Browsing Tag

Rnb Hip Hop

Jaeya poured the perfect sonic summer cocktail in her genre-fluid hit, 510

Posted on 9 September 2023

Taken from her seminal retrowave hip-hop EP, BAYANI, the up-and-coming artist, Jaeya’s slick with sublime style standout single, 510, is a melodic cruise through ingenuity and gripping grooves that will hold your rhythmic pulses like a vice.

Her sun-kissed amalgamation of RnB pop vox and tropic hip-hop beats unravels as the perfect sonic summer cocktail that you can savour time after time to devour her witty wordplay and the introspection that allows her bars to hit so resonantly hard.

Even at a young age, the Bay Area Filipinx artist’s creativity knows relatively few bounds; she’s made herself known in Cali and beyond for her songwriting and emcee skills. Her debut EP flawlessly exhibits her cultural contribution to the music industry, and her ability to fuse urban genres until they’re an intoxicating pool of refreshingly curve-transcending bliss.

Stream 510 on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Specyal T pioneered nostalgia for her boundary-breaking boom-bap RnB pop track, Double Take

Posted on 6 September 2023

Canada’s hottest RnB artist, Specyal T, brought enough heat in her LP, Foresight, to start an inferno. The standout single, Double Take, runs through with funk-laced retro synths to carve the grooves and boom-bap beats to deliver rhythms that will intoxicate your rhythmic pulses.

With the fiery old school rap bars in the verses and lashings of luxe soul in the harmonised vocal lines, Specyal T ensured their seminal hit was dripping in dynamism to accentuate the pioneered and manicured nostalgia.

The Caribbean-Canadian artist splits her talents between her vocations as a pro musician, actor and executive; her multi-award-winning tracks have featured on several popular TV channels, and her hits have been heard on commercial radio stations across Europe and North America. After working its way into her boundary-pushing LP, Double Take will also feature in the soundtrack to the 2023 film Alarmed. 

Stream the Album Version of Double Take for yourselves by heading over to Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Poet Initiative served up summer in his melodic RnB hip-hop EP Ocean Drive

Posted on 26 July 2023
Poet Initiative

After starting his creative journey as a poet, the London, UK-residing artist Poet Initiative took the initiative to establish himself as one of the most versatile hip-hop artists in the UK. His earwormy melodies are accentuated by the influence of Reggaeton, Japanese hip-hop, Korean hip-hop and the UK garage scene. To get a taste of his freshly honed sonic flavour, delve into his debut 4-track EP, Ocean Drive.

While many artists are quick to describe themselves as versatile, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more dynamic release than this. With grooves strong enough to elevate any mood, Ocean Drive reached the pinnacle of a universal playlist staple. With the good vibes and even better rhythmics, Ocean Drive is a stellar seminal EP that hits sweet spots you didn’t know existed.

Poet Initiative said:

“Ocean Drive reflects my evolving sound. I’ve always found myself caught between wanting to create music you can dance to but also kick back to. The catchy hooks and warm melodies in my EP combine that.

This EP is underpinned by the overarching message to have fun, be yourself, enjoy those long summer nights, party in the sunshine, and make the most of those moments’ life gives you.”

Ocean Drive will be available on all major platforms on July 26th. Pre-save the single on Spotify.

Keep up to date with the latest releases from Poet Initiative on Instagram and TikTok.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Drift away with WIN’s latest single, Goodnight, and see why he is the brightest Bronx trap luminary in 2023

Posted on 12 July 2023

Smooth out your playlists with the latest RnB-infused, pseudo-trap lullaby, Goodnight, from the up-and-coming urban trailblazer WIN.

With dreamy jazz nuances worked into the soporific mix, Goodnight is a soulfully musical exhibition of the Bronx-hailing recording artist’s talent and ingenuity, which has seen him performing at a series of high-profile music festivals, including Harlem Art Festival, SXSW, and Daze Summit.

With his melodic uptempo spoken-word bars dominating the hazy mix, there are few vibe-out tracks that succeed in spilling catharsis and feel-good energy simultaneously in this vein. With his infectiously enigmatic charisma paired with his cutting wordplay skills that paint vivid vignettes of life in the Bronx, you can consider WIN as the brightest trap luminary in. 2023.

Goodnight hit the airwaves on June 7th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Awesome Crew turned back the hip-hop clock with ‘Back in the Days’

Posted on 6 July 2023

With more old-school appeal than DJ Jazzy Jeff, the latest nostalgia hit, Back in the Days, from The Awesome Crew is a trip back in time you will want to take time and time again. The ascending melodic keys against the scratching turntables and slow-tempo rap verses will leave you on the razor-sharp hook of the hit, which takes nothing seriously but the soul.

The modern era of hip-hop left its mark on the tonally scintillating record through the RnB infusions, but in terms of attitude, Back in the Days will safely transplant you on the streets of Brooklyn while the 80s were in full swing.

