Browsing Tag

trap

Sapuis wore his heart on his bars in ‘RIP SAM’

Posted on 8 November 2024

In one of his most visceral tracks to date, ’RIP SAM’, the up-and-coming independent hip-hop artist Sapuis wore his heart on his bars and let the dark trap instrumentals set an ensnaring tone.

The atmospherically cinematic track uses a big beat production with wavy aesthetics to amplify the sense of disquietude that Sapuis storms through with his lyrics that prove that few rappers on the scene know how to flex fortitude as intensely as the icon in the making who, with every track, is making his way up from the underground and into the mainstream.

The launch of his 2024 LP, Before I Die, marked a pivotal chapter in Sapuis’ career; with enough perseverance, there’s no reason why he couldn’t become the hottest lyrical waxer of his generation. The way his articulation flexes to the beat is cooking up serious heat.

Stream RIP SAM with the rest of Sapuis’ discography via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kilabear created a sonic sanctuary for the disillusioned with his dark trap stormer, leave me alone

Posted on 9 October 2024
Kilabear

In leave me alone, the alt-rap pioneer, Kilabear, stakes his claim as the dark sovereign of trap, invoking a prelude reminiscent of Sisters of Mercy, only to shatter the gothic serenity with a bass-heavy beat that propels us into his world of brooding introspection. The track is a raw confluence where the polished production of pop and the grit of trap music coalesce into an evocative vignette of how desperation for isolation can swarm the psyche.

Kilabear’s verses, laden with a poignant candour, penetrate relatable melancholy deep into the mix; his words don’t just hit close to the bone, they soak into the marrow as you’re confronted with unfeigned vulnerability, which acts as an olive branch to connect through one of life’s most solitary experiences. If you’ve ever wanted to withdraw into the recesses of your own spirit through disillusionment and scorn, consider leave me alone you’re new sonic sanctuary.

With his music, Kilabear addresses themes of heartbreak, substance abuse, and the everyday struggles that often go unspoken. leave me alone is a testament to his fearlessness in exposing unvarnished truth.

leave me alone will be available to stream on all major platforms from October 9th; check out the single on Spotify and Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Caleb X ticked all the right dream trap boxes in ‘Ricky Hoodie’

Posted on 6 October 2024

Caleb X’s standout single, Ricky Hoodie, drawn from his third LP, Dreams of Rodeo, introduces listeners to a dreamscape where the trap genre isn’t just revisited; it’s reinvented. The track embodies a dreamy trap aesthetic that could lift the heaviest souls to ethereal heights with its light, transcendent tonality. The instrumental work is nothing short of entrancing, setting a cloud-like stage for Caleb X’s vocals.

His verses meld the sticky sweetness of pop harmonies with the sharp cadence of hip-hop, demonstrating his unique flair for bridging genres. It’s a polyphonic exploration that promises to peel back layers of the mundane and add a fresh sound to any vibe-out playlist. Ricky Hoodie ticks every proverbial box for what dream trap can aspire to be—polyphonic, innovative, and utterly mesmerising without resorting to cliché.

Caleb X, hailing from Atlanta, continually defies the ordinary, shaping sounds that refuse to be shackled by the conventional boundaries of trap music. With each new release, he distinguishes himself from his contemporaries by bending sonic boundaries towards his creative will.

Stream and purchase the 3rd LP from Caleb X on Apple Music and Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Skinny Blacks fired up a new wave of hip-hop with his hypersonically hot track, Getaway Bae

Posted on 20 September 2024

With roots stretching from South London to St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, Skinny Blacks delivered a pulsating summer anthem with Getaway Bae. If you’re searching for a track that hits harder than a heatwave in July, this high-octane single offers everything you’d expect from an artist fusing his Jamaican heritage with trap-heavy beats.

In an era where so much hip-hop sounds formulaic, Skinny Blacks smashes through the monotony with energy levels that could power a city. The track comes with the unrelenting force of a tropical storm, combining rhythmic precision with an edge that demands a replay.

By blending melodic rap with bold trap production, Skinny Blacks crafted an adrenalised hit for the wanderlust generation. Lyrically, it’s an unapologetic testament to being in control of your destiny, and musically, it’s a blueprint for the new direction UK rap is taking. It’s clear Skinny Blacks isn’t just riding the wave – he’s creating his own tsunami in the scene.

Getaway Bae was officially released on September 1st; stream the single on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Salon is an icon of raw authenticity in his alt-rap hit, About Me, I’m Real

Posted on 10 July 2024

Salon’s latest single, About Me, I’m Real, is an unflinching testament to the power of raw, unfiltered self-expression in a world that often demands the opposite.

The heart-piercingly poignant single doesn’t just hit close to the bone, it’s enough to tear your soul in two through the choked-with-emotion vibrato in the vocals, the strident reflections of a frenetic soul through hyper-pop hooks, and the intimately intricate guitar layers which conjure elements of Midwest emo into this alt-rap hit, which serves as a visceral statement of intent from an artist determined true to himself, regardless of whether facades would serve him better.

Each lyric hammers intense emotion into your psyche, guiding you through a bittersweet lament of how authenticity can be your downfall. This track leaves no listener unscathed; its confessional nature, while pensive, invites you to embrace your own idiosyncrasies and reject incessant pressure to conform.

Since 2018, Salon has used music as therapy, transposing feelings into something tangible in the same vein as the late Chester Bennington, who left a sonic void of catharsis behind. Bennington is a big artist to live up to, but Salon, with his ability to turn vulnerability into salvation is succeeding on a profound level.

About Me, I’m Real was officially released on July 5th; stream the single on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

$chaff the Prophet – TELEPHONE: The Cosmic Psych-Trap Track You Won’t Be Able to Put Down

Posted on 13 June 2024

$chaff the Prophet burst through the bubblegum pop trend and established his own cosmic bubblegum psych trap niche with his second LP for 2024, PSYCHEDELIC BUBBLEGUM.

The standout single, TELEPHONE, is an electrifying synth-driven kaleidoscopic synthesis of 8Bit, trap, hyperpop, and Owl City-esque electronica. If the viscerally hued sonics of the track don’t ensnare you, $chaff the Prophet’s sticky-sweet approach to painting a neon-lit vignette of a lonely protagonist searching for connection while keeping social life in the palm of her hand hits hard enough to bruise.

The exposition of how easy it is to get “lost in information, pixels and tones” couldn’t hit closer to home now given the hyperconnected nature of Gen Z and Gen Alpha. The artist’s signature arpeggios lend themselves effortlessly well to the playful yet empathy-evoking production, which shows just how far $chaff the Prophet has come since the launch of his debut in 2019. Now 11 LPs deep, his authentic sound has become so cultivated that he deserves to be revered as a pioneer in his own right.

TELEPHONE is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

7ELIX found a new depth in intimacy with his emo rap vignette,  ‘CALLMEWHENYOUGETBACK’

Posted on 30 May 2024

CALLMEWHENYOUGETBACK taken from 7ELIX’s seminal LP, emergency exit, pt.3: death of a memory, is the perfect introduction to the Asheville, NC-born artist’s music which is offered as a salve for the outcasted soul.

The songwriter, producer and audio engineer created the ultimate testament to his motivation to advocate for mental health and suicide awareness by orchestrating this confessionally evocative emo-rap vignette of vulnerability. By illustrating the power of candid expression and giving an outlet for jagged emotions that become scars if they’re harboured for too long, he gave a lesson in catharsis in CALLMEWHENYOUGETBACK.

The light production work on the intricately melodic track ensures that none of the visceral sincerity from the recording was stripped away. Painted in nocturnal light that depicts the intimacy of late-night thoughts cascading into vocalisation, CALLMEWHENYOUGETBACK captures 7ELIX at his most uninhibited as he attempts to hold onto a relationship that is precariously hanging in the balance despite his tight grip on the affections that bring warmth to the bittersweet release.

It’s a heart-wrenchingly authentic release which is a clear sign of even bigger things to come from 7ELIX. We can’t wait to hear what’s lingering in the prodigy’s timeline.

CALLMEWHENYOUGETBACK is available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

I AM Cricchi unveiled his soul in his genre-defying journey of an LP, The Road Back

Posted on 9 May 2024

In his fourth album, The Road Back, the chart-topping urban evocateur I AM Cricchi locked and loaded enough heavy emotional artillery to wage war on the airwaves. The release is a continuation of his commitment to drawing out poison through self-expression, resulting in a visceral anthology that fervently spans the entire emotional spectrum. Stylistically, Cricchi organically matches the psychological dynamism by seamlessly shifting between and melding elements of hip-hop, country, trap, RnB and pop; never assimilating his influences, Will Smith, Nelly, Kid Rock, John Mayer, Alan Jackson, Jelly Roll and Colt Ford, but emulating their ability to melodically envelop you within their emotional projections.

Even after the opening single, Deep Thoughts, the weight of the album that strips the Maryland-born, Texas-based artist’s soul bare, rests heavy. Yet, none of the vulnerable confessionalism within the lyrics or aching sonic motifs feels overbearing or oppressive. Instead, you fall into his world, living vicariously through the palpably cathartic dialectics, torn between intense empathy and revelling in the resonance in his authentic performance as he relives the raw feelings that became precipices to lyrically jump off.

I Gotta Grow is one of the testaments to the resilience required to overcome addiction, envision a better life and fulfil it; after losing himself to substance abuse, Cricchi practices what he preaches; it may not be your average gospel, but it can lead anyone walking to that path to salvation. Fortitude is a theme that echoes throughout the release which expertly uses euphonic acoustic elements and spatial effects to open up enough room for the emotional core for each of the singles to break through to the surface and stick with you for long after the final track fades.

Featuring a stellar line-up of collaborators, including Gringo the MC in Current Situation, Bubbly Galloway in Some Days, Jordan Meyer in Emotions, and Pirscription in Sorry I’m Late, The Road Back is a rare record where you won’t dare to skip a track.

The Road Back LP dropped on May 3rd; stream the emotionally expansive release on Spotify.

Read our interview with I AM Cricchi here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shadowed Heights: Ikechi Onyenaka Unpacks the Solitude of Success in his Neo-Trap Single, ‘Eclipse’

Posted on 7 May 2024

Ikechi Onyenaka’s latest single, ‘Eclipse,’ delivers an avant-garde blend of saxophone-laden jazz and sharp trap rhythms, underpinned by the emotional richness of neo-soul. This intrinsically authentic release evolves with each soulful progression, compelling listeners to groove along with Onyenaka’s reflective journey. Through ‘Eclipse,’ he explores the seldom-discussed loneliness accompanying success, challenging the enviable facade often associated with prosperity.

In ‘Eclipse,’ Onyenaka’s artistic versatility shines as he oscillates between rap verses and neo-soul vocal spills, each dripping with unfiltered emotion. The heavy bass and ambient synths create a nostalgic backdrop reminiscent of 90’s neo-soul, while the alto saxophone commands attention, weaving through the composition with soul-stirring authority.

By portraying the stark reality of success through the upbeat, genre-melding soundscape of neo-trap, Onyenaka not only rips up the clichéd narrative of an effortless life at the top but also emphasises the fundamental human need for connection.

Eclipse hit the airwaves on May 3rd, stream the single here now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sojourn to Tijuana with The Dream X’s Latest Serving of Hip-Hop Exoticism

Posted on 2 April 2024

After The Dream X racked up over 600k Spotify streams with his sophomore single, Tijuana, we had to know what the hype was about, and we quickly found it within the instrumental exoticism of the vibrant sojourn of a release which will leave you riding high on the waves of the oceanic production.

With the hazy melodies working in contrast to the bitter-sweet lyricism which explores the anti-climax of post-breakup hook-ups, there are as many layers to the emotions as there are to the genre-fluid instrumentals which fuse Latin guitars with a pseudo-trap backbeat and afrobeat colour.

Tijuana is the kind of track you’ll hit play on and feel the compulsion to crank up the volume until it’s slamming through your speakers and melodiously reverberating through you so you can savour the honeyed elixir which pours from The Dream X’s vocal harmonies which groove between his rap bars.

The Utah-based rapper, singer, producer, and actor is a fucking phenomenon, and we’re already desperate to hear what comes next.

Stream Tijuana on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast