Following the release of his superb new album Drank & Bottled Up Emotions, we were blessed with the opportunity to interview artist and rapper Byron Bank, to find out more about his creative process, his thoughts on modern rap, and his hopes for the future. Here’s the conversation in full. * * * Hi Byron – thanks so … Continued
Rebecca Cullen
“Someone I greatly admire once said to me ‘find what’s uniquely yours and cultivate it’, so that’s pretty much what I do.”
Get the most out of your writing, feel part of something bigger than yourself, and get some well-educated tips and knowledgeable gems that you can put to use straight away. A definite recommend.
Mute Davinci doesn’t hide behind anything – the music and the lyrics work as a unit to portray a sense of realness and purity. Even when effects come into play, they’re artistic choices – not something included just to sound relevant or to overcome a bad vocal; far from it. Mute’s voice works well in just about any setting.
There’s a certain passionate depth to the writing, and the featured singer handles and presents this with an air of realness. Behind the vocal though, the soundscape is decidedly complex, unexpectedly detailed and multi-layered to the point that you can pick up something new with each revisit.
17th Letter is an artist with a clear understanding of crafting an ambiance and a moment both musically and vocally with his releases. Kawasaki introduces precisely that style of creativity in an instant, slowly building a soundscape around its listeners that’s all at once contemporary and calm.
Digging deep into precisely the story-line implied by the title, Thank God You Cheated holds nothing back – regret and betrayal roam free throughout the lyrics, the verses in particular detailing both the heartbreak and the desire to move forwards.
Gangsta rap has taken something of a backseat in recent years, thanks to the rise of mumble rap and other sub-genres of the hip hop world. Strong A.R.M works hard to reignite that spark. His voice stands immensely tall on this record, the verses reach out thanks to a spacious and lightly synth-washed backdrop, so your focus is on the words – the journey, the bars, the calm yet intentional delivery.
Fusing a fairly retro, ukulele-driven soundscape, and a delicate, distant vocal melody, with a heavy bass-line and a crisp, contemporary rap flow, the song is anything but familiar, and yet it makes perfect sense just the way that it is.
Despite the complex and impressive nature of the instrumentation, it takes nothing away from the natural qualities of the voice. Impeccable production, incredibly skillful and absolutely worthy of any and all praise sent through.
Seeing Hooks By: DJ reach even further with his uninhibited creativity, this collaboration with singer Danielle Hollobaugh makes for a smooth, shoulder-swaying alternative hip hop track with equal parts delicacy and weight.
A stylishly retro beat meets with a uniquely raspy and rhythmic vocal on this latest release from hip hop’s RichPutt. The soundscape in particular grabs you from the offset, the crisp and clean finish fuses well with those classic details and layers that take you back to a simpler time.