The flow is smooth, settled in its confidence, the production in keeping with the study and chill playlists of today only with an essential twist of recognisable melody from the keys. It’s a clever way to blend the popular and the recognisable, and makes for a welcomed opener for an eight track project that consistently calms you down.
Hip Hop
Smooth soul and the old-school comfort of Hip Hop crafted with purpose and commitment – Troy Remedy impresses in a humble yet uplifting way, for the beautiful new single Faith In God.
Big vibes for the summer, smooth and mellow but on point in both melody and topic. Knotice1k delivers the best of his bars and songwriting, alongside an equally impressive Chakuda, for the intoxicating, soulful, and perfectly-titled single Slow.
Upanishads – a Hindu reference, a sacred text, presented here as a free flowing Hip Hop single. There’s a ton of depth to Upanishads, an plethora of striking scenes and metaphors to unpack as we roll through, and meanwhile the music seeks to calm the soul – opposing forces luring you in deeper and deeper as the walls of these thoughts immerse you.
Ayomaz is carving out his own lane with tracks like What You Heard, and noting mild similarities to the likes of Post Malone and Juice WORLD, there’s clearly a vast appeal to the sound.
That quality seems rare these days – the skill of rap and writing bars coming second to image and volume in many cases. Here though, in a refreshing turn away from the emo and simple bangers scenes, Too Humble pays tribute to the dawn of Hip Hop, whilst introducing a rightfully calm and collected artist with a clear talent for engaging listeners on the mic.
Big vibes from world music creative act KOMASI. Masupian is an infectious organic track with a funky set-up and pace. The vocals inject a passionate call and response hook, following gritty, expressive verses from an all-encompassing performance that’s as captivating as it is addictive to listen to.
New Jersey-born rapper and artist Prophi$ee, now based in Raleigh, reunites the evocative soundscapes of Hip Hop’s past, with a distinctly versatile and purposeful approach to crafting bars.
Hardcore dance vibes bring a striking riff and heavy bass – a soundscape keenly designed to back up the Spanish bars and anthemic hook of Miko Malo’s Mama Huevo.
Promising verses more focused than ever, a fast-paced outpouring of scenes that captivate, Trial is a song based around the Franz Kafka novel The Trial, and delivers a breathless encapsulation of that across less than a minute and a half of music.
Spanish flavours and gritty fragments of natural world sound unite amidst the tropical bounce of grant4ore’s Drought day riddem.
Taking Names offers a plethora of deeply poetic, metaphorical and impressive lyrics – the sharpness and intelligence of which permits the song the worthy status of requiring you to listen more than a couple of times to grasp every idea. There are depths to the music, and as such, each time you do revisit, the music and story hit with all the more impact.