Author: befree

By Trey Fox

Hailing from Raleigh, NC, Pat Junior is a consummate creative. He’s a man of many titles, but he’s widely known as an artist, producer, sound engineer, and an entrepreneur. Keeping busy this year, Junior released a “Reprise” to his 2021 standout project called “Gold Fangs On Sunday.” He also dropped a smooth, poetic verse as the sole feature on Xavier Omär’s “b l u r r” EP. In addition to this, Junior is thriving in the Web3 universe, an environment where this project lived prior to being released to streaming. In fact, “Love Overflow” sold out quickly in the sound.xyz marketplace back in July. With these new records, Junior embarks on the next chapter in his journey.

“Check On Me” sees Junior connect with close friend and frequent collaborator Ro Marsalis. The song is lively, with sharp guitar riffs that really cut through the mix. As someone who always “taps in” with his loved ones, Junior is left feeling exhausted and tapped out. “It’s hard to give when I got nothing to trade with,” he reflects. Being known as the strong friend, Junior’s looking for reciprocity in the midst of life’s challenging moments. Marsalis shares a similar sentiment: “In this game of life, for you to win, you need a team, too.” This is an honest and gentle reminder to reach out to your friends who appear to have it all together.

“Love Overflow” is a soothing record with beautiful string arrangements– courtesy of Jasminfire– and gentle guitar melodies. With vivid writing, Junior narrates the occasion. He’s overcome with joy as his loved ones gather around to celebrate his birthday. “Never, ever felt this way,” he sings joyously. As he recalls this moment, he also thinks back to messages from his supporters who count his journey as inspirational. From the sound of it, this gathering birthed memories of a lifetime for him.

Listen on all platforms HERE.

By Damilola Grey

Notty Taylor has been on an impressive streak this year: from dropping an array of amazing singles like “4vr or Nvr”, “Owe Me”, “Idk1” to the release of his 3rd project “Nottyhrs”. While gearing up for Nottober, he has decided to bless fans with the release of his latest single “DRIVEWAY”.

“DRIVEWAY”, which was produced by Tennessee-based beatmaker DevanThatDude, is all about decision making and living in the moment while looking forward to the future. Notty is able to portray his emotions in just one verse. This is a bit different from what fans of Notty Taylor are probaby accustomed to. Instead of his signature mellow sound- reminiscent of early J Cole- Notty starts off the single with something a bit different: a somewhat distorted chorus before beginning his verse. He then starts off his verse with neither a mellow nor aggressive delivery, but a perfect combination of the both.

Notty Taylor is on the DRIVEWAY to being a worldwide name and his latest single reinforces that statement

Stream DRIVEWAY below:

Listen on all platforms HERE.

By Damilola Grey

Chicago native, Erik Evy is back with his first project of the year, titled Matinee. The EP is graced by 4 tracks, showing fans a different side of Erik as well as a different sound. Matinee also marks the transition from Erik’s previous music to a much more matured, mellow sound.

Erik Evy takes a more vulnerable approach on this project, both in writing and delivery. The production is also very conservative, which gives the project a raw sound full of emotion. To add to the EP’s rawness, none of the songs have a hook and are strictly bars. Erik addresses various moments in his life on various tracks such as “Sunday Morning” where Erik has a form of soliloquy reminiscing about his first open mic, his battle with Corona, and the stress of settling down in a new place. Erik also talks about the bright side of life, not just for himself but for others, on “Promises”. When I talked to the Chicago native about the significance of the EP to him, he told me “It represents a change in mindset that I need to take everything more seriously if I want to take this to the next level”.

Erik Evy is well on his way to the next level with the release of this project. Check out ‘Matinee’ below:

Listen on all platforms HERE.

By Todd Anderson

Dallas String Quartet (DSQ) has released their new album “Love Always”. Through their signature electrifying instrumentation, lush string arrangements, and elegant compositional nods to their classical roots, DSQ deliver a luxurious collection of their string renditions of beloved pop classics such as “10,000 Hours” by Dan + Shay, Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams,” and “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. Weaving classical elements from composers like Bach and Rochmonanof into their pop-arrangements, DSQ curates a floral soundtrack perfect for the most blissful of moments. 

“We started by playing music for, and being a part of, people’s happiest moments, so we wanted to go back to the basics and to the simplicity of that theme and feeling. I envision this album playing in the background during the most peaceful Sunday morning, warm coffee in your cup, and a lot of love in your heart.” – Ion Zanca, Dallas String Quartet 

A fusion of contemporary classical and pop music, DSQ is referred to as “Bach meets Bon Jovi” and is compared to artists like Lindsey Stirling, Vitamin String Quartet and 2Cellos. Using both traditional and electric strings, they are known for their eclectic renditions of everything from Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child of Mine” to Shawn Mendes to Camila Cabello’s “Señorita” to their recent collaboration, “You Are The Reason,” with The Piano Guys. DSQ has performed for Presidents Obama and Bush, the College Football Playoffs, NBA, NFL organizations and was featured on the most recent season of American Idol. Brands like Cartier, Delta Air Lines, LinkedIn and more seek out this one-of-a-kind quartet. Not to mention Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, who requested DSQ as the entertainment for their July 2021 wedding, gaining the attention of USA Today, People Magazine, E! News, TMZ, Entertainment Tonight and more. 

Keep up with Dallas String Quartet on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok and Twitter.

Listen to “Love Always” on all platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud and YouTube.

Brooklyn-based artist Nkosi Bourne has shared a new mixtape, titled Glimpse. Chock full of emotional tracks that capture vivid lyrical portraits by course of Bourne’s sharp pen game, the project provides a refreshingly heartfelt dosage of East Coast underground hip-hop. Preceded by a series of well-received singles such as “No BS”, “Positive Affirmations”, and “Squares” that flirted with lo-fi soundscapes effectively, Glimpse builds off the poignancy of those singles to make for a richly thoughtful, introspective journey into the mind of the artist.

Songs like the title track opener and closer “Therapy” are glowing and ethereal sonically, while containing descriptive, sharply-crafted lyrics that draw the listener in to Bourne’s inner world. “Drowning” provides a jazzy, nocturnal feel with its smoky guitars and laid-back percussion, providing a solid foundation for Bourne’s smooth, laid-back flows. “What’s A Little Time?” is expressive and experimental, with jaunty, organic percussion creating a more abstract rhythmic backdrop and showcasing Bourne’s versatility.

Overall, Bourne’s new EP is a potent, layered project running with an undercurrent of authenticity, making for an engagingly emotional listen.

Stream Glimpse below and get familiar with the rising Brooklyn artist.

Connect with Nkosi Bourne: Spotify | Instagram | Twitter