While many modern hip-hop acts are keen to emanate the 80s, The Awesome Crew are one of the only MC outfits that have seen the 80s and thrived within the hip-hop landscape; founded by Smooth D, Daddy D, and Classy D, the history of The Awesome Crew stems back to 1986. Tragically, Smooth D was shot and killed in 1993, but the remaining members are still working tirelessly to secure his and their legacy. Based on Back in the Days, they’ve profoundly succeeded.

Stream Back in the Days on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Take yourself to a higher plateau with Flvmo’s lo-fi indie hip-hop single, 33, ft. BYND & Keem Kooley

Posted on 5 July 2023

After cutting his teeth in the industry for almost a decade, Flvmo’s standout single, 33, couldn’t be more honed. Created in collaboration with BYND and Keem Kooley, the versatile hit leaves you questioning where it will take you next with every progression. While the stylistic aural curveballs keep you on your toes, your rhythmic pulses will find it all too easy to get into the grooves.

Fusing lo-fi indie vibes, melodically mellow hip-hop energy and RnB pop harmonies created an immersively irreplicable sonic palette, which will leave you on cloud nine from the first spin.

If you are anything like me and you’re sick of only finding ego-driven extroverts on the airwaves and you want to bed down with some soul from an introvert exposing his vulnerability in an intimately relatable way, prepare for a fistful of resonance.

Stream 33 on Spotify now. If you get a taste for Flvmo’s distinctively addictive flavour from 33, dig into his debut LP, Mind in a Mason Jar.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Heir to the St Louis rap scene, K!NG QUE, created alt-hip-hop ‘Perfection’ in his latest single, ft Zaetheone, Daemon & Von Mitch 

Posted on 28 June 2023
For his latest single, Perfection, the prodigal son of alt-hip hop, K!NG QUE (AKA the Melodic Rebel), joined creative forces with Zaetheone, Daemon & Von Mitch and took over the St. Louis rap scene in the process.
Seeing barriers as sonic constraints to unshackle himself from, K!NG QUE created sultry groove-slicked production that exhibits the alchemy that breeds between the contrasting and complementary vocal timbres while the body-rocking beats and melodies to perpetually ascend in the RnB and Reggaeton wrapped mix. Very few contemporary hits have what it takes to take you to the heights Perfection does.
The dynamic versatility reverberating at its core is the evolution hip-hop was crying out for. From ethereal female vocal lines to rap bars with a cadence that punctuates the mix as much as the basslines to euphoric builds to just as galvanising breaks, Perfection just keeps on giving.
Stream Perfection on Spotify now.
Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chicago hip-hop duo, It’s a Cool Day, extrapolated ‘The Butterfly Effect’ in their debut

Posted on 27 June 2023

The Chicago duo, It’s a Cool Day put the trip in trip-hop by unveiling their elevated debut single, The Butterfly Effect, which fuses lush RnB melodies and harmonies with smooth rap verses and a pseudo-trap beat that becomes the centre of sonic gravity in the wavy, gravitas-packed single.

Craig Lowe and Derion Scroggins ripped up the urban rulebook and scattered the confetti through the vibe-steady hit, which spills a smorgasbord of soul as it mellowly progresses around the poetically ardent wordplay. Cathartic and convictive in its sense of passion, The Butterfly Effect is all the evidence you need that romance isn’t dead and that It’s a Cool Day has exactly what it takes to reign supreme in the Chicago scene and beyond.

The Butterfly Effect is now available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get into the soulful hip-hop groove with the collaborative alchemy that spilt between Giuseppe Grondona, Lisabel & Nikola Kovacevic in ‘Mar My Mind’.

Posted on 22 June 2023

Giuseppe Grondona, Lisabel, and Nikola Kovacevic got into the urban groove with their collaborative RnB rendezvous, Mar My Mind, which is due for official release on June 22nd.

With the tantalising time signatures in the backbeat, the jazzy-with-soul melodious layers which allow the soundscape to gel with gravitas, and the affectionately easeful flow of the vocal harmonies, Mar My Mind is all too efficacious in its ability to leave an imprint on your sentimental senses.

Finding the perfect middle ground between syncopated innovation and 90s RnB nostalgia, the triad of luminary artists created the ultimate proclamation of resilience. Written within the lush layers of soul is the testament that, no matter what life throws at you, getting bitter is never the only inevitability.

Stream Mar My Mind via Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kalalea is set to take over the Hawaiian hip-hop and island RnB scene with his latest single, Taurus

Posted on 29 May 2023

Very few head-over-the-heels-of-romantic-hedonism soundtracks hit as hard as the latest single, Taurus, from the Hawaiian Native, Kalalea, who is making all the right moves to take over the Hawaiian hip-hop and island RnB scene.

His fiery brand of soul in the future-ready production that transcends trends will leave knees weak and speakers hot once the steamy single kicks into full flow with the trap beats lighting a fire under his passion-slicked vocal lines, which celebrate the sensual and provocative power of Tauruses.

When he’s not orchestrating summer playlist staples, he’s integrated into the film and design industry; just to affirm that his talents are as multifaceted as they are virtuosic.

Taurus hit the airwaves on May 20; get into the groove of it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast