Shane, the Shaman, Supernalist, and Shah Leezy have connected for a fresh single, titled “In The Air”. With Shane and Shah hailing from New York, and Supernalist from the DMV, “In The Air” makes for a soulful East Coast collaboration that contains an airy, uplifting energy. Atop layers of breezy soul samples, rich bass, and minimalistic percussion, the emcees deliver imagery rich, vivid verses that blend together seamlessly, accentuated by the laid-back, smooth sound of the instrumentation. With undertones that feel both nostalgic and hopeful, “In The Air” presents a vital new release from Shane, the Shaman, Supernalist, and Shah Leezy. Give it a listen below.
Wiseboy Jeremy and Kirti Pandey have dropped off a new video for their song “Do I Not”, featuring Phoenix James. Jeremy, hailing from New Jersey, expresses life through his lens of the world with hip-hop as his chosen medium. The 21-year old artist relays his introspection over jazz-tinged, contemplative production with a little bit of classic East Coast grit. His latest release finds him connecting with prolific producer Kirti Pandey and soulful singer Phoenix James for a potent, emotive new offering.
Warm, layered production creates a laid-back and assured backdrop for Jeremy and James, who each bring refreshing elements to the track while showing much natural chemistry. Jeremy begins with heartfelt, introspective verses that touch the soul and relate to the listener, while James follows up with a silky hook that adds extra dynamics to the song. The visual, directed by redbrags and Wiseboy Jeremy, features intimate cuts and low-key, hazy coloration that give it a lived-in feel, enhanced by the song’s rich, jazzy soundscape and relaxed vocals.
Hidden Renaissance are certainly a group you should be paying attention to in today’s underground hip-hop landscape. Glued together by a love for hip-hop and community, the expansive collective helmed by duo T H R O N E have just released their largest collaborative effort ever in their new record BA SING SE. Rarely has such a wide number of artists contributed to a project, with over 200 artists competing to appear on the LP, and the final product manages to remain cohesive throughout. Soulful, lyrically-focused tracks tie the threads together on BA SING SE, with an undercurrent of love and creative cooperation giving the record a uniquely vital atmosphere.
The textural, warm sampling patchwork of songs like “1996 (In the Heart, In the Mind)” and “There’s a way!” are simply beautiful, and when paired with evocative lyricism they become touching. The group keeps it raw as well, with songs like “It gets dangerous” varying the flavors with its gritty soundscape and potent, urgent verses. The cascading, glowing samples of “Heaven’s Resources II” add a touch of surrealism, combining neatly with the track’s detail-rich lyricism. The organic, lo-fi sheen of the project gives it an immersive, layered feeling and makes it easier to sink in to some of these tracks, particularly on the smoky “Jazz Cigarettes” and “And I’m Still Here”.
With its community-first approach to creation, Hidden Renaissance transcends the bounds of a record label or company. It is, instead, a revolutionary community that makes and releases music together as a shared creative experience. Their latest offering BA SING SE marks their largest collaboration ever, with over 200 artists competing to appear on it, crafting more than 300 songs in a 2 month period in the process. The final result is a curated, multi-genre ode and homage to the raw skill and diversity of the underground. Take a listen to their latest project BA SING SE here now, a sonic odyssey of soulful sounds built around a love for community and hip-hop.
Prolific North Carolina artist Myles T. Jordan has shared a new release called “HennyPaper”, paired with a fresh video. Following up poignant recent drops “Light” and “I Gave U Power”, “HennyPaper” finds the NC emcee continuing his streak of vividly lyrical releases atop a somber, smoky soundscape of evocative keys, organic percussion, and engaging bass.
Jordan has a penchant for surreal, emotive lyricism that often stirs a thought-provoking depth. He displays that here, further enhanced by the darkly hypnotic, ruminative production which suits his introspective, detailed lyrical style. Give “HennyPaper” a listen below and check out the new visual while you’re at it.
New York artist LIFEOFTHOM has shared a new single called “EZEKIEL”, featuring AKAI SOLO, Ania Hoo, and JamesBurns. The genre-bending musician always brings something new and refreshing to the table with each release- flirting with hip-hop, R&B, indie, and more across his burgeoning discography. His latest song, “EZEKIEL”, is an emotive take on soulful New York sounds, with stirring, emotive samples underscoring his vivid verses.
Atop warm, uplifting vocal samples, elegant keys, and engaging bass, LIFEOFTHOM flows in a cathartic, focused manner, while demonstrating a natural chemistry with fellow New York emcee AKAI SOLO. The pair come through with poetic, imagery rich verses that merge together seamlessly, painting a clear picture of their life and times in the process.
Give LIFEOFTHOM’s latest single “EZEKIEL” a listen below.
Prolific emcee RU$H and Montreal standout rapper-producer Mike Shabb recently shared their collaborative project MONCLER BOYZ, a stylish, sonically rich project containing potent, detailed lyricism and warm, evocative production. The title track, “Moncler Boyz”, featuring underground heavyweights Tha God Fahim, Big Cheeko, and Jay NiCE, caught our attention for its silvery, laid-back instrumentation and memorable vocals that demonstrate a natural chemistry between the emcees.
Underscored by graceful keys and emotive backing vocals, the track takes on a reminiscent mood, as the rappers glide atop the sleek joint with ease. Focused, vividly detailed verses flow together seamlessly, laced with memorable lines that have the listener rewinding to catch everything. Shabb’s glowing, minimalistic production manages to evoke rich feelings of nostalgia while also providing the perfect backdrop for the rappers’ charismatic, braggadocios lines in the process.
Give “Moncler Boyz” a listen now below, a track off RU$H and Mike Shabb’s potent recent project of the same title.
LOS KEMET has dropped off a fresh project, titled Starrunner. LOS KEMET is an artist originally from the deep southern city of Jackson, Mississippi, who has resided in various big cities like Chicago, Memphis, Atlanta, and now Austin, Texas. The variety of styles he provides across his discography are a clear depiction of where he has resided- and he chooses to dub his sound “New Soul” or “Seeds Of The South”. LOS’ latest project, Starrunner, conjures a warm feeling of nostalgia with a series of soulful, quintessentially southern hip-hop tracks that bristle with a laid-back yet vital energy.
Starrunner opens with the stylish, relaxed “Jules Winnfield”, which begins the project with a sense of triumph- laced within expansive vocal samples, sturdy percussion, and confident flows from LOS. Lead single “Barter 7” is an infectious, refreshing take on classic southern sounds, while “Die Tonight” presents a highlight at the end of the project with wistful vocal samples, potent percussion, and catchy, relaxed vocals from LOS. He sounds assured atop the drill-influenced production, while both reminiscing and looking towards a bright future.
Give LOS KEMET’s latest project, Starrunner, a listen below now.
London lyricist Lynx Cane has returned once again with a fresh album called SNIS. Following up his spiritually-themed, soulful projects Garden of Gethsemane and The Spirit And It’s Fruits, SNIS finds him detailing his personal journey with vibrant lyricism laid atop potent, evocative instrumentation. SNIS’ introspective tone and meditative production gives it much character, paired with Cane’s distinctive baritone delivery and poetic lyricism.
“TESTIMONY” opens the project and does a lot with a short run time and minimalistic sound, as Cane gets deep on the microphone with a series of poignant, focused lines that capture SNIS’ themes of personal growth and redemption. “MANNA” brings in a more hypercharged, trap-laced sound that showcases Cane’s versatility, while “DEAD RIGHT”, featuring Retropxssy, continues this trend with production that flirts with rage and electropunk sounds and hard-hitting vocals. “Tabernacle” presents an evocative, reminiscent posse cut featuring Mary Sue, Jay Cinema, Kip C, Swordbearer and Kingayeo, that sees the emcees laying down heartfelt lines atop airy soul loops to a stirring effect.
Give London emcee Lynx Cane’s latest project SNIS a listen here now.
LOS KEMET‘s track “Barter 7 (Dig Dat)” stands as one of the more potent songs from this fall. Sonically, “Barter 7 (Dig Dat)”- produced by @guttylim0 & Zach Neiss– uses warm grooves and immersive keys to conjure a feeling of assurance and confidence, laden with crisp percussion that locks in a hypnotic rhythm. LOS sounds light on his feet on the microphone, weaving together dynamic lines with ease and never falling into a predictable rhyme pattern. Even throwing in subtle yet memorable melodic flourishes, LOS demonstrates his diverse skillset as an emcee and vocalist with “Barter 7 (Dig Dat)”. Watch the music video- directed by Thomas G– here.
Lord Sko- “James Worthy Goggles”
New York artist Lord Sko captivated us with his single “James Worthy Goggles”- a song off his engaging recently album United Palace. On “James Worthy Goggles”, Sko delivers silky flows atop smoky guitars, winding flutes, and warm bass that conjure a hazy, laid-back soundscape. He sounds comfortable in his lane and in the pocket- delivering detailed, observational verses atop the relaxed production. Dropping some quintessentially NY lines and shouting out Stack Bundles, he paints a vivid picture of his life in his city on “James Worthy Goggles”, drawing the listener into the track’s atmosphere in the process.
Blu, Real Bad Man- “Bad News”
West Coast legend Blu and prolific production outfit Real Bad Man‘s project Bad News made waves throughout the underground, and the title track proved to be a standout from the project, released with an engaging music video. “Bad News” finds Blu lacing the track with poetic, thought-provoking lines at a rapid pace atop dusky, subtly ominous strings and horns. As organic percussion and memorable bass build up a hypnotic groove, he launches into a verbal assault that keeps the listener on their toes with each line. The new visual, features crisp shots and an attention-grabbing performance from Blu, capturing the track’s vigorous energy. Watch the music video here.
Daniel Son, Wino Willy- “Frog Legs”
Toronto emcee Daniel Son and New Jersey producer Wino Willy‘s song “Frog Legs” caught our attention in September for its warm, vibrant sonics and powerful vocals. This eclectic joint from the two prolific artists contains an undercurrent of powerful energy- expressed through Son’s elaborate flows and Willy’s atmospheric, cathartic production style.
Nebula.- “Jive” (prod. JUNE!)
Louisiana artist Nebula.‘s frigid song “Jive”, produced by JUNE!, remains as one of our favorite songs from this autumn. “Jive” is a claustrophobic head-trip of a track that is unafraid to experiment and dabble in psychedelica, making for a captivating listen. Nebula.’s vocal tone suits the ominous edge of the production, while he keeps his flows dynamic in a manner that entices the listener and has them guessing.
Chelsea Reject- “I Just Wanted 2 Yell LOL”
Brooklyn artist Chelsea Reject demonstrates her versatility with the punk-infused rhythms of “I Just Wanted 2 Yell LOL”. Further proving that her artistry cannot be placed in a box, Reject draws from her roots in hip-hop with a raw, lyrically-focused vocal performance while also injecting hearty doses of punk in the track’s infectious bass-line and raucous delivery. An expressive, genre-bending offering from the Brooklyn standout, “I Just Wanted 2 Yell LOL” conveys a carefree creativity that is simply refreshing.
Voidness, HLP- “Toquinho”
A song from New York artist Voidness’ recent project It’s Windy Again This Morning/The Short End, “Toquinho” is nostalgic and fresh, making it a perfect soundtrack for the autumn months. His flows are poignant and focused, with a laid-back delivery that injects just enough presence and energy to keep it engagingly dynamic. The breezy production from HLP is a gift to the ears, with drifting Spanish guitars floating in a freeform manner atop organic percussion.
Lo Artiz- “la bruja”
Miami-born, LA-based artist Lo Artiz‘s song “la bruja”- from her recent album LOVE LACED- shows layers of depth in its songwriting and lyricism, taking on a mystical tone that captivates from the get-go. Backed by a tapestry of watery, expansive keys, starry synths, and rich bass, Artiz shines with sleek, emotive vocals laced with dynamic melodies. With an undertone of catharsis, “la bruja” makes for a poignant song with themes of women accessing and wielding deeper powers- providing a fierce roar within the patriarchy of the music industry.
South Bend, Indiana artist Gxldsoulrebel has dropped off a fresh single, titled “Known Stranger”, produced by Yung Elder. Taking on a spiritual tone backed by refreshing sonics, Gxldsoulrebel delivers poetic lines entrenched with wisdom and wistfulness that give “Known Stranger” its own character.
Listening to the aptly-titled song feels like re-uniting with an old friend- or perhaps a meeting with a stranger that you intuitively feel you have always known. It’s immersive warmth and relaxed, cosmic production reflect this motif, while the chorus solidifies it with its references to campfires and sharing stories. Gxldsoulrebel and Yung Elder manage to do something truly refreshing with “Known Stranger”, a track that strips back frills and pretenses to examine our basic nature, storytelling, and methods of communication and connection.
ROUNDHOUSE MUSIC 