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Dean Chatham Drops Dean’s List 2

Eight months after the release of the original Dean’s List, Buffalo rapper Dean Chatham is back with the follow up record, Dean’s List 2: The Aftermath. The project is the first from the Black Sol member since he signed with Style Music Productions, and demonstrates the progression of Chatham as an artist over the last year. Chatham kicks off his scholastic follow up with the smooth opener “Kage,” in which the rapper projects his pride for the rise he’s seen as an artist recently. The original Dean’s List came when Chatham viewed himself as a student, while this project sees a more confident rapper showing off what he’s learned as he’s found his style. This theme of self -discovery and development continues on tracks like “Lucid Dreams,” where Chatham explores his introspective side. “Black Panda” is another substantive track in which Chatham discusses the positive state he’s currently in and how it relates with a darkened[...]

Black Sol’s Dean Chatham Drops “Enrollment” Video

The very active, but until recently, somewhat visually lacking Black Sol hip hop collective has been a regular feature on the blog over the last couple months as tracks from Saint Opal, Melo-Nymbus, and [ez amädi] have been keeping our hip hop writers quite busy. Collective all-star, Dean Chatham, just dropped the music video to the track “Enrollment” which can be found on his recently released Dean’s List EP. The well timed video is just begging to be played at commencement ceremonies for students entering the post-grad world. “The concept for the video is that I’m encouraging people to follow their passions/talents and to take action to make things happen for whatever those passions may be.” Chatham explains of the clip’s uplifting message. Watch the video for “Enrollment,” which features the whole Black Sol crew backing Chatham, below and follow all of Black Sol’s activity of the group’s soundcloud page.

Dean Chatham Drops “Walk On, Bye”

Buffalo hip hop artist and Black Sol member Dean Chatham seemed polished from the get-go. A few months back, he dropped the Dean’s List EP, an impressive debut project about decision-making and behavior as a dude in a coming-of-age situation at college, featuring contemplative, explorative tracks like “Year II” and “Do the Right Thing,” Chatham brought the smooth jazz-influence to his latest single “Walk On, Bye,” but switched over to another mature theme for his lyrics: a somewhat toxic relationship. Chatham poetically describes the ups and downs of a relationship in which the passion is adherent to the instability of it all. Lurking underneath all the give and take, fights and reconciles, and heated arguments is the understanding that the end-game will work out, something Chatham conveys distinctly on lines like”Write me off nine times? There’ll always be a sequel.” “Walk On, Bye” is an impressive new direction for the burgeoning Buffalo rapper. Chatham[...]

Saint Opal Returns with More Dark RnB

Saint Opal is the alien tune songstress of the Erie County hip-hop RnB collective, Black Sol. Her first single, “Glass Jars,” got our attention for the dark undertones fueling Opal’s lovely singing voice. Her latest, “Secret Flame,” is in this same vein of the new wave of RnB: heavy on mystique and ambiguity. Seeming to be about a scorned love, or one that never came to fruition, “Secret Flame” exudes a longing that hurts even the listener. “I knock.. but you won’t answer me,” she cries out to conclude the track. Her vocals themselves are worthy of praise, but Opal’s admirably bleak songwriting and lyricism have turned her releases into the total package. Give it a taste below, and stay tuned for more from Opal and the Black Sol crew.