Browsing Tag

New Wave Hip Hop

ArkAngel47 flowed into the heart of memory in his alt-hip-hop track, nostalgia

Posted on 13 February 2024

ArkAngel47’s latest single, nostalgia, crashed into the alt-rap scene like a rogue wave, unapologetically dismantling the boundaries of the genre on February 8th. The raw, unfiltered plunge into the depths of memory, wrapped in a soundscape that defies easy categorisation, is an unconventional fusion that grips you from the first beat.

Imagine grime’s gritty pulse, new wave’s introspective echo, and alt-hip-hop’s rebellious spirit colliding around lyricism that balances candour and volition. Hit play and feel the push and pull of time as North West London’s grittiest poet waxes lyrical with melancholic wisdom. Nostalgia is beyond reminiscence; it is the dissection of the essence of the psychological phenomenon; an exposition of its sweet allure and sharp bite.

Musically, the track is a beast of its own making. The beats morph and twist before flooding into a melodious flow and glitching like a dream half-remembered as the backing vocals resonate as ethereal whispers from bygone days, adding layers of haunting depth to the track.

Mixed and mastered with the sharp ear of Kult Eviction at Kabin Studios, nostalgia is a testament to ArkAngel47’s raw talent and vision. With plenty more genre-fluid releases locked, loaded, and ready to drop throughout 2024, ArkAngel47 is one to watch.

Watch the official music video for nostalgia on YouTube, or add the single to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Find catharsis in the candour of Yen Won’s dreamy alt-rap hit, Never Fade Away

Posted on 14 March 2023

The Cali born and raised 23-year-old Korean-Japanese rapper Yen Won’s latest new wave hit, Never Fade Away, is an ethereal technicolour dream. While the strong and steady backbeat brings the energy in line with the fervidly delivered rap bars, there was plenty of room in the short and sweet mix for lush reverb and the transcendentally ascending electronica motifs which enabled Yen Won to effortlessly establish his distinction in the semi-lucid soundscape.

Beyond dying alone, the fear of fading away weighs heavy on the psyche for many, but only artists as vulnerably bold as Yen Won would ever care to admit it. By doing so, he exhibited the commonality and tore through the stigma. It comes as no surprise that thousands of listeners find solace and catharsis in his candour.

Never Fade Away is available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Brooklyn rapper Quilley enmeshed scorn with soul in his conceptually dualistic 2-track EP, Half-Hearted

Posted on 10 March 2023
Quilley

Lifting us from the monotony of ego-driven hip-hop, the Brooklyn-based-rapper, Quilley, raised the expressive bar with the resonant dualism within his two-track EP, Half-Hearted. If you have ever wanted to know what lies on the flip side of the love songs penned in the honeymoon phase that proliferate the airwaves, this conceptual release will fill in the gaps.

I couldn’t help but be remained of the philosophy from Alain De Botton listening to Half-Hearted run through. How all the great romantic stories of the ages never allow love to endure. There’s always the grip of tragedy to obliterate the notion of mundanity or the eventual slip away from the affection that inspired hot-headed limerence in the early days.

Track 1, “That’s My Baby” kicks off with a smooth RnB Pop tinged flow behind the steady kicks and the sultry bars, before the romanticism entirely evades track 2, “Valloween”, which runs through as a trippy new wave spoken-word hit of volition.

Quilley knew just how to allow his audience to catch a vibe while laying it all down on the line in his Half-Hearted EP. The smooth grooves, razor-sharp bars, and intensity of sincerity in the lyrics stand as a triadic testament to the luminary artist’s talent that shines through his expressively humble ethos. He may not be shooting for fame, but he deserves it regardless. Get his candour in your ears. You won’t regret it.

“More than anything, my EP is about that Cloud Nine feeling of being in love and eventually being done with it. How many times can we have that feeling without becoming accustomed to it? “That’s My Baby” and “Valloween” really display that contrast.”

Half-Hearted will be available to stream on Spotify from March 10th.

Follow Quilley on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Canadian hip-hop heavyweight YungHarbs is back in the ring with his mixtape, RTL, Vol. 3

Posted on 13 February 2023

After a two-year hiatus, the independent rapper, YungHarbs has shown what the airwaves have been lacking in his absence with the release of his mixtape, RTL, Vol. 3. With bars as sharp, dynamic, and energised as the best of RZA’s work in the opening single, FWM, the mixtape flows from a strong start and never falters through the remaining three singles.

