Browsing Tag

Old School Hip Hop

Jason Norfleet drops ‘old-skool and funky’ new single ‘Don’t You Know’

Posted on 22 March 2021

Hailing from Westbury, Connecticut, Jason Norfleet – a.k.a. DJ Maestro 1 – drops his new single, ‘Don’t You Know’, a mix of eighties slow groove hip hop, gospel, and R’n’B that’s unashamedly old-skool and funky. Autotune-swathed vocals a la T-Pain and ‘Lil Wayne mixed up with Hail talk-box funk guitar make ‘Don’t You Know’ a retro-tinged classic with a contemporary update, Norfleet’s gospel-heavy vocal a perfect match for the track.

Already a nominee for both Gospel Choice Music Awards and Tampa Bay Gospel Awards this year, multi-instrumentalist Norfleet’s production – all classic TR-808 beats, handclaps, and thumping sequenced bass – carries the track, mixed with several sets of harmony vocals and Norfleet’s upfront lead. It’s a great track, with some proper flow and genuine R’n’B groove.

Check out ‘You Don’t Know’ on YouTube, and follow Jason Norfleet on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Rap Artist, Retro Pak Delivers Louisiana Flavour in Their Latest Single ‘Ohhhh I Like It’

Posted on 11 March 2021

If you like your Hip Hop served with high vibes and old school grooves, delve into Retro Pak’s standout single, ‘Ohhhh I Like It’. It’s packed with Louisiana flavour and brought to life by the artist’s motivation to bring infectiously energetic attitude to the airwaves.

Under the influence of 2Pac, Ludacris, Twista, and Missy Elliot, Retro Pak creates fresh tracks in which the roots of hip hop can blossom. Given that hip hop which flows with galvanising beats is more essential than ever, we can’t under-express how essential artists, such as Retro Pak are.

The track is perfectly paired with a music video which will throw you right back to when workout VHS tapes were all the rage. In the age of Tik Tok, that’s more refreshing than it should be.

You can check out the official video to Retro Pak’s latest single by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

F S Rudy delivers grit and grind in equal measure with their self-apathy-dissolving rap single ‘Straighten Up’

Posted on 4 March 2021

F S Rudy’s recently released rap album ‘Hood Vaccine’ has the potential to become the second most-talked about vaccine in 2021. The dominant lyrically-led old school hip hop album features eight assertively awakening singles, including the lead track, ‘Straighten Up’ featuring HoneyKomb Brazy.

Straighten Up delivers grit and grind in equal measure. If you can find self-apathy within yourself after hearing the track run through, you may as well declare yourself a lost cause. F S Rudy is to hip hop what Jordan Peterson is to podcasts. Any true fans of 80s Hip Hop will want F S Rudy on their radar.

You can check out Straighten Up for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

TeawhYB – All Gas No Breaks: Intellectually Inspirational High Vibe Alt Pop

Posted on 27 January 2021
TeawhYB

If you’re always on the lookout for intellectually inspirational artists with the ability to cook-up high-vibe perennial pop earworms, you’ll strike gold when you hit play on the latest single ‘All Gas No Breaks’ from LA artist TeawhYB.

With their indulgent blend of Pop, Old School Hip Hop, R n B and New Wave Trap, All Gas No Breaks grooves with danceable sun-soaked melodicism while TeawhYB lays down their lyrics which act as a call to action for all entrepreneurs and creatives to keep their foot on the pedal.

TeawhYB proves that self-awareness holds just as much importance in music as infectious hooks and vocals which speak directly to the soul by making statements such as “We, as in the world, can’t continue entirely the same way it has before the pandemic. We went through it together, like a relationship gone bad. We’re going to make it out but we’ll have transformed into something we weren’t before.” Putting him on your playlists is practically an act of self-care.

You can check out TeawhYB’s tracks by heading over to their SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

RYN SCOTT delivers white-knuckle rapid flows in their latest Hip Hop track ‘WHAT’S POPPIN’

Posted on 9 January 2021

Detroit-based trailblazer RYN SCOTT may not share the same acclaim as the likes of Eminem, Tech N9ne, Busta Rhymes, or Twista (yet), but one thing he does have in common with the aforementioned artists is their ability to wax lyrical.

Lock into RYN SCOTT’s rap bars in the remix of their fervent track, ‘WHAT’S POPPIN’, and you’re in for a white-knuckle ride as the relentlessly rapid bars roll through their witty ingenuity. With lines as heavy and poignant as ‘so many people wearing a mask over the ones they already have’ and the sheer volition projected into the production, hitting confirms that RYN SCOTT is one to watch.

You can check out the official music video to RYN SCOTT’s latest release by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Vvs1 – NEVA FLIP: Confrontationally Catchy Hip Hop

Posted on 6 January 2021

Rap trailblazer, Vvs1, is set to amass even more hype around his confrontationally catchy Hip Hop style after the release of his latest single ‘NEVA FLIP’, produced by KOBOY, released through DNA Records.

With plenty of odes to old school gangster hip hop in the high-energy grime-laden contemporary mix, raw aggression is put against chiming beats and bass-riding slams of the 808s; making sure that your attention never falters from the entrancing progressions.

With their authentic style, commercial appeal and capacity for ingeniously ominous lyrical wit, Vvs1 is more than capable of making plenty of waves in 2021 and beyond.

You can check out the official music video to NEVA FLIP which dropped on December 15th by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

BosMadeLD takes us to East Coast Hip Hop Heaven via the ‘GraveYard’

Posted on 26 December 2020

Kicking off with a nicely phased solo guitar part before the bass thumps in and the hi-hats and snare join us, BosMadeLD’s latest track is proper old-school hip hop – explicit, in your face, honest, raw, and truthful.

The Mississipi-hailing artist delivered touches of Nas, 2-Pac maybe, that New York East Coast, Mass Appeal Records, Fashawn, Run The Jewels, Boldy James kind of vibe – all nine millimetres and smooth, relaxed flow sitting atop chilled yet urgent beats and a grooving bassline. BosMadeLD’s vocal is nonchalant yet powerful, poetic lyrics mixed with some serious imagery and delivery, and yeah, it’s got thump. This is proper rap, make no mistake, chest-thrusting, strutting, enjoyable, chilled, and tense all at once. Dope.

Check out BosMadeLD’s track GraveYard on YouTube.

Review by Alex Holmes

Dan Nicholson demonstrates their inspiring resilience with ‘Lord Knows’

Posted on 24 December 2020

‘Lord Knows’ is the standout track from Arizona born and raised Rap artist, Dan Nicholson’s, second album ‘What Came Next’. Hip Hop doesn’t get much more visceral than the commanding hit which pays ode to the artist’s influences Nas, Slick Rick and the Notorious B.I.G., yet, there’s no room to question whether Lord Knows came directly from Dan Nicholson’s frustrated yet determined soul.

If you need some motivation to stay on track, you’ll find it in Lord Knows as Dan Nicholson demonstrates their inspiring resilience.

From the first verse, you’re assured that Dan Nicholson is an artist with invaluable introspection. The standout single becomes so much more than an aural experience as you become transfixed by the succinct rhythms in the Old School Hip Hop hit and left hanging off every perfectly metered word in this fiery yet meditatively intellectual single.

You can check out Dan Nicholson’s emotive album What Came Next by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Taurean Meacham has released their chillingly soulful Hip Hop single ‘Seth’ feat. Aka J. Gatsby

Posted on 19 December 2020

Every now and again, I discover an artist who affirms that I’m not as aurally jaded as I often proclaim to be, the goosebumps left by Taurean Meacham’s single ‘Seth’ featuring Aka J. Gatsby was one of those rare aural gems which reminded me of my capacity to feel at music’s command.

Seth is just one of the singles which can be found on The Hawaiian-based RnB HipHop artist’s 2020 album ‘BLAKK RADIKAL’. Soul radiates through the Old School-inspired production through the sensually dreamy instrumentals and, of course, through Taurean Meacham’s conscious lyricism. Even if I listened to Seth 1,000 times, I have no doubt I would be able to pick new wisdom out of the lyrics. It’s pure urban poetry and it would be criminal for Taurean Meacham’s powerful introspection to be overlooked.

Labelling the track as mesmeric wouldn’t be an over-exaggeration.

You can check out Taurean Meacham’s chillingly soulful Hip Hop album for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Let Neza take you to school with his authoritatively adrenalizing Hip Hop track ‘Class-N-Session’

Posted on 16 December 2020

‘Genius’ isn’t a word I like to bound around a lot, but there is no adjective more apt when it comes to describing US Rap artist Neza and their explosive, witty and effortlessly charismatic sound.

Their latest album ‘My Imaginary Reality’ is a solid offering of meta urban alchemy which not-so-gently disturbs the complacency of your psyche by reminding you that none of your memories are real and your experience in life is entirely subjective.

The standout track, Class-N-Session, is the perfect introduction to Neza’s mischievously adrenalizing approach to Hip Hop. With a rap flow which could rival Butah Rhymes and their expansive multi-layered instrumentals which make it clear that there are very few constraints on Neza’s expression, it’s hard not to get excited about this artist’s potential. Hitting play on Class-N-Session instantly pays off, you’d be hard-pressed to find another contemporary artist who throws themselves into their mixes as viscerally as Neza.

You can check out Class-N-Session for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast