Browsing Tag

trap

0sb0rne – know me pt. 2: A Trap-Pop Production You Won’t Be Quick to Forget

Posted on 12 June 2023

You would be hard-pressed to find trap more trailblazing than what the Michigan-born, Berlin-based singer-songwriter, 0sb0rne, cooked up for his debut LP, Know me.

With moody electro-pop elements oscillating around the solid rattle of the 80s, the standout single, know me pt. 2, is two minutes of pure melancholic trap pop perfection. Stepping out from behind the shadow cast by the modernist hip-hop mould, 0sb0rne thrived in his candidly raw hit, which allows emotion to perpetuate the momentum.

His husky yet honeyed vocal lines swathe the instrumentals with soul, while the minor key melodies amplify the sting of the pensive introspection which made the release so intimately electrifying. His account of romantic digressions may be personal, but with his stellar songwriting, the experience resonates as universal.

know me pt. 2 is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Blaccstar Honcho contributed to the future of trap with his latest single, skirt

Posted on 31 May 2023
Blaccstar Honcho

Blaccstar Honcho, AKA Thearean Johnson, made his contribution to the future of the trap genre with his seminally salacious single, skirt.

The wavy, red-hot release doesn’t allow the excessive use of autotune to filter out any of the flavour in the smooth vibed-out vocal lines; it solely serves as cohesion between the trappy beats, elements of old-school atmosphere and lyricism that finds a gritty way to write a contemporary love letter, signed and sealed with seduction. Any fans of the Weeknd will undoubtedly want to drink in the dark soul of skirt, which perfectly balances light and dark to create an evocatively well-rounded release.

Check out skirt on BandLab and follow Blaccstar Honcho via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

TRELI waxed lyrical on the nature of perception in his trap track, LUX THOUGHTS

Posted on 30 May 2023

For his latest trap track, LUX THOUGHTS, the Washington DC up-and-coming luminary, TRELI went deep and dark with his introspection to illustrate how the inner workings of our mind can be our greatest enemy.

When we are at the mercy of our inner monologue, few prisoners are held; especially in the aftermath of a breakup that shakes you to your core and leaves you yearning for a brighter perspective. Written between the lines is a testament to the raw grief which manifests in the absence of someone who became a muse, confidant and the definition of the future.

LUX THOUGHTS is heavy on the melancholy with the production, which also fuses ethereal layers of old-school hip-hop, but with his deeply relatable distorted vocal lines and delicately ascending melodic motifs, TRELI ensured that the ennui doesn’t choke the atmosphere in the well-rounded hit that trap fans will want to jump on.

Stream LUX THOUGHTS on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Goldson versed a meditation on resilience on ‘Don’t Fold on Me’

Posted on 19 May 2023

The UK rapper, songwriter, screenwriter and videographer, Goldson, poured soul back into the London hip-hop landscape with his seminal single and music video, Don’t Fold on Me.

The meditation on resilience is a compassion-soaked declaration of how hard it is to keep your head above water when life’s pressures try and force you under it. The poetically versed hit is a raw reminder that everyone is living a personal battle of wills, whether you see their scars or not.

Instrumentally, Goldson went back to the old school with cinematic grace to create the atmosphere around the solid rattle of the 808s, which constructs a melodious platform for his hard truths and even harder-hitting demand to live more mindfully when it comes to your sanctity and the struggles of everyone around you. The wit in the wordplay could only be described as immense. Clearly, he’s got a luminous career ahead of him.

Check out the official music video for Don’t Fold on Me, which premiered on May 14, on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Canadian hip-hop heavyweight YungHarbs is back in the ring with his mixtape, RTL, Vol. 3

Posted on 13 February 2023

After a two-year hiatus, the independent rapper, YungHarbs has shown what the airwaves have been lacking in his absence with the release of his mixtape, RTL, Vol. 3. With bars as sharp, dynamic, and energised as the best of RZA’s work in the opening single, FWM, the mixtape flows from a strong start and never falters through the remaining three singles.

His gritty lo-fi edge encompasses the old-school and the new wave while running through track two, RIGHT AROUND, which throws in Afro Pop and RnB flavour, allowing YungHarbs to stand in a rhythmic league of his own on top of the steady rattle of the 808s.

Track 3, Test Me, brings in the ingenuity of the collaborating artist, T3, the dancehall anthem stands as a testament to the rhythmicality of their bars as the creative chemistry and conviction spill. Before the mixtape ends on WALK, which added a new trajectory to the evolution of gangster hip hop, the viscerally vindictive hit will easily win over any fans of Kanye.

RTL, Vol. 3 is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

I’m Not Going Back: Bay Area-based trap artist Salvarez hasn’t been the same lately on 30

Posted on 29 January 2023

After questioning his purpose lately on the multi-lingual gem for us to savour for its frankness, Salvarez thinks profoundly about the next step of his life with the superbly detailed new single called 30.

Salvarez is a San Francisco Bay Area-based indie trap artist who swerves through the doubters and takes us for a ride to remember on each track.

With his new EP Otra Vez on the way,  Salvarez hungrily extinguishes all haters with a comprehensive rap display. This is the kind of track to play loud when extra motivation is needed, to move on from a stagnate state of affairs.

30 from San Francisco Bay Area-based indie trap artist Salvarez is a lyrically astute single which will wake up anyone from a sleepy slumber. Drenched with a true insight into a relatable feeling which can consume many for too long, we find a hungry artist who is ready for anything.

Listen up to this new single on Spotify. View more on the IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

New Jersey Trap Icon C.A.P the Rapper’s bars are as sharp as his bite in ‘Dogz’

Posted on 18 January 2023

At 17, the New Jersey trap artist C.A.P the Rapper is already proving to be an elemental force to be reckoned with. His adrenaline-packed latest single, Dogz, makes no bones about highlighting everything problematic in the industry and the broader society.

Many artists claim to put energy into their bars; you could run a power grid off the bars in Dogz that fiercely attack the people that are relentless in their tendency to take liberties. Someone has to hold them accountable, and it’s safe to say that C.A.P the rapper has them in an inescapable stranglehold in Dogz.

Dogz was officially released on January 13th. Hear it on Apple Music & YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MHE is stratospherically ahead of the curve in his rap hit, On Me

Posted on 10 January 2023

Rapper MHE is so stratospherically ahead of the curve it’s barely in his eye line in his LP MHEvsMHE, which dropped toward the end of 2022. The fiery fusionist standout single, which melds old-school with the new, On Me, sets the pace for the future of trappy atmospheric rap tracks.

While the cleverly layered backing vocals galvanise, his fluidly dynamic verses pull to the front of the mix to exhibit his ability with wordplay, which is right on par with his ability to contort his bars into a rhythmically hypnotic canter.

The candidly confessional hit lays it all down on the line while keeping on the luminary artist’s on-brand cheek and swagger that hits with the perfect mix of attitude, intellect and charisma. In short, he’s a triple threat with a bright future ahead of him in the industry if he sticks to tracks in the same vein as On Me.

Check out On Me via Apple Music & YouTube.

Follow MHE on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

2burbo created a hyper pop-trap hit of hope for the masses with “just might save the world”

Posted on 9 January 2023

Aural originator 2burbo poured a potent shot of optimism into his standout single, just might save the world, which rips through every genre known to man to create a hyper hit of hope for the masses.

The 8-bit videogame synthetics around the trap and pop elements allowed the futuristically-inspired experimentalist to pair suitable sonics around his declaration of “hey, I just might save the world”. With the euphoria spilling from the short and colourfully sweet single, if anyone has what it takes to put our disillusioned world back on track, it is the Wisconsin-based artist who started operating under the moniker 2burbo in 2001.

Under the influence of everyone from Crystal Castles to Bowie to Prince to Steel Panther, it is no surprise that 2burbo was able to infuse so much distinction in his vibrant sonic signature.

just might save the world is available to stream on Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

nasir mf. pushed the boundaries of sonic expression in his emotion-driven EDM hit, fuckin lonely

Posted on 22 December 2022

If the sub-genre emo EDM doesn’t already exist on some dark and despondent corner on the internet, the electronica producer, nasir mf. started it with his trappy trailblazer of a debut single, fuckin lonely.

After a wavy indie trap prelude, the hit blasts off with a high-fire boost of momentum that allows the track to transcend drum n bass before the candid vocals run through pioneeringly bold lyricism to shatter the stigma attached to admissions of loneliness.

To make such an honest track at any point in their career is a brave move; to choose this track to introduce himself to the world, nasir mf. is a total fucking icon. The Brooklyn-based electronica artist made his debut to carry on the legacy of the black artists before him while pushing the boundaries of sound and expression. In the process of succeeding across the board, he became an instant icon in our view.

Nothing compares to the high of hearing an artist speak the unspoken and fuckin lonely let the euphoric floodgates open. We can’t wait to hear what comes next.

fuckin lonely was officially released on December 2nd and is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast