Austin, Texas’ Luis the Lover is a tenderly-voiced singer-songwriter that dabbles heavily in the lonely, detached sounds of modern R&B. His 2019 project I Wanna Die More Than You is an excellent collection of initially disparate sounds that ultimately converge into a beautiful orchestra of experimental sound. ‘From a Distance’, which dropped over two years ago and is self-proclaimed to […]
Best known for being an exceptional hook writer, Yung Mootla has kicked 2020 off with another huge banger. Like the rest of the rapper’s discography ‘Ulcer’ employs huge trap production and an earworm chorus, but where it differs is in its scope. More often than not Mootla’s efforts to ram a phrase into a listener’s head succeeds, but never before […]
On ‘KTA’ MVSON lets his true self flow through an unbreakable verse. “I don’t give a fuck about nobody, shit, I’m the worst of all” lies at the centre of ‘KTA’, the latest single by Chicago rapper MVSON. This unapologetic declaration is the core of the song’s only verse, a tightly knotted set of bars delivered with dexterity and confidence. […]
The follow up to 2019’s uber-hazy Gypsy, Semi Sweet is SToNE’s most accomplished offering to date. The production credits are familiar, as are the disoriented flows, but there’s a tighter sense of songwriting here than ever before. Check it out in full here. ‘High Note’ features one of three credits from frequent collaborator Nephew, his woozy beat makes the track […]
From South St. Louis emerges a multi-hyphenate artist veiled in ghostly energy. “80 on the dash, bitch I’m in the fast lane” raps South St. Louis artist Metal Slug calmly on ‘4DALUVOFMONEY’. The line wouldn’t feel out of place in any modern trap song, but in the context and surroundings of Metal Slug’s artistry it is a mission statement, a […]
Sicfreid is a gruff-voiced rapper/producer who dropped singles periodically throughout 2019, the best of which was undoubtedly ‘Zoro’. Clearly a lover of anime, the artist had tapped in to this hazy trap sound seven months prior on ‘Phantom Troupe’, but here he essentially perfected that direction. Perhaps the reason for this was the self-production, a new feature at the time […]
R1 Blast visionary Tethra64 AKA Dying Tethra has been teasing his long awaited full length album EraserGun for a number of months now, and the results exceed every single one of my monstrously high expectations. You can hear the project in its entirety here. A seasoned rapper and producer from Philadelphia, Tethra has been making boundary-pushing hip hop for as […]
Texas rapper Big Marley is one of the most inhuman rappers I think I’ve ever heard. His grinding, vehement takes on trap and drill are intensified by his vicious, animalistic delivery, creating a listening experience unlike much else in the underground scene. Marley’s Soundcloud bio says ‘not human’, and this much is believable. Although he raps primarily over straight-laced hip-hop […]
California rapper 10k Kwasi dropped three projects last year, more than doubling his overall output. The third and longest of these, November’s Golden Boy, is the first defining project of his career and a very worthwhile listen for fans of major hip-hop labels like TDE who may grow tired of their unpredictable release schedules. Kwasi is a great rapper and […]
Kari Magic brings vicious energy to his latest single. Kari Magic brings staccato murmurs over a dissonant trap beat on “Cujo”. Clocking in at a brief 2 minutes, Kari wastes none of the time allowed; The song begins and ends abruptly and the bars come without pause. Bells ring hauntingly throughout as Kari raps confidently in a gravelly tone. Compared […]
2020’s first major underground release is another colossal, intense and mystical offering from one of the godfathers of the underground. You can hear it in its entirety here. Astral Trap (FKA Dari Loso)’s career spanned the last half of the 2010’s, cementing his place in the underground hip hop canon forever. His projects are dense, epic and crafted alongside some […]
The Ivvy League producer and vocalist brings forward an expansion on his previously released 2019 EP 01 REFINE. In the world of modern emo-rap music, repetition has come to be expected; audiences have heard many times tales of heartbreak and hypebeasts. Despite this, Kiryano’s Refine 01 captures with skill and originality a now familiar world of fast fashion and drugged-out […]
20. LÄRS – MOLOTOV PROD: GRIMM DOZA, REVENXNT. FEATURING: SANJIGGYRONIN, GRIMM DOZA, CRIS SHIMMY, SKULLLELEVEN. Easily the finest project Dots has released this year, Molotov compiled some of his best previously released Doza collabs (‘Toro‘, ‘Twacked‘), alongside a handful of brand new joints to create an excellent fourteen track album that will likely go down as one of his best. […]
JOSEN – JOSEN & FRIENDS PROD: HOODWTCH, DECEASED, 1CHAI, ENDOHBEATS, LUKRATIVE, 4AM, FRXSTBITE, GHOSTIE, SNOOZED, RICAN HAVOC, GEEOHS, DONTSLEEP, CASHCACHE, FALSECUT, NINETHLUKE, MOZIATL, BRWNWRLD. FEATURING: BILL$, YUNG TUDA, TOMMY ICE, ENDOH, YUNGSTER JACK, SOLJAY, YEAT, HELLFIGER, GHOSTIE, LUVELOVESYOU, KANKAN, JVLES, TEXAKO, GOJIBEANBRYANT, LIL TURBO. The focus of Josen & Friends, the first, collaboratively-focused mixtape from the New York rapper is […]
HERME$ – NEVA CHANGE PROD: GENSHIN, ALIENGAWD, ICXXY, SPACEGHOSTPURRP. MIXING: 500DEGREEJAZ, 4JAY. FEATURING: 4JAY, HEARTBREAKJP. Herme$ has dropped a lot of amazing projects this year (arguably more than anyone else), and Neva Change is likely my second favourite release from the rapper this year. The EP is spearheaded by the breathtaking, ‘Intro‘/title track that dropped as a single around two […]
ARTIST: SAL DA SLEAZE SOUNDCLOUD Sal da Sleaze is a former LO$TBOY$YNDICATE member that recently hit me up to check out the Notorious Book of Sleaze EP, a four track offering portraying a life of struggle, hard work and dedication. ‘Close Your Eyes’ begins with the familiar pop rap motifs of echoey female vocals, but when Sal begins to rap […]
