Browsing Tag

Soul Hip Hop

Wordplay turns into a lyrical riot in Zay Gatsby’s standout single, ‘Ain’t Finished’.

Posted on 5 April 2021

A year on from his debut release, hip hop artist Zay Gatsby is here to remind us that he ‘Ain’t Finished’, with the standout single from their latest album, ‘New Reign’.

His experimentation with wordplay practically ends up as a literary riot as he playfully, domineeringly lays down metaphors left right and centre in the upraising track that pulls from a myriad of hip hop, electronica and soul styles.

With old school urban grit, trippy trap textures and glitchy beats, Ain’t Finished offers a vibe that you’ll definitely want to introduce to your playlists.

New Reign is now available to stream and purchase via Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jaron Smalls – Aint’ Plan It featuring Jack Doyo: Passionately Gritty RnB Hip Hop

Posted on 9 January 2021
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n2WjlWM7B8fGpHBwfbcqjzaE1hUvgopIk

With his latest single, ‘Ain’t Plan It’, North Carolina independent artist, Jaron Smalls, proved that slamming cotemporary feats of RnB Hip Hop don’t need to compromise when it comes to offering lashings of soul.

The stylistically diverse track exhibits the best of the artist’s passionately gritty approach to production which knows no bounds when it comes to pulling from a plethora of genres, but in its essence, Ain’t Plan It is a served-straight-from-the-soul exposition of the complexities of modern romance. It’s a rollercoaster and rollercoasters don’t come much more salacious than Ain’t Plan It.

You can check out Jaron Smalls’ latest track Ain’t Plan It via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cam Be – Right Now (Feat. Neak and Sam Trump)

Posted on 23 December 2020
https://soundcloud.com/cam-be/06-cam-be-right-now-master?in=cam-be/sets/summer-in-september-masters

If a trio of well-regarded collaborative albums (2007’s ‘Wake Up’, ‘Rebirth’ in 2010, and ‘Be Free’ in 2015), and a first solo album (2018’s ‘7 Steps To 7’) as an accompaniment to your own photographic exhibition isn’t achievement enough, how about being an Emmy Award-winning director? Well, it seems world domination isn’t enough for Nu-Soul artist Cam Be, now returning with his second solo album ‘Summer In September’, from which new single ‘Right Now’ is taken.

‘Jazzy soulful hip-hop funk’ isn’t really a genre in itself, but with Cam Be’s groove and the collaborative input of Neak and Sam Trump (including some absolutely salacious trumpet work liberally sprinkled across the beats), it really should be.

Trump’s horn adds some vibrant, jazzy colour to the piano and funk bass, while the collaboration of Neak (son of one-quarter of R&B/Soul/Gospel legends The Kelly Brothers’ Robert Kelly) adds some additional hip hop grind and flow to Cam Be’s already smooth and soulful rap.

‘Right Now’ really is top drawer soulful hip hop with some serious jazz-funk undertones, and a perfect introduction to the just-released ‘Summer In September’. Check out ‘Right Now’ on Soundcloud now, and follow Cam Be, and find ‘Summer In September’, on Facebook or here.

Review by Alex Holmes

Ace Reign drops 5 star flows with ”Love Me Anyway”

Posted on 7 June 2020

I love it when Emcee’s flow with such conviction but keep it all natural. Ace Reign has just done precisely that with her latest single, the beautifully crafted ”Love Me Anyway”.

Constant enlightenment is a such a necessity right now in the mask-filled world that we find ourselves in. Too often we watch and listen to sub-standard content just to pass time.  No longer. This is a fantastic Hip Hop song with a bit of soul sprinkled in with a touch of R&B love to fill up this tasty sandwich for us to happily consume.

”Love Me Anyway” is a story of unconditional love, despite our flaws, loving someone deep down where you can see their heart. Pure & real, being patient with each other and making that extra effort to make it work. That indescribable feeling when you are with someone who makes you feel special always, no matter what.

Washington, DC’s Ace Reign has just released the lovers anthem of the year as she flows with such a calming and confident manner while also showing her vulnerable side with honest storytelling. This is an Emcee in her prime and with ”Love Me Anyway”, she shows us all that love can be quite simple and we just have to really believe in each other for it to truly work and be memorable.

Click here for the SoundCloud music of this soulful R&B Emcee.

Review by Llewelyn Screen