Latest Posts

Nick Weaver – “What You Doin’ These Days?”

December 2, 2016

Seattle’s very own Nick Weaver reminds you to look at yourself on his single “What You Doin’ These Days?” The track is a mirror that anyone can explore, and reaffirm who they are and where they’re at in their life goals. Weaver reflects on his own sacrifices, financial and personal ones he made in order to chase success in the industry. He raps about an empty bank account and his whip status, saying “250,000 on my Civic and I might go and get it new rims.” Wholesome horns lay the framework for Weaver’s lyricism, accompanied by rattling snares and soft woodwind. Weaver goes acapella for a powerful outro, referencing quasi-racism, Colin Kaepernick, the president-elect and more. Give it a listen below.

Manu Crook$ feat. Miracle – “Blowin’ Up”

December 2, 2016

Manu Crook$ and Miracle double-team a silky guitar instrumental, and the result is the subdued hype that is “Blowin’ Up.” Manu’s ruggedness trades with the smooth voice of Miracle, and it’s as natural of a collaboration as there can be. Manu and DOPAMINE collabed on the instrumental, which shines just as bright as the vocal contributions. It’s sparse when needed, but full enough to make the track bang. Sunset and sunrise are encapsulated in the track’s vibes, with a sense of mysticism. Crook$ and Miracle know what their night will feel like, even if they couldn’t tell you what it’ll look like. Press play below.

Sammus – “Song About Sex”

November 30, 2016

Ithaca’s Sammus hits a nerve with her single “Songs About Sex.” The fiery track speaks to sexual experiences (both good and bad) from a women’s perspective. The femcee talks about great sex with shitty people, poignantly expressed in the line “I can’t judge girl, I’ve been there I’ve done that, I’ve cum dumb hard so I run back.” She also details the all-too-real threat of assault, rounding the bases of a track ripe with emotion. The song’s beat flips an elevator music sample and brings it into the 2010s. I could explain this track front and back but Sammus’ words do it more justice on the chorus; “This is a song about sex in which I do not condemn women for the realities in which they are living. We should not be forgetting, we should be forward living, you should be for what we can’t afford to keep on forgetting.”[...]

XL – “Bloom”

November 8, 2016

XL’s work on his latest rap single “Bloom” is a unique mix of poetic lyricism and quintessential rap. He balances the recreational weed lines (“As soon as I went green made sure to cut pollution, now the only smog I see is coming from a Swisher Sweet”) with more substantial stuff (“I ain’t trying see ya doomed I’m just trying to keep ya bloomed from the womb to the tomb.”) “Bloom’s” boom bap production provide a dope landscape for XL to do as he pleases over the beat. XL’s got a well-rounded flow and has the ability to jump on whatever subject he pleases. Give it a listen below.

Sentry Sinvil – “Keep Goin”

November 8, 2016

Sharp with braggadocio, NY’s Sentry Sinvil’s got a sharp tongue and perseverance flowing through his veins. He croons here and there, but Sentry’s rapid rapping is “Keep Goin’s” big draw. With myriad rhyme schemes, he drops punch after punch. Highlights include “Your favorite rapper wearing Sentry Sinvil pajamas,” which closes out a particularly tough verse. “Keep Goin’s” disjointed beat immediately calls to one of Sinvil’s key influencers in DOOM. It’s easy to vibe to, and impressive to actually tune in for. Check it out below, and listen to his latest release Rare Gems here. 

The Siege – “Duplicate”

November 8, 2016

Drumline percussion, lion roars, and junkyard flows make The Siege’s “Duplicate” a perfect hype-up track. The Siege is a SoCal hip hop duo consisting of Taz Conley on the mic and Riley Taylor making things happen behind the scenes. Riley’s production has the aforementioned excitedness, but is also built around a dope country-western guitar plucks. On the mic, Taz is dynamic in what he can touch on. The front half of the track is heavy on punchlines, but the tone changes with a beat flip to close out the song, and Taz gets introspective regarding his relationships (“they say that forgiveness is freedom”). It’s a dope track in all aspects, check it out below.

Manzo – “Venice”

November 5, 2016

Milwaukee’s Manzo has his eyes set west on his second release “Venice.” The track details his emotions during transitional periods and jobs while pursuing his music career. It’s not all glamorous, but there’s a give and take, Manzo describes with “spent my last paycheck on groceries, Dulce, and a muhfuckin’ gold chain.” “Venice” has an excited drum pattern with some strong, sustained horns. It’s a great landscape for Manzo to lay out his path, and he takes off with it. Give it a listen below.

Najii Person – Personal

October 11, 2016

Najii Person has a great name that he calls upon for his aptly-named single “Personal.” The St. Louis rapper talks to a girl that he’s looking to reach another level with. That level that you only have with a select few, and Najii hints that she is the his only, “I usually don’t talk about personal shit, you was the only one I was trying to get personal with.” There’s a really great production breakdown on the back half of the track, where Najii gets to crooning to his confidant with some wild backing sounds and vocals. It’s a complete flip from “Personal’s” rapping on the front, which acknowledges in the transition where Najii says, “and then I’d say some snake shit to her like..” Person’s creativity is on full display on the track, listen below and find more here. 

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.

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.

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

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.

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.