SEARCH FOR: REVIEWS

Out of all the different parts of the country that are bringing various styles of music to life, I have to admit that the DMV is one of my favorite regions to tap in with. It’s one of the first places that I got into when I dove into the underground a handful of years ago, so it definitely has a place close to my heart, but I am always amazed that it seems like this is one of the most under the radar parts of the country in terms of recognition for the wonderful music that is oozing out of these states. Some of my favorite underground artists call this area home, but I am always on the hunt for talents I’m unfamiliar with, and when I heard raving reviews from friends and acquaintances alike about tophillfreddo, I quickly realized that I couldn’t waste another moment without tapping in with him. Although he has moved away from the DMV to the West Coast, he still maintains his own unique sound that is so addicting, and while I know there is still so much more for me to hear from Freddo, I know that his latest release “Angels” is a …

Every year, artists hailing from Chicago prove exactly why this is a city that belongs in the upper echelon of music, and this fact grows more abundantly obvious with every release that is put out. Whether a musician is world renown or locally recognized, there is never a shortage of creativity, effort, or innovation, and whether the rest of the country notices this or not, local fans are well aware of the goldmine that we are sitting on here in the Midwest.  Our goal here at Lyrical Lemonade has always been to shine a light on the remarkable sounds coming out of the city every single year, and even when we go in with certain expectations or presumptions, our minds are absolutely blown once we realize just how much dexterous and unique music was brought to life in the span of 12 short months. One thing that is inimitable within the local scene here is simply the sense of community because whether these talents are teaming up with one another or on entirely different levels of fame, everyone seems to show love to each other, ensuring their awareness of the eye-opening and head-turning styles that are being generated across the …

Few artists put out their first song and receive raving reviews mainly just because it usually takes someone new quite some time to practice and perfect their sound before they know exactly what strengths to play to and exploit, but for the rare individual or two, it just seems to be in their blood and come naturally to them. When I was put onto Zouli last week, the homie had nothing but great things to say about him and I knew I had to tap in with his music sooner rather than later. Considering he’s still extremely new to the world of music, I didn’t know what to expect, and after reading his Spotify bio, I definitely felt a lot more acquainted with him. Hailing from Montreal, one of the most under the radar yet talent-filled cities in the entire world, Zouli might only be 20 years old, but he has worked hard to ensure his sound is unique and new, not copying anyone even though he is influenced by talents like Juice WRLD, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and others. Being overwhelmed by the success of his first release, he decided to take a bit of a break and …

HBO announced they would be releasing a six-part series profiling different iconic artists in multiple genres. Juice WRLD was one of these artists, and the major film company took advantage of some exceptional behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive interviews to portray the beloved artist in an intimate fashion. This trailer previews the episode, with brief clips giving viewers a glance at what’s to come. Emotion, pain and praise are common themes of the audio clips included, and if it’s any indication of what’s to come, a powerful documentary is coming with the December 16 release of Into the Abyss on HBO Max. Watch the trailer on YouTube below!

“Get Refreshed” is a weekly column by Billy Bugara covering all things digital in the music world. Refresh yourself here.  Cover by IllustratorFile Full Playlist (2021) Kai Whiston: Drayan! Conceptual undertakings in electronic music are a dime a dozen. Extraterrestrial motifs in electronic music are a dime a dozen. Abrasive instrumentals and distortion-tinged vocals in electronic music are… a dime a dozen. Drayan! – the latest mixtape from rising producer and performer Kai Whiston – holds all of these ideas as its main features, but its price is certainly not as easy to come upon. Throw any sense of commonality out of the window; all 9 of its tracks might as well be worth a million dollars each. What we have here is a project that, from a spectacle, is akin to a standard release in this genre. But someone as ferociously passionate and talented as Whiston is simply could not play into these standards without transcending them entirely. The Lux Cache founder took the magnificent photographic work of Janaina Tschäpe’s “After The Rain” and effectively gave it its own score — telling the story of a hybrid alien figure as they proceed through the trials and tribulations of their …

Just a week or two ago, BIGBABYGUCCI dropped off his highly anticipated project entitled 1 Night I Took Acid, and while I still want to dive even deeper into this record, I can already tell you without a doubt in my mind that it’s one of his strongest efforts to date. That’s saying a lot too because he has been known as one of the biggest phenoms in the underground, so with a discography as strong as his, other artists can struggle to live up to their previous hits. Obviously, this isn’t the case for BBG though, and throughout the 12 songs that last right about 26 and a half minutes long, GUCCI takes us on a journey to another world that you need to hear to understand exactly what I mean. Although there are so many hits on this project that it’s hard for me to choose specific favorites, I think it goes without saying that a fan favorite was one of the project’s singles entitled “Pressure + Layers”. While the album’s version features the legendary Cold Hart, GUCCI decided that he wanted to team back up with filmmaker Keaton Jones to shoot a movie for this hit, and …

Ever since I found out about Huntington, West Virginia native 7ru7h a few months ago, I have heard nothing but rave reviews from fans all over the world. Most recently, when I saw his latest release “Love Hurts Feelings” pretty much going viral, I had no choice but to tune in. Opening up, you hear the strums of a very emotive guitar melody that 7ru7h ends up introducing his vocals on, starting out with a very passionate, almost melancholic delivery that is full of pain and heartache. Although his voice is powerful and as honest as ever, a deep, pungent 808 enters into the scene about halfway through, elevating the bounce as well as the energy of the instrumental which then seems to rub off on the singer, ultimately adding up to another unbelievable offering from the rising star. Considering he predicted this track to be a hit from the jump, he also teamed up with T Aubrey who shot a miniature movie for this record, and the results are simplistic yet complementary in all the right ways to bring this offering to new heights. As it opens up, he is sitting down in a cemetery with his back to …

While the idea of rap groups as a whole may be slowly disappearing in the rap game, we have been seeing tons of cliques and rap labels that may have tons of solo artists, but appear to have that group-like demeanor. As of late, we have seen Quality Control–home of rap acts lie Migos, Lil Yachty, Lil Baby, and more. Griselda Records consists of Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher. Last but not least, we have seen YSL flourish in the rap game since Young Thug took the scene by storm. If you do a bit of digging, you will see Young Thug interacting with tons of members of YSL before they were famous as he built them up to become the stars they are today. Gunna used to appear in Thugger’s music videos before signing to his label, and a young and determined Lil Keed played his music for Thug before the fame and he ultimately ended up signing with Thug as well. Here we are today and Young Thug is here to showcase his latest body of work alongside his star-studded YSL crew, Slime Language 2. With the original Slime Language project dropping in 2018, it was met …

“Get Refreshed” is a weekly column by Billy Bugara covering all things digital in the music world. Refresh yourself here.  Cover by Brixton Yorker Twikipedia + SEBii: “hotel” Occasions like these remind me that nothing ever truly grows “stale” in music, no matter what the hardcore skeptics and critics of the world may think otherwise. Both the art and the craft of basing entire hip-hop tracks around video games – while always being present and developing – have taken on prominent and exciting new forms over the past decade. MCs and producers alike from scenes that stretch from South Florida to the Kanto Region ushered in this wholly entertaining era as the 2010s entered its waning years, and though this particular approach had its moment for quite some time, it certainly isn’t at the level of supply that it once was.  Now if anyone from today’s crop of superstars-in-the-making were to give this approach a welcomed return-to-form, could we have chosen a more obvious pairing than Twikipedia and SEBii? I seriously believe there could have been no one better to take up this task than these two given their track record of video game-centric bars and aesthetics alike; the shared …

In a current climate fueled by snippets and previews, there’s a certain level of joy that comes when a song you have been listening to finally gets an official released version. Speaking on behalf of Lyrical Lemonade veteran Lil Tecca, he has been notorious for previewing snippets that have been amazing. After circling around the internet for some months now, and most recently blowing up on Tik Tok, “Show Me Up” has been a fan favorite and finally sees the light of day on streaming services, as well as an amazing visual to accompany it. “Show Me Up” showcases one of the many bags that Tecca can get in, and that is his relaxed flow with many quotables scattered throughout the song. Tecca is seen in the visuals rapping his verse effortlessly overlooking a beach as the sun sets, adding to the overall aesthetic of the song and the beat. One thing is for certain, is that Tecca knows that his fans love and he knows what will resonate online. Say what you will about Tik Tok and that community, but we have all seen by now just how fast a song can really take off once those creators get …