Latest Posts

Dean Chatham Drops “Walk On, Bye”

April 15, 2015

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[...]

jacebeats Runs Through Creative Process in “Inspiration” Video

April 8, 2015

Buffalo beatmaker jacebeats is an artist with a pension for jazzy beats delicately sampled from the wax. In his new video for “Inspiration,” Jace chronicles the steps he takes when concocting a beat, and it all starts with drawing off of the culture of his city and his community. For the sounds themselves, Jace browses the Record Theatre‘s collection of jazz, soul, and funk vinyls where “it’s a guessing game, but covers are the clues to solving the mystery.” While jacebeats lets us into his mind, beautifully soulful chopped and looped backing instrumentals serve as the proof that Jace’s process pays off. Check it out below. Photo courtesy of the video’s director, Noah Whipple.

Dr. Ooo Releases Music Video For “Fuq Dr. Ooo”

April 3, 2015

Equality Knowledge and Light has been on a tear of late. The culture firm’s artists have released two great music videos in the last couple of weeks, and before that dropped an important love song to a couple of their favorite foods. The latest vid comes from EKL wordsmith Dr. Ooo, for the the ferociously flowy “Fuq Dr. Ooo.” A barrage of bars, the track  displays the Good Doctor’s smoothness on the mic, asserting that he really is “stupid for this one.” Paling around with Ooo is fellow EKL rapper Wza (who dropped a dope video himself just last week for his single “I Need That”) and Dr. Ooo’s Kinda Like Dreamin partner Sammy Doons. The video follows Ooo around snowy Buffalo as his sippin’ from his flask, dropping his heat, and pouring out 40s along the way. Treat yourself below.

Saint Opal Returns with More Dark RnB

March 4, 2015

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.

Trap Rapper HC Kush Drops “Sly Green”

February 11, 2015

Hood Connect’s HC Kush is a ruthless emcee well-versed in the trap lifestyle, and his latest single, “Sly Green,” is a testament to just that. A menace on the mic, the Buffalo rapper brings a cold authenticity to his lyrics. With a collected tone, he drops lines like “I’m Mr. HC, come and shop with me. 80 percent of my city prolly cop from me,” and “We can’t find you, we kill your family. 32 day city wide killing spree.” Kush doesn’t sugar coat anything. He can be mean, and he’s seen it all. He and Hood Connects have a slew of tracks on their YouTube page worth checking out, and peep out the vid for “Sly Green” below.

[ez amädi] Channels Salvador Dali on New Track

December 3, 2014

Spanish artist Salvador Dali became famous as a surrealist painter throughout the 1900s, and Buffalo rapper [ez amädi] is summoning his spirit for art of a different medium. “Dali,” the latest track from the Erie County emcee and producer, begins with a Madvillainy-esque, cartoony introduction of the genius who was Dali. Amädi relates himself to the modern-era renaissance man as he weaves his rhymes in and out of a beautifully awkward beat of strings and keys. It’s reflective and almost brooding, as Amädi discusses previous thought trains on his path through his artistry, drawing parallels to the track’s namesake. Peep the track below and hit up [ez amädi]’s Soundcloud for more great music.

Mile High Muzik is Buffalo’s Rising Rap Posse

December 3, 2014

Rap groups are a gift to music. Each member of the crew provides a different voice and personality to each track, but still identify with one common name. It’s a cool phenomenon that is kinda unique to rap. Buffalo’s Mile HIgh Muzik is bringing those vibes to the city, through their creativity and fusion of styles. Close friends M-A, Yo Leek, Karma, Bulls, and Bones comprise Mile High, who first came up on the Buffalo rap scene with a self-titled debut mixtape a couple of years ago. Sonically, the group goes into all aspects of hip hop. M-A, producer of most of the crew’s tracks, says “We don’t just do one type of song. From ‘hip hop’ tracks like ‘Flowetry‘ to full out trap music like ‘Miracles,‘ our goal is just to make music that we’re into.” One song that you simple can’t not get into is the infectious “Rollin,'”[...]

Hip Hop Duo, Mega Powers, Release “Countdown” Straight from the Studio

November 21, 2014

Smooth raps and and some fluttery jazz can be a wonderful fusion, and lucky for us a couple of Buffalo artists are doing exactly that on. Broadcasting “Countdown” from inside the booth, emcee Ideal provides a calming presence to contrast some really low-key thunderous horns courtesy of producer jacebeats. The beat is so much more than just thunder, as jace chooses to interchange the boom of the trumpets with more floating horns. At times, all the brass drops out and some New York boom bap drums make their way from Queensbridge to the Queen City beat. Ideal is effortless on the beat changes, as he hypes us up for an upcoming collaborative project with jacebeats, which Ideal alludes to at the start of the vid. If “Countdown” is any sort of preview, it’ll be a great release from the Mega Powers duo.

Chae Hawk Releases Cinematic Vid for “Dinner Plates”

August 13, 2014

Love is complicated. Break-ups are complicated. Relationships are complicated. Continuing with that theme, Chae Hawk releases this 7 minute epic music/movie video for “Dinner Plates.” There’s a hawt Penelope Cruz lookalike, a couple of scorned lovers murdering each other, some pseudo-zombie action, and an impressively cool Chae Hawk back tat. Featuring beautiful black and white cinematography, this has got to be one of the highest quality local music videos we’ve seen in some time. Coupling that with a typically dope musical release from the Team Radio emcee, this is a vid you’re sure to enjoy.

Ezamädi Releases New Fire Following Performance at Teamwork 2014

July 30, 2014

Back on the 20th, he performed with Chae Hawk and Nameless at Teamwork 2014, and earlier this week, Buffalo rapper Ezamädi released the new track, “Coltrane.” Just the second song we’ve heard from him on his soundcloud,  Ezamädi’s baritone voice speculates on philosophy and human interaction on an understated jazzy beat. Featuring lines like “I could paint a picture so vivid that you could live up in it, and I don’t like you looking in that’s why my soul is tinted,” it’s got the lines that will make a rap head go “Sheesh,” and the lyricism that can get respect from fans of all music. Complete with a dope beat switch up halfway through, this song is  can’t miss for one of the city’s up-and-comers. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/160274547″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Chill Ali’s Dope Debut before the Debut

July 23, 2014

There are so many different styles in hip-hop, but there’s always refreshing about songs that take a personal, narrative approach. Buffalo hip-hop artist Chill Ali flexes his empirical muscles on T H R O W A W A Y S, a mixtape of tracks that didn’t make the cut for his upcoming album #FREEYAMIND. One of the standout tracks, “Shit on You,” is Ali’s description of his special relationship his boo. Over a chill instrumental, Ali talks of how superior she is to the other ladies. It’s honest and genuine. He even goes as far as saying he wishes for her every night at 11:11, which is not only a cool bar, but also pretty damn meaningful because there’s so many things to wish for. “Fake 1z” is a gripping story about chasing success and avoiding betrayal. No spoilers, but it’s an impressive feat in songwriting and a track that I can’t[...]

New Music from SLPCLSDTH is Great for Sad Ears

June 25, 2014

If you want to listen to a happy song, “The book of plans were not doing,” is not the right choice for you. SLPCLSDTH talks of loneliness, disappointment, and suicide before letting the instrumental take over the conversation. His tone of despair while providing thoughtful lyricism is something we’ve seen in the past, and is a characteristic of his artistry. The beat also has a mystique to it, with swindling strings and nonsensical vocal samples. There’s music for every mood, and SLPCLSDTH continues to refine his conveyance of sadness. Check it out:

Anteek Recipes Release B-Sides Collection From Upcoming Debut

May 9, 2014

Self-described “jazzy hip hop heads,” Anteek Recipes, have released The EP, a collection of 11 B-sides that did not make the cut for their forthcoming debut album. The album stays true to the group’s namesake, as the project is littered with the components of traditional, Golden Age-era hip hop music. Mr. Dirty Hairy handles the production for the duration of the project. Each beat appears to be a nod to the early-mid 90s production of artists like A Tribe Called Quest and DJ Premier, complete with the jazz samples and the DJ scratches. Dirty Hairy, all the way from Zagreb, Croatia, continuously demonstrates his understanding of the New York hip hop sound. Buffalo’s own Shuteyes takes care of the vocals on the EP. His deep, gritty voice compliments the production of Dirty and really helps capture that golden age aura that they’re all about. Shuteyes’ lyrics also circle around  the theme[...]

SLPCLSDTH Shows Off Potential On “Brains”

May 7, 2014

Tucked away on a relatively small soundcloud page, Buffalo hip-hop artist SLPCLSDTH (pronounced Sleep Close Death), has been releasing a stream of music over the last two years, and his newest track “Brains,” is probably his best. It’s one of those songs with lyrics where I don’t really know what they are, but at the same time, I know exactly what they mean. It’s an interesting track. SLPCLSDTH jumps from talking about artistry, love, and life in general, all around a chorus of “Nervous as it worsens, person nerves twitch, itch, no service.” SLPCLSDTH does a great job using assonance throughout, as each string of lines seem to revolve around the same sounds. All over a particularly catchy, unique keyboard loop, these elements fused together create a very pleasant listening experience on “Brains.” Check it out here:

Billy Drease Williams Drops The Long Awaited EDREYS MMIV

April 30, 2014

Billy Drease Williams is a veteran of the Buffalo hip-hop scene. If you’re not familiar with his work you might recognize one of his five songs (as a part of the duo Raw Intel) that made it onto the ESPN NFL 2k5 video game, the ultimate sign of success in the music industry. 15 years out of winning the Buffalo Music Awards Hip Hop Artist of the year award, Billy Drease releases EDREYS MMIV, a full project with an interesting backstory. Per his Bandcamp page, EDREYS MMIV was recorded 10 years ago and kept under wraps until this week in celebration of Billy Drease Williams’ birthday. The title is a nod to his given name, Edreys Wajid, and in Roman numerals MMIV is 2004. With the exception of “If I Should Die,” and “Hold Me Tight,” Billy Drease also handles the production on the whole project. It is really a wonderful piece of[...]