canadian rapper is on the rise.

Excellent producer C-Lance has made a tight beat here and you can see why he is so well respected in the game.

These three work so well as a team together and this is a fine song all about friendships that can sometimes become blurred when people let you down, they leave you behind when things should be different. ‘Don’t Leave Me Hanging‘ from ACIZM, Evil Ebenezer & C-Lance is a hauntingly beautiful track with grit and tread. The wheels roll with high speed here and this is a song to listen to again and again.

Click here for the Spotify link.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

NYC artist Micky impresses on new trap track ‘Northstar’

Posted on 6 September 2020

US emcee Micky is back with the trap filled new single for ‘Northstar‘.

Michael Persall, better known by his artist name Micky is a regular name in the vibrant New York City’s live music scene. His latest single and video ‘Northstar’ impresses highly by taking us on a unique journey that reminds us all of the value of hope, resilience and hard work. This is such an inspirational tale and I love the beat here.

When asked to describe the inspiration behind the track, Michael tells us that;

“Northstar is about my journey these past few years living as an artist and entrepreneur in music tech. The line in the song ‘Northstar never lost sight through the movement’ speaks to the challenges building a company and career as an artist, and developing the patience to learn from failure and stay focused on moving forward despite the setbacks.”

The visuals to ‘Northstar’, cleverly echo Micky’s sentiments of building oneself from the ground up with his choice of a VHS-Esque, home-video style treatment that gives off an organic, rough and ready feel. The video is filled with seemingly self-shot footage of the artist followed by flashing, glitch-like lyric overlay, which further adds to the grittiness of the self-made entrepreneur’s song and its meaning. This type of style is taking off as artists have learnt new skills in lockdown while gigs were unavailable due to the tragic pandemic.

‘Northstar’ is the cool, synthy, trap-pop number that’ll act as the lead single for Micky’s upcoming six-track mixtape of the same title.  This will also mark the launch of Micky’s, Northstar Records, an independent label and management company that works with cause-driven talent. With lots on the go, you can see this artist going all the way in the game. You have to have grit.

This is a fantastic song with lots of new school energy and Micky is a new name to watch.

Click here for the Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen