Category: Blog

Chicago artist 3M DJayy has shared a new album called GOING DARK, in collaboration with Brav06. A poignant, lush album that draws influence from Chicago hip-hop, cloud rap, and the rising Detroit hip-hop sound, GOING DARK is a versatile project that finds 3M DJayy flowing smoothly atop emotive, dense soundscapes produced by Brav06. Charismatic and laid-back, his vocal performance draws the listener in to the project’s immersive atmosphere. Inventive in its choice of samples, the project incorporates abstract, evocative production choices that keep the listener on their toes throughout. GOING DARK opens with a song that expresses sheer beauty in the appropriately titled “light show”, which weaves together elegant strings and graceful keys for an airy, rich sound, as 3M DJayy delivers a potent vocal performance full of vivid vocals. “tall hoes” provides another project highlight with its fast-paced, retro-tinged production and booming 808s, making for an infectious listen.

The latest from Chicago artist 3M DJayy and Brav06, GOING DARK is an eclectic, expansive new offering from the pair of artists that provides a colorful and character-rich listen throughout.

Listen to GOING DARK now:

Connect with 3M DJayy: Spotify | Instagram

Connecticut artist Nick Rose is familiar to the Roundhouse Music blog, as we have been following his journey for quite some time. He continues to build an idiosyncratic catalogue of genre-bending releases that incorporate influences from hip-hop, alt-pop, indie, and more, releasing the albums VERY COOL! Vol. 2 and CEILING THEORY– which ended up being one of our favorite records of 2021. Now, he returns with a new single called “WANDERING”, his first since “TWEAKIN” back in January.

“WANDERING” is a psychedelic, fast-paced offering containing infectious vocals laid atop a layered, kaleidoscopic soundscape. The instrumentation here contains swirling, bright synths and rapid keys laid out atop poignant, bouncy percussion, creating an undercurrent of electricity that cohesively blends with Rose’s dynamic, flexible vocal performance. A starry, powerful cut that expands upon Rose’s skills as an eclectic songwriter and versatile performer, “WANDERING” is an outside-the-box release that takes admirable risks while remaining catchy throughout.

Check out “WANDERING” HERE and get familiar with the rising Connecticut artist.

Listen to “WANDERING” on Spotify now:

Be sure to connect with Nick Rose on social media platforms to stay up-to-date with his releases and music.

Connect with Nick Rose: Spotify | Website | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok

By Damilola Grey

Indiana native, TRELL has dropped his first project titled “Leave Me Alone- EP”. The 8-track project combines both melodic and lyrical tracks from TRELL, as well as some pop on a few tracks.

“Leave Me Alone” sees TRELL talk about personal growth and watching out for oneself. Tracks like “Time Flies” and “Time Tells Freestyle” see TRELL taking a more introspective delivery. He acknowledges how time is going by quickly and how he can’t stop till he has reached his goals. TRELL takes a more melodic and sober approach on tracks like “Feel So Right” and a personal favorite “Fault(S)” where TRELL seems to address a heartbreak. TRELL also dedicates this EP to “the negative people who gravitate towards me due to my success and positive energy”. He uses this project to express how he wants nothing to do with them and that, as the title suggests, they should leave him alone. The project’s production is a perfect combination of calm and turnt. Listeners would bop their head but at the same time relate to TRELL’s vulnerability on this project.

TRELL couldn’t have done better with a debut as amazing as this one and we can’t wait to see what more he has on the way. Check out “Leave Me Alone- EP” on all platforms.

Listen to “Leave Me Alone- EP” HERE.

By Todd Anderson

Kyngjai is seeing tremendous success as a breakout artist as his fanbase is constantly growing. Jamaicans have been influential in hip-hop music since the birth of the genre. From Jamaican-American Dj Kool Herc, who is known by many as the originator of the hip hop sound, to artists like Busta Rhymes and The Notorious B.I.G  and in most recent times, XXXTentacion and Pop Smoke, what all these rappers have in common is their proud Jamaican heritage.
Kyngjai plans to make the same impact as those who came before him with the release of his unapologetic street-styled anthem called “Bangaz”, produced by “Aj dagger” (Water Tiger Music).

Born and raised in Jamaica, the young rapper,  (real name Akeem Manhertz) moved to the United States in late 2010, at the age of 15, where he fell in love with hip hop culture, after being inspired by rappers like Lil Wayne, 2pac, and Jay-Z.

In the near future, Kyngjai hopes to collaborate with some of today’s top artists in hip-hop and dancehall such as Kyyngg, YBN Nahmir, Skillibeng, and Vybz Kartel.

He plans on releasing his single “Rolling Dice” before the end of 2022.

Stream “Bangaz” on SoundCloud:

By Todd Anderson

Canadian-based recording artist Blackkingkofi is enjoying the success of his newest single “Wifi Money Freestyle.” This song is his first release after a 3-year hiatus from releasing his own music. He has been working behind the scenes building his record label WMT Music and managing his social media marketing agency. 

On release day the song quickly climbed to number 35 on the American iTunes hip-hop charts with tremendous support from his die-hard fanbase. Since release day the song has amassed over 70 thousand streams on Spotify, went trending on Audiomack, and landed on a few playlists. 

The song was recorded in Blackkingkofi’s home studio and mixed and mastered by Canadian creator Bevy Bvrly. I-SHAAN from India produced the song and the duo has plans on releasing an EP together.

Stream “Wifi Money Freestyle” on Spotify:

Stay connected with Blackkingkofi on Twitter:

Tweets by blackkingkofi

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.