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DeAndre – “Paper Trail”

October 11, 2016

Dorcester, Massachusetts’ rapper DeAndre is a natural storyteller, and his single “Paper Trail” sucks you in from the very beginning. He starts with “I woke up real early on a Sunday afternoon, checked my phone, looks like I’ll be getting some head so soon,” and it’s clever and hilarious in the same line. He immediately gets onto great lyricism and commentary on the following line “I sip a couple brew, sit and watch the news and I only see the blues, like the only knuckle head from high school that was cool, caught another case.” He continues on to talk tongue-in-cheekly about race relations, his love life, and more with personality bursting through the words. Ripe with lyrical content, “Paper Trail” gets even more strong with a thunderous chorus, where DeAndre plays with some pounding horns. Listen to “Paper Trail” below and more from DeAndre here.

Sol Virani (SOL) – “NO Hard Feelings”

October 11, 2016

“You were so familiar now I’m standing nowhere near you,” says Sol Virani on his single “NO Hard Feelings.” The track is a pledge to the stagnant people from Sol’s past. Sol has no interest in whether they were coattail riders or caught up in themselves, he just raps with a refined sound way beyond them. In conjunction with a banging beat, Sol raps with a ferocity that only comes from a real place. On the hook, Sol almost teases the ghosts with a catchy hook. Listen to “NO Hard Feelings” below and more from the New Orleans rapper here.

bigOmuziq – “pursuit 2.0”

October 11, 2016

In a catchy hip hop/house fusion, Michigan’s bigO’s “pursuit 2.0” talks of the passion, power and ultimately pursuit of love. He’s a rapper by trade but bigO’s voice makes for an awesome melodic piece of fun on the chorus. The verses cover bigO’s particularly tumultuous relationship with a former love. Production is a head bobber and a shoulder shaker, with a driving bottom half. Listen to “pursuit 2.0” below and check out more from bigO here.

Duvol – “Stress” Feat. Cardiff Brothers

October 11, 2016

18-year-old Rhode Island-esian rapper/producer Duvol’s “Stress” is a masterclass in vibing off of killer production. With polish and ease, he whips through the epic and ultimately playful beat for the single. Highlights include the internal rhyming on the line “Stylin’ and wildin’ we’re coming out of Rhode Island, when you see me I’m smilin’ cause this paper been pilin.'” The beat flips into a slower feel for the outro, but the flow remains on point. Listen to Duvol’s latest project My Face Belongs on Radio, and check out “Stress” below.

Blacastan, Mr. Green & DJ FMD – “Power”

October 4, 2016

The trio of emcee Blacastan, producer extraordinaire Mr. Green, and scratching guru DJ FMD unite to craft the neck-snapping “Power.” Blacastan’s grizzled flow and veteran lyricism lead the way with punchlines for days particularly on the line “I’m the numero uno pulling rhymes out my culo.” Mr. Green has been providing poignantly snappy instrumentals for some of rap’s best for years now, and “Power” is another one for the resume. He constantly adds and drops sections of the archetypical hip hop loop, for a simply awesome instrumental. Denmark’s DJ FMD and his timely cuts on the hook and outro of  “Power” make the song an international affair. “Power” is the first single from  the Global Connection Vol. 2 compilation, out now. Watch the vid below.

Dreemy Sinatra – “Money Up” Ft Nell

October 4, 2016

Armed with a beat that prime Lil Wayne would love to take on, Maryland’s Deshon Hodges aka Dreemy Sinatra has a sound ripe with commercial appeal and the lyricism of a true wordsmith. “Money Up” begins with an epic build into a rich beat that mashes Mannie Fresh with Hit-Boy. Sinatra’s flow is on display with creative rhyme schemes (“Whispered when we had change but they holler since we got a dollar”), and the charismatic Nell comes through with a great feature, rich with energy and floetry. “Money Up” comes off of Hodges’ The G.O.A.T. EP, give it a listen below.

Sh3llz – “Live on Stage”

October 3, 2016

Detroit’s Sh3llz speaks from a real perspective. “Live on Stage” is a composed relaying of his experience and wisdom from living in the Endless Struggle of his home city.  Over a classic, soulful beat, Sh3llz lets us enter his matrix; “All the flashy n*ggas die with holes in their brain, or they’re locked in the cell still bearing the chain.” He flips his flow around as he talks about his vices, aspirations, environment and more. “Live on Stage” is the first track off of Endless Struggle, listen to it below. Endless Struggle by Sh3llz

Mic Torrance – “Wander”

September 16, 2016

The slow intro of Mic Torrance’s “Wander” build into a fun and surprising payoff on the rapper’s new single. Mic’s sound is one of the more unique you’ll hear in from a rapper. “Wander’s” instrumental sounds like music that someone in the 90s would think that a computer hacker would listen to while he’s knee deep in some HTML. It’s an oddity, but in Mic’s hands it’s an accessible, impressive single. Lyrically, Mic touches on his come-up and drive in general, with some great effects on his vocals that help stretch the genre of his song. It’s well-composed and has a great sound to it. Put on your Neo sunglasses and press play below.

T-Nugget – “Thank You” feat. Z-nac

September 16, 2016

T-Nugget’s airy “Thank You” is a melodic hip hop fusion that fans of the Toronto music scene are likely to eff with. The crooning genre-bender Nugget talks about good friends, shitty friends, and relationships in general.  He ponders authenticity and intention with lines like “Do they think they’re above you? Do they ever say they love you.”  Featured friend Z-nac has more to say about fake friends, and does so with awesome lyricism on the line “You’re going back and forth between friends, palindrome.” Perfect production is handled by Neo Esoteric, with T-Nugg’s smooth vocals working in perfect conjunction. Listen below.

F. Virtue – “The Hawk and The Leopard”

September 6, 2016

F. Virtue’s rap style heirs towards an emotional connection with poetry. On his thoughtfully crafted “The Hawk and The Leopard,” Virtue spills out feelings of longing and nostalgia, reflecting on happier times in lines like “The last member of a group we’d thought last forever, they moved on. I think the past was better.” He’s a talented writer; even when the figurative language alluded to in the title dissipated for sections, his poignancy is telling: “We keep going forward, but I don’t really want to.” Though coming from a darker place, “The Hawk’s” production isn’t as somber as its lyrics might suggest. Their upbeat synth-iness is a nice contrast to Virtue’s reflection. It’s a great song in all capacity, listen below.

realproperlike – “modern day beatnik”

September 6, 2016

“It’s either man up or man down,” Miami rapper realproperlike pledges on the chorus to “modern day beatnik.” This “ride or die” attitude proper expresses is sort of his m.o., as his raps about empowerment and owning what you do, as long as you’re putting in the hours. “They don’t put in work and then ask where the cash is,” he says, Featuring strong, fulfilling production, realproper comes off as someone you want to have in your corner, as long as you are deserving. You can listen to “modern day beatnik” below and buy it along with more from realproperlike on iTunes.

Mike of Doom – “Cliche”

September 6, 2016

Mike of Doom is sick of the standard rehashes we see in rap and other popular music. In “Cliche,”  addresses all the of these things he’s sick of, centered around the chorus. “All this shit sound the same. Different boat, same wave… I do what I want I’m not cliche.” Mike of Doom is also sick because he’s walking the walk. The beat is loaded soundscape featuring all sorts of sounds that wouldn’t appear on a regular ole’ track. He isn’t talking about money and hoes, expressed with “I’ve had more girls than David Beckham, but to rap about it just might disrespect them.” His flow is that of a guy who doesn’t take shit, plain and simple. “Cliche” is an interesting track, entirely accessible on the first listen, while shitting on components of some other songs that you’d love right off the bat. He’s got compelling things to say,[...]

Defiant III – “Crossfire”

September 6, 2016

The Defiant III trio of IDE, Alucard and Jise One pride themselves on their ability to rap their asses off. IDE and Warren Snyde whipped up a menacing beat, creating a canvas that feels like a place you probably shouldn’t be at night. Lyrically, it’s rapid grit that these guys are spitting through their fangs. It’s unforgiving with no moment wasted, so when you do catch a line like “Explode like antipersonnel mines, roadside bomb will your whole side gone, left with half a face and no right arm” or “Reenter the exit wound and you die twice,” that uneasy feeling you had is justified. Bordering on horrorcore, “Crossfire” is a nasty rap track that takes no prisoners and leaves a pile of victims in its wake. Pretty powerful stuff, so listen to it with the lights on.

Kells Dougie – “95′ Freestyle”

September 6, 2016

Up-and-comer Kells Dougie can rip off line after line of short, but sweet quips. Case-in-point is in “95′ Freestyle.” Freestyle tracks are great because they have a different type of expectation. Commonly misperceived as having to be “off the top,” a good freestyle really should just be fun and filled with punchlines, and that’s exactly what we have here. All song long, Kells is busting out stuff like “Subtitle flow, they see every bar I’m saying.” and “Different draft class, ain’t into the game like us.” The boom bap beat ties back to the year alluded to in its title, and the track proves to be traditional hip hop greatness. Press play below.

Anfa Rose – “Downtown”

September 6, 2016

Anfa Rose is a genre-bender with the ability to spit a hot 16 and get you singing along with a hook on the same track. Such is the case on “Downtown,” a track with the sparkle that its title would suggest. Rose discusses the wonder and excitement that “downtown” and  talks about his strengths and shortcomings (“I’m a nice guy if the vice right.”). The melodic chorus spews excitement and a sense of homeliness when it kicks off with “See me ’round town when I’m downtown.” That’s where Anfa knows is comfortable, right in the middle of the lights. Press play down there.