Browsing Tag

trap

Lana Volkov shared her ‘Fast Lane Fever’ in her debut trap track, ft Ayobaro

By putting the melodies in her debut trap pop track, Fast Lane Fever, into first gear, the up-and-coming artist Lana Volkov only needed half the duration of your average pop hit to craft the ultimate driving anthem.

With the collaborating artist Ayobaro in the passenger seat, Volkov orchestrated a sultry testament to her ability to stay in her own lane when it comes to creativity. The hypnotic textures within Fast Lane Fever will pull you right into the alluringly immersive mix that seamlessly progresses from hyper-pop momentum to trippy wavey ambient interludes that allow sensuality to take the wheel.

If her sound is this polished in her debut release, we can’t wait to hear what is in the pipeline; she ticks all the right trap boxes with her intoxicating vocals, absorbing melodies and infectiously siren-esque energy.

Fast Lane Fever hit the airwaves on 11th August; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Essilfie took gospel out of the church with her lush trap hit, Prayed Up

Since making her debut, the Ghanaian soul and R&B singer-songwriter, Essilfie, has established herself as one of the most dynamic artists in the game. With no genre off the table, anticipating her next move is impossible, but it is always effortless to get in the groove of her latest releases; take her latest trap and hip-hop-infused hit, Prayed Up as the perfect example.

The gritty conviction in her spoken-word rap bars is only matched by the lush sultry appeal of the reverb that spills from the instrumentals in the single that breaks the monocultural could for starters and obliterates genre and geographical boundaries for a triadic triumphant exhibition of authenticity.

As luxe as a Jay Z hip-hop production, as soulful as a Sade single, and as introspective as, well, she set her own bar here, the single that speaks through an alter-ego to traverse themes of resilience and faith is one to meditate on.

Check out Prayed Up on all major streaming platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

3NSTY haunted the trap genre with his latest single, rip/vip

https://soundcloud.com/prodsne/wake-n-bake?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1&si=4C6C9B9C1D7946469FB721EE9468A6AD&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Bringing an eerie baroque, and almost honkytonk, touch to the trap genre is the latest single, rip/vip, from artist and enigma 3NSTY, who has gained a cult following for the resonance in his lyricism that predominantly traverses themes of alienation and depression.

With the horror-esque sound effects atop the artfully dark piano keys beneath his mumbled with relatable malaise rap bars, the track drips visceral melancholy as it ingeniously explores the juxtaposition between the two anacronyms. Anyone with a proclivity towards ennui and dejection will know that the two statuses are equally desirable when you’re psychologically scraping the barrel for serotonin.

rip/vip is now available to stream on SoundCloud along with the LP from which it was taken, Insomnia. 

Follow 3NSTY on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get your Latin Trap ecstasy hit with FJP’s latest drop, Molly Party

FJP’s latest single, Molly Party, dropped (or should that be came up?) on the 14th of July to blur the boundaries between Latin Trap and the evolution from Jamaican dancehall, Dembow, and to generate a fierce party rocking with conviction and culture hit that could fill any Bronx dancefloor.

With a sound so hedonistically filthy that you’ll get a contact high from your speakers as the bass and harsh snares are blazing through them, there’s no better hit to get your party started – literally.

To create his galvanising distinctive sonic signature, the Dominican Bronx-born-and-raised artist fuses his Latin Caribbean roots with eclectic hip-hop influences to produce riddim-riding anthems that will safely secure his place on the Bronx hip-hop map.

Add Molly Party to your Spotify playlists.

Keep up to date with the latest releases from FJP on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kilabear sang the blasé trap blues in his melodic hit, IDC

The 18-year-old Baltimore-born Gettysburg, PA-raised rap artist, Kilabear, has proven to be one of the most dynamic trap artists in the game since he started releasing his music in 2019. Whether he’s creating adrenalizing high-octane hook-filled hits or getting mellow with his euphonically polyphonic keys & synths, one thing remains a constant – his determination to make each of his projects visceral and emotion-driven.

His standout single, IDC, from his 2022 LP, 101, is an immersive synthesis of blissfully toned chiptune melodies and honeyed harmonies arranged in a sharp killer cadence. While Kilabear signs the blasé trap blues, he invites his listener into a world of escapism, which stems from his tendency to use music as an outlet and sanctuary.

After losing his dad when he was two years old and being passed from domestic pillar to post as his family contended with financial issues, he’s experienced the extreme lows that give him a razor-sharp sense of resonant empathy, which is just one of the reasons why his fans can’t get enough of his relatable, raw, and melancholic tracks.

Stream & purchase IDC on Apple Music or add the track to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MANTRABLU tripped out trap in his latest juggernaut of a track, NIPTUCK

Brooklyn-based singer, rapper, and producer MANTRABLU has dropped his juggernaut of an experimental trap hit, NIPTUCK; with the razor-sharp wit and equally as cutting trip-hop atmosphere, few urban originators have as much edge as the artist who takes his influence from everything from math rock to neo-soul to jazz-funk.

After a wavy chiptune prelude, MANTRABLU’s rolling-with-the-punches rap bars adrenalize the texturally complex soundscape that stands as a testament to his trailblazing authenticity. Get behind him or get out of the way, because if any contemporary artist has what it takes to make a fresh mark on the Brooklyn hip-hop landscape it is him – especially now he’s breaking away from his production-focused discography and going back to his origins as a songwriter.

Stream NIPTUCK which hit the airwaves in May 2023 on Spotify and Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

THE VISION blurred sonic boundaries beyond definition in his latest rocksteady with vibes production, WANNA KNOW

Sonic boundaries blurred beyond definition in the latest single, WANNA KNOW, from the London-based fusionist artist, engineer, and producer, THE VISION. Instead of pandering to arbitrary stylistic parameters, the alternative artist let rhythm and soul take the wheel and drive with the top down while painting a contemporary love story with more twists than a Shakespearean tragedy.

With so many lyrical layers to unpeel in WANNA KNOW, the trap pop hit spills a narrative that keeps giving with every listen; lock into the lyricism or lose yourself in the steamy synthetics of the hit, that provides the ultimate soundtrack to hazy summer nights with the Afrobeat rhythms, pop hooks, trap beats and deeply reverberant RnB vocal melodies.

WANNA KNOW hit the airwaves on the 14th of July; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Azure Kai is intoxicating in their pseudo-trap hit, Fine Wine 

Azure Kai kicked off their latest single, Fine Wine, by riding the vaporwave trend and running through with pseudo-trap percussion before the RnB-spliced hit starts to lavish the single with soul.
Many experimental artists solely rely on genre fluidity to make a distinctive mark on the musical landscape, but that is only the start for Azure Kai; beyond their creative versatility is the core of Kai’s authenticity. Their infectiously playful approach to their witty wordplay works in parallel to their sense of humour, which would give most stand-up comedians a run for their money.
Fine Wine ripped up the rulebook of traditional love songs; the un-archetypal hit is infinitely more arrestive for it, all thanks to Kai’s uninhibited expressive style, which throws pretence to the wayside to expose the heart on their superlative sleeve.
Stream Fine Wine on YouTube.
Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get Caught on the Hooks of Im Ty’s Latest High-Vibe Trap Pop Hit, Baddie

The Washington-born, Maryland-raised independent trap artist Im Ty gave his steadily growing army of fans a new addictively rhythmic fix with his latest single, Baddie.

Since his debut, Im Ty has gone down as one of the most dynamic names in the trap scene with this captivatingly authentic music and heart-of-gold-in-spite-of-honest-bad-intentions persona. If there is any room for more marks on the Maryland map, there are few artists more deserving of going down in hip-hop history than Im Ty after dropping Baddie on the airwaves.

Staying true to form, Baddie was created through his relentless MO to deliver infectious beats and melodies that will tattoo themselves across your mind as fast as tear-drop tattoos manifest as soon as they’re earned in the hood.

With elements of hip-hop, RnB & pop worked into the vibe-steady and dance-worthy hit that paints a relatable portrait of a modern femme fatale and advocates confidence and self-expression, there are hooks and high-energy harmonic accordance by the smorgasbord.

Stream Baddie on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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