Browsing Tag

Motivational Hip Hop

Spotlight Feature: Be Bigger Not Bitter with Tago’s Feel-Good Hip-Hop Juggernaut, Let Me Talk About Mine

Posted on 16 May 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsXyEZ7iyJU

Tago stepped back into the spotlight with his latest single Let Me Talk About Mine, which is set to be a significant moment in his career. The Dallas-based rapper and producer, who has spent the better part of a decade behind the scenes, enriching other artists’ careers, now takes centre stage, showcasing his own story with soul-infused conviction that demands attention.

With Let Me Talk About Mine, Tago crafted lyrics that are both sharp and introspective, set against a backdrop of electrifying beats and cutting-edge electronica aesthetics that shake the dust off old school while tapping into the grit of it.

This single is an unreckonable assertion of self-worth and an invitation to witness his ascension in hip-hop. His narrative is potent, steeped in personal growth and the gritty realities of forging one’s path against the odds. Tago captivates through this monolithic hit, employing kinetic rhythms that propel the listener through his journey of self-realisation and unflinching ambition.

It’s a track that will stand the test of time as a testament to Tago’s ability to weave traditional influences into a modern sonic landscape that pulsates with energy. If you’ve ever felt overshadowed, step into the limelight with his emboldening instant classic.

Stream the official music video for Let Me Talk About Mine from May 16th.

Follow Tago on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Whoisturso put resilience into rhyme in his viral-worthy hip-hop single, VENT III

Posted on 27 March 2024

Forget mic drop verses, in his standout hit, VENT III, the lyrical hip-hop luminary Whoisturso drops lines that will make your soul sink. After a stylistically atmospheric and contemporary hip-hop intro which lulls you into a contemplative state, the up-and-coming rapper who has moved from the streets into the studio wastes no time delivering lyrical blows that will stick with you for long after the outro.

“I’ve been fighting all my life, you expect rejection to phase me girl?” speaks volumes about the resilience of the human spirit, and our profound capacity to overcome trauma and open ourselves up to vulnerability. From there on out, every line hits hard enough that you’ll be left in awe of his ability to turn confessionalism into achingly affecting wordplay.

Regardless of your life path, as VENT III runs through, you’ll find fragments of yourself within it as you lose yourself in the scintillating production that allows the instrumentals to complement the intimacy in the candour.

If authenticity and lyrical gold got artists to the top of the charts, few artists would sit above Whoisturso. He’s got everything it takes to make it into the mainstream, it’s only a matter of time before he moves from being criminally underrated to being choked in hype. After hearing the themes of determination in VENT III, we know he’s not going to stop until he’s reached the top.

Stream and purchase VENT III on Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

KAotik waxed lyrical on the tragedy of wasted potential in his old-school hip-hop track, Fascinate

Posted on 23 March 2024

KAotik (AKA Bruce Reign) kept old-school hip-hop fresh with his latest track, Fascinate, which strips the instrumentals right back to their fundamentals, allowing his killer canter to take the spotlight in the mid-tempo release.

Following a mellow, almost transcendentally toned intro, the spoken-word verses wax lyrical on everything from the tragedy of wasted potential to accepting fate without consigning yourself to it. By finding plenty of room to assert wordplay, clever cultural references and his ethos on putting lyrics to the forefront of his productions, the Washington-born, Laurel MD-residing artist of Nigerian descent used Fascinate to not only do what the single says on the titular tin, but to inspire, and he hit a home run in doing so.

If KRS One, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and Black Thought feature heavily on your playlists, make room for this profound hit.

Stream Fascinate on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ride the waves in Caleb X’s latest flood of experimentalism, Kick Start ft Zay-OH

Posted on 12 February 2024

Since blasting off his career with his 2019 debut single, Space, the Atlanta-born, Virginia-based rapper Caleb X has honed his sonic signature to become one of the most authentic names in the hip-hop domain. His latest single, Kick Start, featuring Zay-OH takes motivational hip-hop to the next inspirational level while epitomising his ethos to ensure his music is as versatile as his own identity. Sonically spitting in the face of conventional constraints, Kick Start is a declaration of his ability to transplant humanism within catchy distinction.

