SEARCH FOR: HYPERPOP

Although it feels like hyperpop is a genre that is bigger than anything else right now, I think that has to do with my own listening habits and the news/releases that I personally pay attention to. Clearly, it’s a genre that is still heavily underground and very niche but considering my social media newsfeeds are filled with brand-new drops, various artists, and so much love being shown to up-and-comers, it just feels like it’s a movement that’s so much bigger than it actually is. Well, I have no doubt in my mind that this is the future of music. Even if the mainstream media isn’t going to show it too much attention beyond the likes of superstars like 100 Gecs, glaive, midwxst, or ericdoa, I am always going to show love to artists that truly deserve it. Juno is a musician who is at the very top of my list. Back in July, juno dropped what appears to be a 3 song EP called open your moirai, and even though it came up just short of 5 minutes long, it was a quick offering that I was a massive fan of. As most hyperpop fans know, these artists don’t take …

Over the years, I have found myself deeply immersed in so many different facets of music that it can be hard to keep track of them all. From rock, rap, hyperpop, neosoul, punk, and pretty much anything else aside from country, there has most likely been a point in my life where there was one specific genre that I was listening to more than anything else, and that point is one of the many times that has defined my diverse musical preferences. When I heard Lil Peep for the first time, my mind was blown and my jaw dropped because he was utilizing familiar sounds in a way that I had never before experienced this type of music, and it was from the moment I tapped in with him that I was forever changed, for the better of course. Although it is beyond unfortunate that Peep isn’t still on this Earth changing the world with his gifts, I have been heavily paying attention to friends and fellow artists that he worked with during his time, so when I came across Brennan Savage and realized that he was an emcee that I had somehow not recognized prior to now, I was …

If I’m being completely candid about my musical preferences, it really doesn’t take a lot to grab my attention from the start. All I need is an interesting or unique beat, an artist that brings something at least slightly different to the table, and a personality that isn’t the same as everyone else. If you have this, I’ll definitely tune in, but I think the much more difficult thing to do is keep me intrigued and coming back for more. Not that I am the end-all, be-all voice of reason in music, but I just find myself getting excited about certain artists who I then grow tired of because I just can’t stay as interested as I was at first. Well, I think the perfect example of a duo who caught me off guard in a fantastic way early on and has managed to keep my attention for months and maybe even a year or two at this point is WHOKILLEDXIX. When I first tapped in with them, I was really into hyperpop, a genre I still love but just don’t strictly listen to daily like I once did, and while they certainly have some of the makings of this …

Indiana might not be the stereotypical answer you give people when they ask for an under-the-radar music hub that they should know about. I guess it’s not surprising because you don’t expect a place in the center of the Midwest that isn’t necessarily known as a destination in general to produce some remarkable talents, but it’s a place that I definitely think is slept on. The diverse list of emcees who are making a name for themselves in so many different facets of music that span genres and styles is insane, and I find myself becoming more and more obsessed with the scene there. Whether you’re into hyperpop, pop punk, R&B, straight bars, or local legends, Indiana has an answer in the form of midwxst, Lil Aaron, Omar Apollo, Freddie Gibbs, and Drayco McCoy, but the list of names continues the deeper you look into the music there. R&B might not always be the go-to genre that I prefer, but Omar Apollo has been one of the powerful talents that has changed my outlook on the style of music, and he has continued to prove why he’s someone you need to keep up with as he keeps on dropping more …

I have to credit so many people for broadening my horizons and helping me realize the fact that music doesn’t have to be “normal” in order for it to be enjoyable or good. In fact, as the years have gone on and more and more imitators have given a crack at making music, I tend to even prefer more obscure, forward-thinking music over the stereotypical rap song that has a boom-bap beat and a standard flow. Although there are plenty of artists who have proven that atypical is best, I think the one person who has shown me this more than anyone is ITSOKTOCRY. CRY not only pretty much helped pioneer a subgenre that is now classified as hyperpop, but he is also someone who seems to get more creative and artistic as his career continues and he keeps on thriving. I mean, he is probably the one person I can think of, other than Young Thug, who makes you feel like an entire group of emcees are spitting on a song with the various voices he is able to naturally incorporate into a singular track, and his latest song “Thriller” with demxntia is no different, while being completely different, …