His gritty lo-fi edge encompasses the old-school and the new wave while running through track two, RIGHT AROUND, which throws in Afro Pop and RnB flavour, allowing YungHarbs to stand in a rhythmic league of his own on top of the steady rattle of the 808s.

Track 3, Test Me, brings in the ingenuity of the collaborating artist, T3, the dancehall anthem stands as a testament to the rhythmicality of their bars as the creative chemistry and conviction spill. Before the mixtape ends on WALK, which added a new trajectory to the evolution of gangster hip hop, the viscerally vindictive hit will easily win over any fans of Kanye.

RTL, Vol. 3 is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Spotlight Feature: Cuttaman 100gran rides his own new wave in his vindicating rap hit, Bump My Music

Posted on 3 February 2023
Cuttaman 100gran

After opening for Pastor Troy in South Carolina, recording records for Dr Dre and performing in front of 8,000 people at a concert in Rockingham, NC, the Charlotte, NC-hailing luminary rapper, Cuttaman 100gran, is here with his latest single, Bump My Music.

Slick with style and vibing with an infectious attitude, Bump My Music is the ultimate middle finger to the people in your life that stay on the sidelines instead of getting behind you. Paying homage to his muses, Cuttaman 100gran rides his own wave while staying in the fast lane with his sharply steady rap bars and beats that break the hip-hop mould.

Any fans of Kevin Gates, Roddy Ricch and Rod Wave will be addicted once they get a taste of the grinding urban aesthetic that balances hard-hitting percussion with wavy reverb production – engineered by the legendary sound designer, Bungies.

“When you have women in your life that are inspired by your stories, telling them becomes a lifestyle. Them being around me on a day-to-day basis makes every lyric that much more surreal. Their enthusiasm inspired the track.”

Stream Bump My Music on Spotify and Apple Music. Follow Cuttaman 100gran 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

MHE is stratospherically ahead of the curve in his rap hit, On Me

Posted on 10 January 2023

Rapper MHE is so stratospherically ahead of the curve it’s barely in his eye line in his LP MHEvsMHE, which dropped toward the end of 2022. The fiery fusionist standout single, which melds old-school with the new, On Me, sets the pace for the future of trappy atmospheric rap tracks.

While the cleverly layered backing vocals galvanise, his fluidly dynamic verses pull to the front of the mix to exhibit his ability with wordplay, which is right on par with his ability to contort his bars into a rhythmically hypnotic canter.

The candidly confessional hit lays it all down on the line while keeping on the luminary artist’s on-brand cheek and swagger that hits with the perfect mix of attitude, intellect and charisma. In short, he’s a triple threat with a bright future ahead of him in the industry if he sticks to tracks in the same vein as On Me.

Check out On Me via Apple Music & YouTube.

Follow MHE on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get swept up in the minor key momentum in P wE$t’s cinematically raw hip hop single, Smokin N Tha Rain

Posted on 17 December 2022

‘Smokin N Tha Rain’ is the cinematically melancholic standout single from P wE$t’s debut album, Permanent Timing. Despite the heavy sentiments vulnerably relayed through the rap bars, the up-and-coming artist was riding high on the new wave of hip hop in the wavey yet sharp hit which allows you to feel every ounce of urgency in the delivery.

Starting with a striking minor key piano melody and letting the atmospheric alchemy build from there, being consumed by the visceral emotion and intellectual instrumental layering is no option. P wE$t is easily one of the most underrated emo rap artists on the underground right now. Give him some love, and that will come back tenfold as you appreciate his ability to turn introspection and experience into universal resonance.

Smokin N Tha Rain is available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

22Canelo – DIMEPIECE: feel the heat from your new favourite sun-slicked hip hop playlist staple

Posted on 10 December 2022

Bay Area-born new wave hip hop artist, 22Canelo, is known for his hard work, perseverance and charisma; that hat-trick of magnetic tenacity is epitomised in his latest conviction-driven single, DIMEPIECE.

After the jazzy horn stabs and West Coast motifs, his bars start throwing the heavy-weight punches in the high-vibe and sun-bleached track that will show you the beauty in resilience. Between the binary of rappers inviting you to a self-pity party and the artists getting excessively braggadocios about riches they probably don’t have, 22Canelo sits comfortably in the middle as he cheekily makes no bones about spitting harsh truth into the soulful body-rocking anthem that drips with style.

DIMEPIECE will drop on December 10th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast