Browsing Tag

Lyrical Hip Hop

Ron A.P. gets paranormal with the past with his candidly edgy hip hop track, The Ex-Files

Posted on 15 March 2022

After a stint away from the recording studio, the South Jersey-raised, Philadelphia-based hip hop artist Ron A.P. is back on edgy and imaginative form in his latest single, The Ex-Files.

The clever ingenuity of the track title sets the bar high, but the lyrics and spacey atmosphere in The Ex-Files leaves nothing to be desired. Of all the hip hop tracks on the airwaves mused by ex-girlfriends, The Ex-Files is easily one of the most evocatively charged and complex for the way it navigates a myriad of contrasting frustrations while leaving no intimate emotion off the table.

Ron A.P. almost exudes Jekyll and Hyde vibes for the number of transitions in evocative nature. That’s just one of the facets that take this dynamic earworm to the next level. He may have taken influence from Nas, Jay-Z and Kanye, but Ron A.P. is well and truly standing in a league of his own.

The Ex-Files is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: all is fleeting but the hype around Current’s sophomore alt-hip hop album, It’s Just Temporary

Posted on 4 March 2022
https://soundcloud.com/currentmusicofficial/sets/its-just-temporary/s-FsgdWvHAbYl?si=4f8a937f72344af8969aafaaf7d9dca1&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Here to remind us that all is fleeting is Kansas City’s hottest hip hop act, Current, with his 2022 sophomore album, It’s Just Temporary. If there was ever a point in our history that we needed that affirmation, it is now.

With the candid and epiphanous spoken-word pieces in between the mindfully lyrical lo-fi trap tracks, Current makes it all too easy to get on a level with him and his polished craft that always cuts close to the bone with the lyrics and hooks.

Even though it is an unskippable vibe of a release, the standout tracks include the stormer of a trap track, Like Me, the trippy, glitchy and angsty hit, Glow Up, and the ethereal dream-like closing single, Dreams / Demons. The concluding single is slick with delirium in the first half before Current breaks into urgent howls, depicting how we all feel from time to time while struggling for an outlet. In the second half, Current’s dynamic and primal expression makes the resonance hit infinitely harder for anyone that can sympathise with insidious racing thoughts that trigger when your head hits the pillow.

In his own words, here is what It’s Just Temporary encompasses:

“It’s Just Temporary is a project that tells a story, my story. Over the past six years, I have experienced positives and negatives; there are some days I can’t believe I am where I am. What I learned from all these experiences is that everything is temporary. I learned how to take lessons from the bad times and cherish the good. This is what I convey through my album. That there is no time not to do what you love, no time to give energy to what does not give back to you because everything is temporary.

The first half of the album shows themes of anger and resentment. There are songs filled with ego and frustration. It takes a turn through the last half, where I am focused on the depression and anxiety that I have experienced. The interludes include my thought process towards these emotions. As an artist, I always want to be vulnerable and show who I am in my art.”

It’s Just Temporary will officially release on March 4th. Check out the independently produced LP for yourselves via SoundCloud or Spotify. Connect with Current via Instagram and TikTok.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

South London’s MoHush broadsides us with every bar in his latest single, War of the Mastermind

Posted on 3 March 2022

After his latest single, War of the Mastermind, MoHush became one of South London’s hottest up and coming hip hop artists. In the same way that Kae Tempest’s and George the Poet’s music is matchless, MoHush delivers the hammering lyrical blows in a completely autonomous fashion.

I usually manage to write my reviews without profanity, but fuck me, MoHush’s emotionally-charged approach to hip hop is enough to broadside you with every bar. From the melodic-minor-key piano intro to the fragility in his harmonised vocals to the smoothness in his spoken-word rap style, War of the Mastermind is a flawless feat of hip hop, which deserves to put MoHush on the map. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

War of the Mastermind is now available to stream on Spotify.

You can also check out MoHush on Instagram, YouTube and SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

YH Sound waxes lyrical with the truth in his latest lyrical storm ‘it is what it is’

Posted on 25 February 2022

The title of YH Sound’s latest single, it is what it is, may sound pragmatic and matter of fact, but you would be hard-pressed to find a better hip hop track that cuts to the core of the darkest facets of society with such precision.

With the energy that YH Sound pours into his rap bars, he could make versing on any topic visceral and galvanising. But with his merciless social commentary and introspection skills, it is what it is unravels as the ultimate vignette of modern urban culture. Turn off Jordan Peterson and into YH Sound.

The vocals take up plenty of room in the mix, but there is still just enough room for the rattle of the 808s and the minor-key notes to bring atmosphere to the dark yet enlivening track that is unforgettable from the first hit.

You can check out it is what it is by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Teddy J pulls bruising punches in his latest hip hop track, 100’s

Posted on 14 February 2022
Teddy J

The competition in underground hip hop is fiercer than ever, but the up and coming artist, Teddy J, pulled all the right punches in his latest old-school inspired single, 100’s.