When you first immerse yourself into the world of hyperpop, there are just so many diverse and out-of-the-box styles and musicians that it’s impossible to even fathom anything that could be more inventive. While I like to think of myself as a pretty creative person, there are just some others who push the boundaries way further than I could ever do myself, and it’s these individuals who I have paramount respect for, regardless of if they have a massive following or do it strictly for themselves. She Loves Boon is one of these talents because while I feel like he has created a style that is undeniably his own, others have classified him in the hyperpop genre which does make sense to an extent, but it’s also just too different to be confined to this singular label. I never waste time when it comes to listening to new music from the New York City-born and raised artist, and when I tapped in with his latest release “Punk Rock”, I was blown away more than I feel I ever have been prior. His trademark pitched-up vocals never fail to appeal to my taste, but his smooth, natural flows and buoyancy over …

Not every single person in the music industry needs to be completely groundbreaking or have a brand-new sound that catches on like wildfire. Some emcees just need a natural skill, a knack for music, and an interesting personality in order to create a foundation and build up a loyal fanbase from there. In fact, I almost applaud these artists more because of the fact that they were able to do something amazing without needing to include all of the other frills that others seem to include, and they also don’t need to create a false persona just to grab attention. Kody Lavigne is someone who entered the hyperpop scene a little while ago, and while there are definitely hyperpop musicians who lean on wild instruments and heavily altered vocals to make a name for themselves, Kody has done the same exact thing with a skillset full of naturally captivating aptitudes that I have become a massive fan of since I first tapped in with the young icon. He seems to drop music periodically, sometimes more consistently than others, so when I see a track come out, I waste no time and head right to my phone to listen. “Leave Me …

There aren’t very many artists in the music business that leave me speechless on a regular basis, but if I had to name one person who is pretty consistently unbelievable, my answer would most likely be brakence almost every single time. He is just such a creative thinker, and even though he might be considered a part of the hyperpop soundscape that is filled to the brim with out-of-the-box innovators, he still manages to one-up most of his subgenre cohorts quite often. I’m not sure how he does it, but there is just something unbelievably entrancing with regards to his sonic creations, and I think the fact that he typically has a hand in all creative aspects of his music helps with this individuality. I mean, he often writes, sings, produces, and even creates ideas for how he envisions music videos to play out, so although I’m late when it comes to writing about his latest release “venus fly trap”, it was a record that I have been listening to for a couple of weeks since it first came out and it has gotten better and better with time. Yes, this self-produced single is pretty pop-forward, but there are still …

Hark! The herald Cybertrash sings – as this week our king returns to us with his newest single “hang tight” featuring fellow Georgia-native Vaeo. Though admittedly, many of cybertrash’s fans have had to “hang tight” (haha) this past year during the great hyperpop drought of the 2020’s – music listeners can rejoice knowing that the floodgates have finally opened. A new Cybertrash era has been unleashed, and thankfully the past few weeks fans have been treated to not one, not two, but three (!) tracks from the self-produced Atlanta hyperpop darling. Unlike the two tracks that preceded “hang tight”, our newest entry into the Cybertrash canon sees Mr. Trash and Vaeo fluorishing over a brooding mix synthesizing the best parts of alt-rock, hyperpop, and emo-pop. Their chemistry is just as insatiable as it is undeniable, with the two young artists trading verses with unrivaled energy that mirrors, if not surpasses, many of their hyperpop “elders”. Could Cybertrash’s return serve as a harbinger for a forthcoming hyperpop renaissance? Time will tell, but for the time being, glory to the hyperpop king for delivering listeners another instant-add for the weekly rotation. Check out Cybertrash and Vaeo’s new single “hang tight” below:  

It may not be super apparent based on my current taste in music and many of the songs I write about, but I grew up a huge fan of rock music. At first, it was bands like AC/DC and Van Halen that really helped me grasp what music as a whole was, but then as I got older, I got extremely into punk rock and pop-punk thanks to bands like Green Day, Jimmy Eat World, and Blink-182. By the time I got to high school, I had shifted most of my focus on rap, but these are still bands and genres that are engrained in who I am, so you can bet that I was extremely excited when certain hip-hop acts started to incorporate these sounds into their music. Obviously, there are elements of these genres in music created by everyone from the late greats like Juice WRLD and Lil Peep to hyperpop acts like Brakence and ericdoa, but one person who I have been seriously impressed with is Tuxx. He is an emcee that I haven’t kept up with as much as I once did probably about a year ago, but I always try and listen whenever he drops …