Browsing Tag

Lyrical Hip Hop

Dare Wood – Sandman: Optimism Has Never Sounded Sweeter

Posted on 8 October 2022
https://soundcloud.com/darewood222/sandman?si=9d9c54e5275b455fb08b2c317a8ab719&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Dare Wood’s lyrically awakening latest EDM hit, Sandman, is undeniably for the dreamers. The Nashville-based up and coming artist has developed a staunch following with his fusionist sound, which pushes together textures of hip hop, pop, and dance to complement his Rockstar vocal delivery and lyrical storytelling. Sandman balances emotional vulnerability and realism with introspective gold that listeners can cash in every time they sink into the immersively melodic hit.

Just a month after the release of Sandman, it has racked up 26k streams on SoundCloud alone. The rhythmic grooves and the arrestive passion that was poured into every facet of the production pushes EDM into unchartered waters. Yet that does little to quash the commercial potential of the wordsmith & sonic pioneer who promises to remain on the edge of breaking new trends as his style perpetually evolves.

Stream Sandman on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

KingTay shared his infectious high energy in his Trap track, Feels GOOD

Posted on 25 September 2022

A new wave of hip hop just crashed in through KingTay’s high-vibing latest single, Feels GOOD. The Philadelphia-born up-and-coming artist broke through the dark cloud that overbears youth and communities in America to share his high inspiring energy. Feels GOOD is one of his most efficaciously uplifting tracks yet; over the cinematic beats, he runs his consistently dynamic bars through lyricism that takes introspection to the next level.

“It feels good to be finally living” is a powerful hook – a powerful hook that proves KingTay has endured a stagnant transition. It’s an infectious affirmation for anyone going through the same.

As an artist not just inspired by the hip hop greats but by songwriting visionaries such as the Beatles, every track from KingTay is charged with individual artistry. It’s not often hip hop artists break boundaries lyrically and sonically, but clearly, he is a force to be reckoned with.

The official music video for Feels GOOD premiered on September 7th. Check it out on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tony Driver painted a portrait of disassociation and disillusion with his razor-sharp ambient hip hop single, Myself

Posted on 12 September 2022

Taken from his self-titled third album, Tony Driver’s single, Myself, is yet another testament to his bold vulnerability that allows his lines to hit bruisingly hard. Never afraid to navigate mental health struggles, Tony Driver delivered an intimate exposition of the lengths of his disassociation and disillusion with the world that makes alienation non-optional for so many.

To counterbalance the weight of the lyrics, “I’m tired of hiding, but who here would even care, is anyone even there?” Tony Driver set up an ambiently melodic chillwave soundscape which juxtaposes the dynamically flawless flows, which will cut razor-sharp with anyone in the same headspace. I, for one, can wholly relate.

Myself, along with the self-titled album, is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Atlanta rapper MgnBlak brought substance back in style with his latest single, In My Head

Posted on 3 September 2022

Atlanta-based independent artist, MgnBlak, firmly implanted soul in his latest hip hop single, In My Head, which is just as vulnerable as the title implies.

Even though the melodically transfixing single narrates the artist’s individualistic life experiences, it is all too easy to find the resonance within In My Head – especially around the gospel elements, which manifest through the quelling timbre of the organ around the trap beats.

MgnBlak sought to be a breath of fresh air for the hip hop genre; it’s safe to say he succeeded with In My Head; its universal appeal transcends genre. Regardless of your usual aural inclinations, it is impossible not to FEEL when In My Head is in full flow. We are officially stoked to hear his debut EP, Hear Me Now.

In My Head is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pee.Tzu redefined escapism music with his hip hop track, Jetplane Getaway

Posted on 29 August 2022

Pee.Tzu allowed his fans to peek behind the curtain of his mentality and music career in his latest single, Jetplane Getaway, which drips with East Coast hip hop luxe glamour in contrast to the raw spilt ink lyricism. It is escapist hip hop like you have never heard it before.