The dynamic rap bars flow just as naturally as the ethereal and light melodies that are bolstered by the bass-heavy kicks of 808s, and the lyrical narrative won’t fail to reel you in after a noir lullaby-like prelude. Teddy J proves that if you want motivation, ignore Jordan Peterson and Jocko Willink. Tune into artists, such as Teddy J, who create neoliberal tracks that don’t take the pain out of adversity but use it to get you galvanised. His born an underdog, living as a force to be reckoned with in all avenues is instantly infectious.

100’s is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

There is ‘No Stoppin’ Cashflow Colly in his latest seminal hip hop single

Posted on 7 February 2022

No Stoppin’ was just one of the nostalgically sweet hip hop singles found on Cashflow Colly’s debut album, Mind of a MelanColly. The witty wordplay in the album title is just a taste of what you can expect from Colly’s dynamically zealous rap flows.

The South Jersey-hailing rap artist’s magnetically humble and almost criminal level of charisma makes getting hooked in his tracks non-optional. No Stoppin’ runs you through the adversity that led him to his talent when spilling raw emotions and allowing them to take form as breezy, hooky urban earworms. All things considered, he is the ultimate hip hop package. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

You can check out No Stoppin’ for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Current shows us the meaning of conviction in his latest alt-hip hop single Under Pressure featuring STBtheDon

Posted on 1 February 2022

For his latest emotional firestorm of a release, Under Pressure, the breaking rapper, singer, producer and DJ, Current teamed up with the equally as luminary artist, STBtheDon. The Birmingham, Alabama-born, Kansas City-based artist has spent the last eight years fine-tuning his authentic sonic signature that includes elements of Lo-Fi, hip hop, electronica and RnB – and it certainly shows in Under Pressure.

For new fans, Under Pressure, is the perfect introduction to Current’s experimental production style. The track explores the pressure we feel from people’s expectations. The conviction in the track is the ultimate proof that pressure is even harder to bear when the expectation is for us to fail. For anyone who knows how exhausting yet vindicating it is to succeed despite condescending cynicism, there’s almost an infinite amount of resonance. Lyrically, each verse hits harder than the last. By the outro, you won’t fail to be blown away by the full-frontal emotion.

Under Pressure was released on January 21st, 2022; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get psyched with JaeEss’ latest mantra-filled high vibe alt-hip hop hit, Celebrate

Posted on 29 January 2022

JaeEss’ latest single, Celebrate, is the ultimate testament to the fact that everything the Lawrenceville GA-based artist and producer creates is made with purpose. The single is just one of his hits that wouldn’t be out of place on your motivation playlists.

It’s one thing for artists to flex their own success; it is quite another for an artist to commit themselves to connecting with their fans while galvanising them and inspiring them to strive for greater heights. In Celebrate, JaeEss fuses RnB with trappy hip hop textures to create the perfect platform for his wittily visionary lyrics that prove that there’s always an alternative to downtrodden apathy.

The official music video to Celebrate premiered on January 14th. You can watch it for yourselves via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

TutTheKing broke new urban ground with his dynamic flows in the alt-hip hop earworm, ‘Forged’

Posted on 26 January 2022

Plenty of new hip hop artists have moved into the ever-evolving urban space in recent years, but few did it with quite as much flair as the 23-year-old Egyptian songwriter and sound designer TutTheKing (Nour Rakha). His recently released 2022 single, Forged, is the perfect introduction to his dynamic flows, infectious attitude and experimental sound.

With an intro that isn’t a million sonic miles away from the one that brings in My Chemical Romance’s track, You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison, it is safe to say that TutTheKing that is doing just as much for the obliteration of genre boundaries as Yungblud, Travis Barker and Machine Gun Kelly. The edgy-in-spite-of-being-high-vibe track is a rollercoaster through the artists refreshing luminary talent. He doesn’t stop at breaking genre boundaries. He also fuses his Egyptian roots with a little SoCal hip hop for the ultimate galvanising and refreshing effect.

The official video for Forged is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

NBH Rucci searches for gravity in his latest single, Hold Me Down

Posted on 15 January 2022

In his latest single, “Hold Me Down”, the up and coming alt hip hop artist NBH Rucci explores the disparities between fears of being held down and lonely realities where connections feel transitional and leave us feeling short-changed.

The atmospheric dark indie hip hop single is an extension of the Michigan-hailing hip hop artist’s mission to share his triggering life events as a means of connecting with his fans and shining a light on the commonality of our pain. With trap and RnB nuances weaved into the short and sweet track that runs through in under 2-minutes, there is no denying that it hits the evocative spot and does it in a spectacularly succinct fashion.

Hold Me Down dropped on January 14th; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast