North Carolina’s JUNE! and producer hyphin have both made numerous appearances on our platform, and their latest link up for “TASTELESS” feels effortless and organic. JUNE!’s husky, baritone delivery pairs nicely with hyphin’s soulful, relaxed riffs, as JUNE! manages to strike a balance between a calming delivery and rawness. Sonically, the track does well at juggling silky instrumentation, rich, relaxed grooves, and more gruff, yet also calming, verses from JUNE! Take a listen to these prolific artists’ latest collaboration “TASTELESS
New York artist Rouge Kills Flies has returned with a fresh LP called THE BURNING. The versatile musician’s highly conceptual new album, THE BURNING, is a collection of songs that utilize forward-thinking sounds to craft immersive world-building for the listener. The LP is centred around the theme of fire as representative of both destruction and rebirth, and it poignantly embraces topics climate change, technological advancement, capitalism, burnout, self-discovery, reincarnation, finding light in times of darkness, and more across its track-listing.
Sonically, Rouge Kills Flies enlists soundscapes that feel rooted in classic New York hip-hop influences, yet are at the same time futuristic and refreshingly experimental. Darkly hypnotic, eery sonic palettes underscored by gritty DnB-influenced drum loops appear throughout THE BURNING– while vocally Rouge delivers a raw rap flow that flirts with punk at numerous points.
The insidious instrumentation, pounding percussion, and imagery-rich, cathartic vocals of “ANDROIDS DREAD THE REDS” make the song feel like a lament to destruction, while “718 HELL” paints a portrait of NYC with a blend of stark realism and dark abstraction. Rouge adds dynamics to the project with lighter moments like “LIFE_IN_A_TAXI_CAB”, with its vivid synth flourishes and poetic verses from Rouge, which present some of his strongest writing on the LP. Similar motifs appear again on “THE GHOSTS AIN’T REAL”, a highlight joint on the album laced with mysterious instrumentation and potent lyricism from Rouge.
Chock full of creative moments that will challenge the listener and stimulate the mind and senses, THE BURNING is a tour-de-force of forward-thinking East Coast hip-hop that immerses the listener in a surreal, dark world from the get-go. Listen to THE BURNING here now.
Ask anybody in the ATL whose even the slightest bit tapped in with what’s pushing the local culture forward in a positive way and they’ll bring up none other than DJ Aladdinn himself, a young man with a tenacious appetite for success and an even greater drive to cement himself as one of the greatest to ever do it from the city of Atlanta.
Flexing his skills as a record producer thus far in 2024 as well as seemingly cloning himself the amount of locations he’s DJ’ing at every single night in a city known around the world for its impact on the music industry and music itself, DJ Aladdinn’s rubbing shoulders with some of the most dynamic up and coming artists from the city in the hopes that his vision – one of grand success – manifests itself through working with those around him and bringing the best out of a rapper or a singer in the studio when they’re together.
His latest record “Bite” places well known Atlanta rapper Kap G front and center. A menacing dog graces the single’s cover art. You can almost hear the dog growl through the still image. WJB guests on the record.
“I made the beat with the co-producers. That same night, we finished the beat. Kap G hit me up trying to record. We did the beat and song the same night,” DJ Aladdinn tells me over iMessage.
Music video director turned recording artist Rahul has revealed not one but two demos within a week, respectively titled “new balance” and “FLX”.
At just 1:14, “new balance” has little to do with the beloved dad sneaker but much more to do with the balance in a newly formed relationship… or maybe the refreshed balanced in a months or even years long relationship. You decide. A black girl searches for Rahul in the opening frame. When she finds him with the help of her flashlight on a black and blue May spring night. Television and film script take up screen space as the footage rolls on, spoon-feeding the fan. Rahul’s in a bathroom next to his girl but he’s looking the other way. His girl’s facing the mirror. They’re both brushing their teeth. A rather cute scene of a happy couple rolling out a carpet in what looks like a new apartment with two moving boxes in the back looks like it could be straight out of a heartfelt moment with a romantic movie. What’s a 2024 music video for a demo without a little nostalgia? A photographer shoots a flick of Rahul and his girl outside of their new pad on a OneStep Flash Polaroid. It’s pinned to the fridge…. next to bills with red stamps reading PAST DUE. She throws the papers in his face and walks off screen. It ends with a shot of the two having breakfast together. OJ, coffee, brochures, glasses, robes, white tees…
“FLX” is a different beast. There’s no romance here. There’s only a desolate desert, a breathtakingly beautiful backdrop of the stars, and Rahul himself (still clad in the same white tank from “new balance”) leaned up against a half buried van for reasons unknown.
Ah, yes. The music itself. Yeah, the guy’s carved out a lane paved by the one and only Frank Ocean… but he’s also put his own little original spin on the pitched vocals, the “warm and chill” vibes, and the delivery that so many fans of Blonded fell in love with.
Prolific artist Dupizz has shared a new album, titled DuBron James. Hot off the heels of engaging projects like IF I WAS with GRIMM Doza, as well as WISEMEN with Doza and JaeFrmJerz, Dupizz has been consistent in delivering versatile and infectious offerings. His latest, DuBron James, contains spacey, bouncy soundscapes and displays his natural penchant for charisma and humorous lines, with many moments that will have the listener re-winding. Throughout DuBron James, Dupizz laces his verses with some hilarious and clever quips that give the project added character, atop hypnotic production.
Vibrant production with an underlying sense of triumph characterizes DuBron James, as Dupizz starts the album off strongly with potent track “The Ticket”. “Domino” contrasts the opener with a darker, booming soundscape and cathartic feel, while “Sky Green” is an enticing, ethereal joint that showcases his versatility. “Better With It” is a mesmerizing closer with mind-bending samples and a confident flow that closes out the project in a memorable fashion.
Estiee returns to our pages with the release of his fresh single “Drive Slow”, a collaboration with Roman. Here, a beautifully lucid instrumental consisting of refreshing, melancholic guitars, emotive organs, and a laid-back drum line convey a sense of longing. Estiee delivers a heartfelt verse that leads into a smooth, smoky hook from Roman. The two contrast each-other while adding up to a cohesive whole, while “Drive Slow”’s potently emotional feel make it a standout. Listen to “Drive Slow” here.
New York’s Iman Nunez has a strong track record as a razor-sharp lyricist, and his latest song “NUMBERS GAME” alongside the prolific HDBeenDope is no exception. The emcees attacks the silvery, electrifying instrumental with precision, in a manner that feels tactical. Underscored by ominous, metallic synths and a creeping rhythm section, they go back and forth with a kinetic chemistry that grips the listener from the get-go. Listen to “NUMBERS GAME” here.
“a la mesa” is the latest offering from NYC-via-Vermont artist rivan, who makes a return to our pages once again for this hard-hitting release. With a triumphant instrumental that takes on an anthemic tone through its usage of expansive synths that give way into a booming rhythm section, “a la mesa” is a track about going big. Droning layers of vocals underscore the instrumental, merging cohesively with the punchy percussion. rivan sounds hungry and focused on the mic as he weaves together dynamic flows that feel as potent and raw as the beat. Listen to “a la mesa” here.
Chris Celestial has shared a new song called “I Surrender”. Celestial’s new song “I Surrender” feels like finding a moment of peace amongst chaos. It’s mesmerizing vocal samples, dream-like keys, and relaxed percussion create an apt backdrop for Celestial’s poetic, soulful style. Like the track’s namesake, his delivery gives the impression of a state of acceptance, as he weaves together lyrics that absorb the listener in their piece-by-piece world building. Give “I Surrender” a listen here.
Ohio-bred, Montreal-based artist cropscropscrops has dropped off a new 2-pack called “4-way stop/ the 20th anniversary death cab for cutie transatlanticism”, produced by stale brick. The new release finds cropscropscrops further refining the detail-oriented, abstract hip-hop sound heard on his project from here, out there with Vaygrnt. With these two songs, crops brings the listener along with him as he adds a magical edge to the mundane happenings of daily life. With the jazzy, down-to-earth soundscapes and observant lyrics of these two tracks, crops and stale brick give a sense that there may be more than meets the eye in each day’s seemingly average happenings. Listen to “4-way stop/ the 20th anniversary death cab for cutie transatlanticism” here.
ROUNDHOUSE MUSIC 