Browsing Tag

trap

King J takes us to CALI with their latest single

Posted on 14 January 2021

‘CALI’ was just one of the gritty transfixing tracks dropped by up and coming US Rapper, King J, in 2020, hit play and you’ll see for yourselves that he’s one to watch in 2021.

With the harsh bassline blazoning beneath the light trappy beats which bring a touch of Cali sun to the track, it’s hard not to get immersed within the dominant, complex hit which has become a testament to King J’s trailblazing style and their ability to cook up an infectious vibe within their music.

In 2020, King J started to rise up from the underground, in 2021, he’s set to break plenty of new ground with his game-changing approach to reviving Old School Hip Hop.

You can check out the official video to CALI which dropped on November 10th by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Demo in The Flesh has released their sonorously smooth RnB Trap hit ‘First Contact’

Posted on 11 January 2021

After making their 2019 debut, Demo in the Flesh made a 2020 return with their sensually soulful RnB Trap hit ‘First Contact’.With their sonorously smooth single, Demo in the Flesh delivers refreshing romanticism which only the lucky find outside of soundscapes. With the repetition of ‘I just wanna be direct’, the artist points out how simple love can be and sends a nuanced invitation to reject inaccessible and undependable love which appears through smoke and mirrors.

The slow tempo single is as perception-shifting as it is indulgent to listen to. Here’s to hoping we’ll hear plenty more from Demo in The Flesh in 2021 and beyond.

You can check out First Contact for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jay – Luv Tape: The ultimate lo-fi hip hop breakup album

Posted on 28 December 2020

New Jersey-hailing rapper & producer Jay, (AKA Jasun Ramirez) made their debut in 2018, in 2020, they dropped their Lo-Fi Hip Hop album ‘Luv Tape’ and brought sticky-sweet romanticism to the New Wave Trap genre.

The breakup album covers pretty much every conceivable emotion which you feel following a breakup, anger, insignificance, grief, lovelorn nostalgia, you name it, the 8-tracker delivers it all with a side-serving of dreamy beats pulled together in intimately sweet productions.

You can check out Hey, Stranger along with the rest of the album ‘Luv Tape’ for yourselves via Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Māori Alt Hip-Hop artist FABLE serves evocative urban alchemy in their latest single ‘298’

Posted on 27 December 2020

After the release of their 2019 debut single, ‘Beware’, Alt Māori Hip-Hop artist, FABLE, has amassed acclaim amongst critics and fans alike, with their uniquely intimate approach to producing contemporary Hip Hop, all pretence is lost, and nothing but delicate affable soul is delivered.

Their latest release ‘298’ perfectly demonstrates that experimentation and authenticity don’t need to detract from commercial potential, with enough talent and vision, obscurity can be avoided, and new avenues for passion-driven expression can be found.

The New Zealand-hailing artist has topped charts and made plenty of waves in their local circuit but it’s only a matter of time before he starts to be internationally recognised as the pioneer of urban evocative alchemy that he discernibly is.

You can check out 298 along with FABLE’s earlier releases by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

3ripleD has dropped their blazing blasé single ‘I Don’t Mind’

Posted on 26 December 2020

Rolling, thumping, and with some sublime flow, comes Dallas-based 3ripleD’s new single ‘I Don’t Mind’. Leading into his new album ‘Practice Makes Perfect’, ‘I Don’t Mind’ is fast, cracking hip hop, all metaphor and lyrical poetry, delivered in a sing-song vocal overdramatic chiming synth, bass, and beats.

It’s an excellent sampler for 3ripleD’s work, reminiscent of artists like Lil’ Wayne, Biggie Smalls, 2 Chains, or Young Money. 3ripleD is clearly a talented artist with plenty to say, his rhythmic and elegiac delivery matched by the composition of the track behind. Look out for the full ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ album, and check out ‘I Don’t Mind’ right now.

Hear ‘I Don’t Mind’ on Spotify; check out 3ripleD on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Ric – Airfare: The Jet Setting Hip Hop Fix We All Undoubtedly Need in 2020

Posted on 25 December 2020

San Diego-based Hip Hop artist, Ric’s rhythmic flow is as fluid as a waterfall in their latest single ‘Airfare’ which dropped on November 12th.

Even though Airfare doesn’t hit a heavy tempo, the passion, energy and soul  projected into the mix through the lyrics is perceptible with every syllable. You’ll be hooked in from the first verse in the culturally-eclectic mix where you’ll hear hints of Eastern rhythm in the transcendently polished production.

Airfare will undoubtedly give plenty of Hip Hop fans the jet setting fix they need after global traversing pretty much came to a halt in 2020. This high-vibe hit is a powerful reminder that our wanderlust cravings will be sated again one day.

You can check out Airfare for yourselves by heading over to Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mic Hamm sends an invitation to feel with their forthcoming evocatively deep release ‘Pain’

Posted on 23 December 2020
Mic Hamm

Written in response to deep personal tragedy, Mic Hamm’s ‘Pain’ is an intimate, emotionally deep Hip Hop track, all fast flow vocal, rolling piano part, and thumping programmed 808 drum beats. It’s a classy single, dealing with loss, heartbreak, the breakup of a relationship, death, and disappointment, all the while musically well-constructed, overlapping rapped vocals sitting atop soft mellow piano and trappy beats.

Hamm’s sing-song lyrical style and confessional poetic vocal carry the track, the underlying beats and keyboards adding depth and grace and sophistication. ‘Pain’ might have come from a dark, low place, but there’s clearly much, much better things on the horizon for Mic Hamm.

You’ll have to wait a little bit longer before you can check out Pain for yourselves. In the meantime, head over to SoundCloud and check out the artist’s former releases.

Review by Alex Holmes

Jaxn Faw wants us all to get ‘Next To Me’ with this perfect slice of RnB-tinged indie pop

Posted on 23 December 2020

Clocking up almost a quarter of a million streams and landing on some of Spotify’s biggest playlists in your first year producing your own music is the sort of impact new artists dream of when starting out, but South Australia’s Jaxn Faw has pretty much taken those numbers and run with them. With his first independently written and produced single, ‘Block Your Number’, being name-checked on New Music Friday across Australia and New Zealand, he’s now back with new track ‘Next To Me’.

A delicious slice of slightly chilled out indie-pop, ‘Next To Me’ is a catchy little love story set to a mildly electronic backbeat and nicely bouncy synth chords, all backing Jaxn Faw’s classy upfront vocal delivery, part pop, part hip-hop flow. It’s got some R&B soul in there, alongside the catchy pop sensibilities and charming little end chorus, a touch of old school Boyz II Men or Keith Sweat sitting comfortably alongside the more obvious Ed Sheeran, James Arthur, or Lewis Capaldi references. Put simply, ‘Next To Me’ is a great little radio-friendly indie-pop song, and on the basis of this Jaxn Faw is destined to go on to greater and greater things in 2021.

Listen to ‘Next To Me’ on Spotify; check out Jaxn Faw on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

 

Kaedo has dropped their dynamically eclectic debut album ‘Overwhelmed’

Posted on 20 December 2020

After a string of successful singles, breaking Pop artist, Kaedo, has finally released their highly-anticipated debut album, ‘Overwhelmed’. Given that we’ve all spent a significant amount of time with that very same suffocatingly dizzy feeling lately, Kaeodo’s unpredictably immersive album is well worth delving into.

Each track exhibits the artist’s dynamic approach to crafting relatable hits, in the space of a single soundscape, you’re bounced from Ambient Acoustic Pop to Moody Electronic Pop with hints of RnB and Hip Hop in between for good measure. Another thing which remains constant through the 12-track release is the directness of the lyricism. With tracks such as ‘I Feel Used’, ‘What Have I Done’, ‘Lonely’ and ‘Terrified’, you’ve practically got an encyclopaedia of emotion laid out in front of you. The album leaves no room to wonder why Kaedo has been able to attract so much hype since making their debut.

You can check out Kaedo’s album Overwhelmed for yourselves via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sink into USUALLY MODEST’s poetically melodic Indie Hip Hop single ‘DESPERATE’

Posted on 19 December 2020

USUALLY MODEST has dropped their pioneeringly candid album ‘DREAMS OF LOS ANGELES’ which tightens the bond between Indie, Pop, Trap, RnB and Hip Hop and exhibits the artist’s ability to spin a compelling poetic narrative.

The perfect introduction to the 19-year-old artist’s style is DESPERATE. Most people would do anything not to appear desperate, but assuredly, USUALLY MODEST lays down those raw emotions without any hint of shame. Naturally, we found an overwhelming amount of respect for the artist relaying the emotions which most people only hear when they run through their heads in the early hours.

The soundscape is as stunning as the sentiment itself, the melodies and stunning cinematic infusions set the perfect tone for the poetic lyrics which will consume you from the first verse.

You can check out DESPERATE along with the rest of USUALLY MODEST’s album via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast