Griselda Records‘ Conway the Machine has shared a new song titled “John Woo Flick”, alongside label-mates Benny the Butcher and Westside Gunn. The second lead single from Conway’s much-anticipated Shady Records debut God Don’t Make Mistakes, “John Woo Flick” features the signature rugged, nocturnal production style of Daringer. A grimy cut containing sickly guitars that ring out over top of sturdy drums, this track is addictive and intimidating. With characteristically raw, supercharged bars from each artist, “John Woo Flick” makes for a truly adrenaline-pumping listen.
Shane Moyer has linked with ELLIS! and Chophead to share a new single titled “By My Side”. The trio, who share a natural chemistry on this offering, deliver passionate, eccentric performances that captivated us immediately. “By My Side” contains psychedelic instrumentation from Chophead that blends warm, intriguing guitars with spacey backing vocals and head-banging percussion. This abstract sonic backdrop sets a mercurial foundation for Shane Moyer and ELLIS!’s vibrant vocals, as they come through with infectious, mesmerizing verses that combine R&B, psych, and hip-hop influences.
The Spirit and It’s Fruits is the latest full-length release from London, UK rapper Lynx Cane, a verbose, eclectic emcee unafraid to break boundaries. Cane delivered two quality projects last year in the evocative, dream-like Garden of Gethsemane and the deluxe version of his album At Your Wits’ End. These thought-provoking offerings captured and distilled his sound- music in an earthy, spiritual vein that inspires the listener to look within.
On The Spirit and It’s Fruits, the production takes on a glowing, warm note, as the graceful opener “El Roi” sets a wistful, mystical mood. From the get-go, Cane’s voice stands out, as he delivers bars with a deep baritone, and a textured, almost weathered delivery. Moving into the second track “Fruits”, a smoky, reflective beat is introduced, with pensive, minimalistic pianos swirling atop organic-sounding drums. This instrumental sets the ideal soundscape for Cane’s ruminative introspection, and he comes through with some poetic verses that are personal and philosophical in nature.
An album highlight appears in “The Spirit”, a track that pairs watery, immersive keys with glitchy percussion in a quirky, intriguing manner. Here, he delivers some of his most flexible flows, balancing dense wordplay with dynamic rhythms. “The Spirit” transitions smoothly into “Kingdom”, which differs from the preceding tracks due to its electronica-influenced sound. Vibrant synths are brought in as the song takes on a more upbeat pace, with distorted grime-inspired synth bass rumbling beneath. An interesting change of pace in the record’s sequencing, “Kingdom” provides much replay value.
Some engaging tracks also appear towards the back half of the record, primarily the dark, expansive “Fire and Brimstone” and the uplifting “Spread Love”. On “Spread Love”, Cane gets in the groove as he reflects over his life, discussing his current situation and future ambitions. His flows are nimble and his content relatable, making this a memorable track worth re-visiting towards the culmination of the LP. Finally, the closer “Grief (Poem)” takes on an emotive mood and finishes the project on a high note, with moody, grandiose strings and elegant harps that sound as if they came from another world. Cane’s vocals here are rich and wistful in tone, and he provides lyrical imagery that paints vivid pictures in the listener’s mind.
Overall, The Spirit and It’s Fruits is a record dynamic in sound and pensive in tone, as it covers a breadth of styles sonically and touches on a variety of thought-provoking topics. Cane’s character-rich, deep vocals are highly suitable to many of the project’s laid-back, layered instrumentals, and his lyricism is engagingly poetic and eclectic. Following up two solid projects, The Spirit and It’s Fruits continues Cane’s run as a talented lyricist with a keen ear for intriguing instrumentals.
Veteran rapper Curren$y has shared an elegant new single called “Half Moon Mornings”, produced by The Alchemist. Foreshadowing their upcoming joint project Continuance, this release’s reflective, warm vibes are truly refreshing. Here, The Alchemist delivers a glowing, graceful beat that contains soaring guitars and mesmerizing keys. Underscored by smooth percussion and rich bass, this instrumental is soothing and refined. Curren$y comes through with some evocative verses that enhance the song’s balmy, laid-back vibe, delivering line after line of memorable bars. An immersive, intriguing joint, “Half Moon Mornings” is likely a sign of great things to come, and has us more than excited for their new collaborative project Continuance.
Pittsburgh artists Jizzle Jizzle and Bwitdaheat have shared a new single called “11 Pm”. With a powerful instrumental that blends driving 808s, clean drums, and grand keys to create an icy, infectious soundscape, “11 Pm” is an energizing cut that provides much replay value. Moreover, the track’s vocals are engaging, delivered with confidence while remaining smooth throughout. Capped off with a memorable chorus, “11 Pm” is a well-crafted track that pairs inspiring production with heartfelt vocals, coming together in a cohesive formula.
Reo Cragun has shared an atmospheric new single titled “Just My Luck”, produced by Subb Beats, Johan Lenox, and clear eyes. The genre-fusing Cragun, who is a rapper, singer, producer, and songwriter, has consistently released eclectic music that draws influence from every corner of the musical landscape. His latest single, “Just My Luck”, is an introspective, self-aware cut that finds him crooning smoothly overtop of a shimmering, surreal instrumental. Containing cloudy synths underscored by addictive, pillowy 808s, the beat on this cut is immersive, drawing the listener deeply into the song’s airy soundscape. This instrumental pairs naturally with Cragun’s laid-back, sharply-crafted vocals, making for a vivid, infectious listening experience.
