Hip-Hop Archives

The Kickdrums – “The Ghost Tapes”

The Kickdrums have been killin’ it for over a decade, and won’t stop any time soon. Back with a new full length album, The Ghost Tapes is an all-encompassing project with a wave of songs passing through a wide array of sonic textures. The album kicks off with a cool, laid-back instrumental called “She Killed Me With Her Eyes”, then begins pushing off into darker territory. “Love Buzz”, a meta-cover based on the Nirvana version of the 1969 original, features the fuzziest of fuzz guitars and filtered delay vocal treatments. Fitts manages to take this song into psychedelic depths, all while preserving Nirvana’s snarky tone and catchy hook. The album closes with “Hum”, a hard-hitting indie rock track with electronic and dub overtones. All in all, quite a trip! The Kickdrums is the recording alias of producer/songwriter Alex Fitts. Well known in the industry for his signature style, Fitts effortlessly blends together elements of trip-hop, dub and indie-rock into all […]

Leia mais

YONAS – “Skyfall”

After the prodigious release of four full-length albums, three EPs, as well as numerous singles and features, YONAS is back once again with his newest EP Skyfall. The overall tone of the record is hopeful; a testament to his newfound conviction in response to a multitude of personal challenges. Through his signature thought-provoking lyrics, YONAS illustrates how music has helped him rediscover faith and his true self. Skyfall opens with the rugged lead single “Fuego”, gradually moves through a more melodic soundscape, and then culminates with the inspirational anthem “Glory” featuring the soulful vocals of John Splithoff. YONAS has enjoyed plenty of syncs throughout his successful career, including recent brand partnerships with Ralph Lauren, Target, and Citibank. He’s shared the stage and collaborated with industry power players like Kendrick Lamar, Logic, B.o.B and Macklemore and has charted on both the Billboard and iTunes charts. With more than half a billion streams and sales worldwide, there’s no denying that YONAS is a major […]

Leia mais

Daz Rinko – “Sweet Jeezy”

Daz Rinko’s exceptional new EP “Sweet Jeezy” smoothly blends together elements of jazz, future-house, disco, soul and hip hop. Daz’s endearing Memphis drawl sits so perfectly in the pocket atop slick the dance grooves that you might completely miss the message. Coming from a somewhat dark place lyrically, themes of poverty, heartbreak, family drama and general disillusionment are a throughline throughout the album. “The paranoia of struggling, living paycheck to paycheck my entire life, the struggles of having a child without being able to support them emotionally, and the feeling of being alone in the present because I’m always working to be stable are things I touch on and continue to think about.” As a counterpoint to the heavy subject matter, the music is upbeat and joyful, even celebratory in tone. The infectiously hooky “When You Call Me” is a gorgeously produced throwback featuring jangly guitars, DX7 jazz chords and […]

Leia mais

Alyxx Dione – “WILDFLOWER”

In a powerful tribute to her grandmother’s resilient spirit, Pop/R&B songstress Alyxx Dione’s new single “WILDFLOWER” is an inspirational self-empowerment anthem. “My grandmother was someone who truly marched to the beat of her own drum. After being disowned by her family for dating outside her race, she began to embrace everyone who didn’t look like her and began to create a community around her that she called family. She never took no for an answer, and was extremely strong-willed to get what she wanted and I believe that is why my grandmother called herself “wildflower”. A wildflower is someone who is resilient, can grow in any situation, and lives life on their terms! I wrote “WILDFLOWER” as a reminder for myself and for all those who has ever felt different, out of place, misunderstood or unappreciated to continue to bloom! It is our birthright.” Alyxx Dione got her start with […]

Leia mais

Curvelo James – “Doble”

In the Caribbean coastal city of Barranquilla, Colombia there’s a movement of freestyle rap battles where up and coming rappers get together to spit fire and make a name for themselves. The best of the best inevitably end up in Flowkillas Studios, working with Curvelo James. Curvelo and his partner Morley de Moya have been hosting the Freestyle Barranquilla competition for five years, inspired by the pro freestyle league Urban Roosters which originated in Spain but quickly spread throughout Latin America. This movement has fueled an emerging Colombian Latin Trap scene, and Curvelo James is right in the middle of it all working with the best talent his city has to offer. His brand new single “Doble” features two gifted young rappers Lil Eish and Ricky C. Part of his upcoming “Ciclos” album which has coalesced over the course of 2021 as a series of collaborative singles, “Doble” features a […]

Leia mais

DJ Nu-Mark – “Pass The Courvoisier”

The 1990’s and early aughts were a golden era for hip hop and R&B, and as an original member of Jurassic Five DJ Nu-Mark was there for it all. Fast forward two decades and Nu-Mark is bringing old school back to school with a new project titled “Run For Cover”, focused on reinterpreting songs from this era with live instrumentation from around the world. The first single off the record just dropped last week, and it’s a Middle Eastern take on the classic all-star remix “Pass The Courvoisier” from Busta Rhymes’s 2001 album “Genesis”. Decked out with tons of hand percussion, oud, doumbek, and a full horn section, this track will have you feeling like you’re blasting through the Sahara in a Range Rover. Producer, turntablist and veteran member of the legendary hip hop group Jurassic 5, DJ Nu-Mark is considered one of the most creative on the scene constantly […]

Leia mais

Featured Artist: Chuuwee

Very few rappers list their mom as an influence, but in the case of Chuuwee it would be impossible for him not to acknowledge his mother, rapper/producer Redd, for sparking his love for hip hop. Having her on his team from day one gave him a big leg up on the competition. By the time he got to high school, Chuuwee had spent his whole childhood developing his flow and jumped head first into the rap game. Chuwee dropped his first mixtape “Mauve Monster” back in 2009, a 12 track tribute to the color of his hometown team the Sacramento Kings. What followed was a relentless 13-year tsunami of releases totaling more than 40 albums and mixtapes and including collaborations with artists like Lil’ Flip, Del The Funky Homosapien, Riff Raff, Dizzy Wright and Trizz. Now with more than half a million monthly listeners and 80 million streams on Spotify, […]

Leia mais

YONAS – “Fuego”

Back with a brand new single “Fuego”, Bronx native YONAS brings back the 🔥 once again. For the past decade YONAS has been consistently putting out some of the best underground hip hop records you’ll find anywhere. During that time he’s racked up over half a billion combined streams and sales (man, remember when people used to actually buy records?), put out collabs with artists like Logic and Cherub, and shared the stage with Macklemore, Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q. Standing on the shoulders of thought leaders like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Big L, Immortal Technique, Common, and Lauryn Hill, YONAS aims to challenge the mind while still bringing good vibes. His music is thought provoking, highly polished and straight up hooky as hell. These attributes are sadly in short supply these days. “It’s crazy because the song is almost written in parts like a piece of classical music. The […]

Leia mais

Yuni Wa – “Context 4”

You might not expect a man whose given name is Princeton Von Coleman to be a big dude with shoulder-length dreads living out in rural Arkansas. But for that same person to go by the stage name Yuni Wa (short for Yunibasaru Wa, or “Universal Harmony” in Japanese) you get the feeling he’s perhaps not someone you can easily put into a box. Or maybe he’s just living in the future and can’t be bothered with your antiquated expectations. Having produced a total of 34 albums (not a typo) since his first release on his 17th birthday in 2014, to say that Yuni Wa is prolific is a gross understatement. It’s almost like a new word is needed to describe his creative output. Among his first releases was an album called “Context”, the first in what has become a four-part series culminating with the final edition “Context 4” which just […]

Leia mais

Rochelle Bloom – “Partly Cloudy”

Rochelle Bloom doesn’t seem to care much about what other rappers are doing these days. Her debut album “Partly Cloudy” is not trendy, you surely won’t find anything on the radio that sounds quite like it. Her music projects her own individual aesthetic; sexy but not sexual, dark but positive, cerebral yet poetic. Clean mixes not needed. The album release arrives with a beautifully filmed music video for the lead single “Stories I Create In My Head”, directed by Derek Evans. The video is stark and unsettling, as is the video’s emotional narrative about the struggles of family life, what defines success and living up to the expectations of others. Still fairly new to the Atlanta hip hop scene, Rochelle Bloom has already developed her own unique sound on her own terms. Having just had her very first placement earlier this year with her song “Dandylion” on CW’s “Charmed”, things […]

Leia mais

Tag: Hip-Hop