Oakland, California singer and songwriter Still Woozy continues to build momentum with the release of his groovy psychedelic single “Habit.” Woozy is one of those artists that’s multi-talented and is influenced by various genres in music. The first song that captivated my attention was the track “Goodie Bag.” Right away I was enamored by his electronic sound blended in with small traces of rap and r&b influences. The transitions and breaks are smooth throughout the song which helps add to the funky element that Still Woozy embodies. I like to imagine it being like new age psychedelic music, something that could’ve come from the 70’s but still feels modern, This is the sixth single that he’s released from his vault and he’s currently headlining his own 19 city tour with supporting acts. Hopefully, when the tour is done we can get a full body of work that we can digest and dive into. Stream Still Woozy’s “Habit” below.

I truly feel like we have another wave of new stars coming out from Chicago every three or four years. It’s kind of like Atlanta with the endless cycle of talent with different sounds and stories you hear coming from the city. Polo G is one of the youngest and brightest faces that’s making noise and trending upward. “Pop Out” is the second release under his newly signed deal with Columbia Records and the follow up to his debut single “Finer Things.” Polo is able to recruit fellow Columbia Records emcee and bubbling New York artist Lil Tjay to assist him on “Pop Out.” The Ryan Lynch-directed video is shot in the now famous Chicago fashioned house video. This style was made popular by Chicago rappers like Chief Keef and his OTF affiliates back in 2012 and 2013. With major backing and almost a million plays in a day Polo G is someone who has to be on your radar when talking about Chicago rap moving forward. Watch his video for “Pop Out” featuring Lil Tjay below.

Let’s give South Carolina songbird Sra a warm welcome to the Lyrical Lemonade pages with her new project ‘Alaska’. As a sucker for a good aesthetic and appealing artwork and her abstract for ‘Alaska‘ is what drew me in the press play. When you hear Sra’s voice over the first track in “South Village” you get the sense that this is more than just a look, she has some big-time talent. Her vocals over the five-track extended play sound so fluid and effortless across her production. Similar popular acts that come to mind when I’m running through this body of work, are people like Jhene Aiko and Solonage as far as vibes go. With all the talk of who the king or queen of r&b was near the end of 2018, the flare and hype of the genre are back. Don’t be surprised if you see Sra come out as one of the sleeper newcomers of the genre this year. Stream Sra’s project ‘Alaska’ below.

Toronto artist WISE motivates with his new single “No Looking Back.” Over the past couple of years, we’ve been seeing a slew of talent coming out of the Toronto area. WISE is one of those artists coming from the north that you should be keeping tabs on. He released his six-track extended play ‘Guess I’ve Changed’ in mid-December and it’s landed him on some of Spotify’s more prominent playlists in Northern Bars and Hip Hop Central. “No Looking Back” is one of those motivational ballads that when you first hear the beat you can feel the storytelling aura stemming from it. Throughout the song WISE details his come up and trails and tribulations of his life up until this point. Through it, all the Canadian emcee keeps his head down and pushing forward and doesn’t look back. Stream WISE’s single “No Looking Back” below.

Producer tandem Brasstracks and budding R&B riser R.LUM.R team up to create a vibrant bouncy single “I’m Alright.” This is the second single from the Brasstracks camp before their forthcoming project ‘Before We Go’. The brass-heavy and funky soul collaboration is the first time that Ivan and Conor have linked up with R.LUM.R. and the outcome didn’t disappoint. Both acts had been familiar and fans of each other since their Soundcloud days which was the starting point of their relationship. Ivan and Conor stated via email “ “I’m Alright” has been about a year and some change in the making – we reached out to R.LUM.R after hearing some of his music on Soundcloud and found out that we were mutual fans of each other. We set up a session in NYC pretty quickly, the studio that we met up at didn’t have the proper equipment (classic) so we just went back to the home studio and made the bulk of it there..” Brasstracks are gearing up for a big 2019 as they are already slotted to headline a 26 city tour with rappers Pell and Kemba, after the release of their EP at the end of January. Stream Brasstracks single …

District of Columbia emcee Goldlink resurfaces with a new single via Color Studios entitled “Justine’s Interlude.” 2018 was a relatively quiet year for Goldlink after releasing his RCA debut album ‘At What Cost’ in 2017. If you’re familiar with Goldlink’s discography then you know his music has a deeper underlying meaning behind it the majority of the time. “Justine’s Interlude” speaks out against domestic abuse. If you’re unfamiliar with the backstory Justine Skye came out with a song titled “Build” that talks about her experience with a domestic abuser. Her alleged abuser Sheck Wes has yet to speak out about these allegations, but it’s good to see more men holding others accountable for their actions especially in the music industry. Skye showed her gratitude by retweeting the post with a heart emoji and saying “thank you” Watch Goldlink flow effortlessly on “Justine’s Interlude” below.

Making their first appearance to the Lyrical Lemonade pages today is Boone, North Carolina indie band Sleepy Dog with their new album, Amor Fati. I was first introduced to them by recommendation from a friend around the summer of 2018, and after hearing the song, “Space Cadet,” I was immediately brought in as an instant fan. The thing that stood out the most was that Sleepy Dog didn’t have any social media really, until recently, and considering the state of today’s music industry, it’s fairly mind-boggling to think that an artist could build up to 30,000 monthly listeners on Spotify without promotion behind it. This just tells me that Sleepy Dog’s music is here to stay and that their fan base is very passionate about their music, so if you’re a fan of psychedelic and slacker math rock then Sleepy Dog should find a home in one of your playlists. Listen to their new album, Amor Fati, below.

With what seems like to have been a long time coming, the wait for Boogie’s next project is on its way, and today, the Compton rapper is here to help remedy the waiting with a brand new set of visuals for his new single, “Silent Ride”. Taking a step back, Boogie first made waves and headlines by busting on to the scene with two stellar projects, Thirst 48 and Thirst 48 II. Those two projects along with another album titled The Reach allowed the rising emcee to land a deal under Eminem’s Shady Records imprint, and after proving himself with earlier projects, it’s only been a success for Boogie since this signing. Back to the present, Boogie’s new video for “Silent Ride” depicts both the light and dark side of the rappers mental, all the while running in reverse. In the beginning, you see the Boogie draped in all white while getting baptized and cleansing himself of sin, but as you move towards the end of the video you can see him switch to all black with a ski mask on getting into a vehicle which looks like they’ve come back from hitting a lick. Needless to say, this is a thought-provoking …