Ty Jouska: Just growing up man, my parents are old school so I came up listening to a lot of 70s, 80s, and 90s RnB and just had an ear for it as a kid. It’s hard to get away from when you heard it your whole childhood. Then eventually, I branched off and started listening to RnB on my own time and it’s been a part of me ever since.
Dami:What inspired you to start making music?
Ty Jouska: Honestly, I was late to the music scene. I had always heard about making music especially being from Atlanta and I had a cousin that used to produce which he inspired me a bit but I didn’t start making music until high school. What really inspired me was just going back and listening to various artists and producers that I love. That gave me the courage to buy some equipment and get to learning music more.
Dami:Speaking of inspirations, who are your biggest inspirations?
Ty Jouska: Man that’s such a tough question. It’s so many eras of great music. Some of my biggest inspirations are Timbaland, Jodeci, Pharell, T.I, Brent Faiyaz, Erykah Badu, Bryson Tiller, Outkast, and a lot more producers and artists.
Dami: How’d you come up with the name Ty Jouska?
Ty Jouska: I get asked this question a lot. Ty is a part of my first name (Tyler). Jouska means a hypothetical conversation that you compulsively play out in your head. It’s initially a dialogue you play out in your head in any kind of situation and I use it as a form of things coming to fruition and not constantly having to prepare for moments. I like staying ten toes down in what I’m doing.
Dami: You dropped a single recently titled “On the Move”. Can you tell us more about it?
Ty Jouska: Yeah for sure. “On the Move” is my first single and I really enjoyed making this track. I think it’s a song that a lot of people can relate to just on some day to day life shit. I feel like you can listen to it when or wherever you are. I received a lot of amazing feedback that I’m honestly grateful for.
Dami: What’s your creative process like?
Ty Jouska: I really don’t have a go-to or structured creative process. It really depends on how I’m feeling at the moment honestly. I usually write on the regular or if I’m not doing anything, but I can write something up in the studio as well. Sometimes I even go off top and see how certain shit sounds. It’s a lot of processes I probably combine without knowing but sometimes, that’s how you make the best music.
Dami:Where do you grab inspiration from when making music?
Ty Jouska: I usually would just listen to music that gets me going and that gets me in a certain mode. Something as simple as a certain sound in a beat or the beat in general makes me want to keep making music all day.
Dami: What’s next for you after “On the Move”?
Ty Jouska: Definitely a lot more. I got another song I’m definitely looking to release this year, but until then just constantly working and trying to meet great people involved in music that care for me. I’m focused on building a great team in the future and trying to find producers to collab with.
Dami:Any dream collabs?
Ty Jouska: Man this is tough. Probably Brent Faiyaz, Jhene Aiko, The Hics, SZA, and Bryson Tiller.
Dami: What’s the most stressful part of being an artist?
Ty Jouska: For me, I would say trying to know what’s next. Being independent and hungry for success is a tough situation. It’s a lot of battles with yourself because you want everyone to enjoy the songs you put out, but in reality, you just have to go into a certain mindset and keep going no matter what.
Dami: What has been your most memorable experience so far?
Ty Jouska: Being in the studio with the homies. Those experiences are the best and also meeting great people that have helped get my music heard. That had meant the most to me. Seeing my music gain a bit of traction has been a great feeling too.
Dami: What you tryna achieve by the end of this year?
Ty Jouska: By the end of the year, I would wish to build up a solid fanbase. I want to cover all aspects of entertainment for fans, such as maybe talking and gaming with them on Twitch, or maybe vlogs on YouTube, and maybe start up a podcast and things like that.
Listen to Ty Jouska‘s latest single “On The Move” now:
Georgia rapper Jerome the Prince has shared a new single called “Alpha”. The prolific artist, who has consistently delivered bar-heavy tracks that hook the listener in with infectious wordplay, sounds sharp on this latest offering. Containing a powerful beat that combines frigid, expansive reversed samples with crisp, head-banging percussion and sturdy 808s, “Alpha” is an addictive joint that provides much replay value. As Jerome the Prince shows no signs of slowing down, we are excited to see what the rest of the year will bring for him.
New York artist B-Lovee has shared a fresh new single titled “Don’t Change”. A charismatic drill banger, this cut features an electrifying instrumental that pairs thrilling vocal samples with crisp percussion to create an exciting soundscape. B-Lovee comes through with some raw, stylish verses that display his knack for crafting dynamic, interesting flows. A powerhouse both production-wise and vocally, “Don’t Change” is certainly a song that will be in our rotation for the foreseeable future.
Cristina Mackey and Benny the Butcher have shared an epic new single called “Cents”, released on Benny’s Black Soprano Family label. An electrifying cut featuring addictive, bouncy production that combines charismatic guitars with pillowy 808s and clean percussion, “Cents” makes for one of the year’s hardest tracks so far. Moreover, Mackey’s bold verses blending well-written melodies and powerful flows are refreshing, and as usual Benny comes through with some intense vocals packed with clever bars. A highly addictive joint that provides heavy replay value, “Cents” is an adrenaline-pumping listen charged with raw energy.
ROUNDHOUSE MUSIC 