By grounding the lyrics and bars in realism and the relatability of ennui with the era we’re all enduring and allowing the kaleidoscopically spacy instrumentals to ebb and flow in trippy trap-esque waves, Kick Start is a cohesively convictive juxtaposition that exhibits Caleb X as a promising luminary who has exactly what it takes to become one of the biggest new urban experimentalists.

Kick Start was officially released on January 26th; stream the single on Spotify and follow Caleb X on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Money and Image blazed across the Texas hip-hop scene with their infectious track, No Smoke

Posted on 5 November 2023

Escape into the urban aesthetic of the latest single and music video, No Smoke, by the two Texan rap legends in their own right, Money and Image, and lose yourself within the infectiously feel-good lyricality of the track that definitively proves conviction doesn’t always need to be a by-product of the aggression.

While the instrumentals find the sonic middle ground between jazzy old-school hip-hop grooves and wavy RnB pop trap, the vocals constantly shift in tone and pace to create a fully rounded hit that is all too easy to melodically roll with as you drink in the charismatically prophetic message which advocates pacifism.

The official music video for No Smoke premiered on October 21; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: THISMINORITY welcomes us to the spiritual new age of hip hop with ‘MEDI’.

Posted on 5 July 2022

For his debut single, THISMINORITY brought hip hop into the realm of spiritual new age mindfulness to smash through the stereotypes and establish himself as a unique voice with an equally as distinctively cutting production style.

Self-awareness is a journey, but on the basis of MEDI, the New Orleans-born, Brooklyn-based rapper and lyricist is already leagues ahead of most with his recognition of the importance of the narratives we spin to ourselves.

His melodic stormer allows you to think just as fiercely as it compels you to feel as the atmospherically old school track runs through its cinematic progressions. While the 808s steadily rattle, the monochromatic vignette that THISMINORITY etched to portray the darkness he pulled himself from keeps you hooked into the classy yet juxtaposing gritty synthetics.

Here is what THISMINORITY had to say about his debut:

“Medi is a reflection on my newfound passion for mass connection and how entertainment, fame, etc come with it. Exploring the concept triggered the epiphany that the things that we need to feel good can destroy us in excess.

Satisfaction, confidence, and love can ultimately lead to greed, ego, and lust. How do I balance? I meditate…”

MEDI is now available to stream on Spotify & SoundCloud.

Follow THISMINORITY via Facebook & Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

BHM NONO severed tribal ties in his latest hit, DESTINED 2 WIN

Posted on 3 May 2022

Hostility and hip hop have gone hand in hand since the Bronx inception, but here to prove that nothing is in trend forever is the trailblazing conscious rap artist, BHM NONO, with his latest single, DESTINED 2 WIN.

After an extended spoken-word prelude that puts you in the perfect place to feel the weight of the following bars, the instrumentals bring plenty of dramatic minor-key atmosphere into the mix. And that is all before BHM NONO’s fiery convicted bars prove that motivation doesn’t have to be synonymous with others’ destruction.

BHM NONO has exactly what it takes to become one of the most essential artists of his generation. We can’t wait to watch him get there.

The official music video premiered on April 22nd; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

FIFTY VINC & DIDKER have released their cinematic juggernaut of a hip hop track, WORK IT OUT, featuring Agf.Israel

Posted on 16 March 2022

FIFTY VINC & DIDKER’s latest single, WORK IT OUT, featuring Agf.Israel is ripped on steroids; motivational hip hop may not be an anomaly on the airwaves, but very few can match the energy in this cinematic juggernaut of a workout hip hop track that is all about the tough love. It’s an admirable move for VINC to channel sheer aggression while at the same time giving his listeners a viable outlet for theirs. The new wave of rap may be all about violence and Kanye stalking his ex; VINC is a refreshing exception to that insidious trend of artists rapping about their arsenal and XANAX addiction.

FIFTY VINC (Vincent Jewell) is an independent producer and successful composer for TV and film; he’s also one of the pioneers putting Germany on the hip hop map. Every self-respecting hip hop fan should pay close attention to what comes next.

You can check out WORK IT OUT on YouTube or add it to your Spotify playlists.

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

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