It is safe to say that the up-and-coming artist didn’t just speak for himself when he captured the claustrophobia that our hustle and daily lives can create around us. His wicked use of wordplay almost makes a sense of empathy redundant when you’re listening to Jetplane Getaway. There is no evading the visceral weight of the bars that run under inventive effect, allowing them to synergise with the Rakim-Esque beats.

Jetplane Getaway which features on Pee.Tzu’s 2022 album is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ron A.P. made true love a tangible phenomenon in Real Love Pt. II

Posted on 26 August 2022

Making true love a tangible phenomenon is a feat beyond most artists, not Ron A.P. in his latest music video, Real Love Pt. II. With full awareness that love is the most explored emotion in music, Ron A.P. went all in with this smooth jazzy hip hop track. Shakespeare may not have referred to how much crackheads love to chase the rock, and that may just be where he went wrong in encompassing the visceralism of the emotion.

After hearing The Ex Files from the US rapper, which went hard on retrospective romantic dissonance, we are stoked to hear Ron A.P. back on soulful form. Any fans of Nas, Jay-Z, Kanye and B.B. King will find a playlist staple in Real Love Pt. II.

The official music video for Real Love Pt. II will premiere on August 19th. Check it out on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

BLKY shared the secret to karmic vengeance with his latest trap track, Price

Posted on 26 August 2022

Here to prove that Trap hits just as hard on this side of the pond is the up-and-coming lyrical trailblazer, BLKY, with his latest single, Price.

The reprise of ‘I get revenge with success’ rips up the usual trap tropes to deliver a narrative that shows you how to bite back at everyone that has underestimated and undermined you without disturbing the karmic balance.

The rhythmic indie instrumentals, which carry hints of eastern flavour, are just as energised as BLKY’s bars, which he’s been perfecting since the age of 10. With every BLKY track, there’s the guarantee of visceral realism. Few artists pull together art and raw narratives with as much finesse as this artist, utterly unafraid to lay it all bare.

Check out Price for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UniqueSince3 set a score of cinematic minor-key hip hop in Make You Mine

Posted on 24 August 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sgqx62hE9vI

With their cinematically classic hip hop single, Make You Mine, the up-and-coming artist, UniqueSince3, sent emotional shivers up the spine of the minor key piano melodies.

After doctors wrote off his prospects with his autism diagnosis at the age of three, the rapper refused to subjugate himself to the same dim fate and strode into greatness. Notably, Make You Mine took him one giant leap forward.

As someone else that falls on the neurodivergent side of the spectrum, I can only imagine how much inspiration others will get when they look up to UniqueSince3 and his evocative wordplay powers.

Check out the official lyric video by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

It is all in the hooks in XRick SaenzX’s latest pop-rap earworm, Trust No Thotty

Posted on 23 August 2022

Hip hop got infinitely slicker with the drop of XRick SaenzX’s audaciously infectious new single, Trust No Thotty, which comes with a beast of a chorus and enough charisma to rival his influences, Dre, 50 Cent and Eminem.

Hardened by the streets of LA, XRick SaenzX started his rap career aged 13 when he started writing rap bars. In 2019, he dropped out of college to peruse his passion; on the basis of his latest single, he’s more than got what it takes between his commercial appeal and unique magnetism. Few new urban sonic signatures are bolder than this.

Trust No Thotty is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MOBBIN101 pays homage to Tupac in ‘How We Ride’

Posted on 9 July 2022

Tupac may not be here to verse us through the surrealism of 2022, but MOBBIN101 stepped up to the mark in his homage piece to the icon with his latest single, How We Ride, which brings Tupac energy around MOBBIN101 wit and originality.

From the chillingly cinematic production to the magnetism in the level yet strident bars, there’s no immunity to the intoxicating effects of How We Ride, which etches a gritty vignette of the mob life that reprieved us of one of the greatest voices in hip hop and continues to tear holes in societies. It’s as sobering as it is infectious. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more impressive hip hop luminary in any state.

How We Ride officially released on July 1st. Check it out via SoundCloud and Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast