SEARCH FOR: REASON

Today’s world has certainly skewed nearly every single aspect of life as it once was some five years ago. In an everyday landscape that sees this unprecedented deadly outbreak go hand-in-hand with some of the most heightened political unrest throughout history, it seems almost comical that in late-2015 leading into 2016, the world was very, very concerned with the now-tame antics of one Kanye West. The man spent that period announcing an album, changing its title a number of times, and all-around doing what was then known as just “silly Kanye things” — nothing more, nothing less. But oh my, were we all invigorated. If anyone today were to tell another individual at that time that Kanye’s actions and overall popular presence would become exponentially worse, problematic, and purely reactionary above all else, they may agree, but certainly not to the sincerely frightening scope that he ended out that decade with. So with that being said, it makes looking back at this far more “down to earth” version of Ye quite a lot more fascinating by itself, and absolutely more refreshing by extension given the man we see today and the world that we all live in together. As off-the-wall …

As pop’s new generation is beginning to see its landscape become more and more fleshed out and defined by the second, acts within this particular scene have a definite reason to come into their own element stylistically and sonically alike. Carving a certain niche for oneself is not only a necessity, but practically a given at this point within the most astute and promising artists who make up that aforementioned landscape in itself. Among the best examples of this notion in full effect is the ever-progressing Midwxst, who has already proven himself as a purveyor of the scene time and time again, and seemingly achieved the art of “coming into his own” with his latest album Secrets. Though that project will end up being considered one of this year’s absolute best from this burgeoning crop of talents, it certainly is not the be-all-end-all for the artistic impact that the 17-year-old Indiana prodigy is looking to make moving into the future. The next logical step for him is to progress onwards into new avenues as he has consistently done throughout his entire career up to this point; as quickly as can be, that step has already been taken with his newest …

As we currently stand today, we have laid witness to what can only be described as pop music’s gradual progression into its most unfounded era yet — an era that has been defined by attitudes and approaches that are just as transfixed with facets of the past as they are with nuanced and forward-thinking attitudes. This surge towards a brand new future has come to fruition due in large part to that very dichotomy as it is, but more so because of the talent that its earliest progenitors showcased while defining those aspects. These now-solidified pop ideals have been and still are in the hands of a variety of camps across the grander music landscape, as this development has resulted in such acts as Dorian Electra, 100 Gecs, and the all-encompassing force of PC Music being the most shining examples of the succeeding sound of mainstream music to come moving towards the future. But with such a blatantly progressive nature infused in this new era’s overall methodology, it is extremely easy to see why developing scenes under this far more widely known cast of influence are springing up so quickly. And perhaps even more impressive is how this near-entirely teenage-based …

We are currently in the era of music where lots of the artists that are out now have all been making music for various amounts of time in their life. Some artists have been writing raps since they were in middle school, some artists may have had a musical background as an adolescent, and some maybe even have just started making music literally months before becoming discovered. No matter the case, there’s a beauty in all of it. However, the artists that come up with the musical background potentially have some of the longest-spanning careers, and in result, may even have more “war stories” to tell. The ever-so-talented producer/songwriter duo known as The Rascals have been deep routed in music for much longer than we may have thought, and it truly shows in their art. Leon Thomas III and Khris Riddick-Tynes (also known as The Rascals) have been instilled in the music industry since they were very young, and have been a duo for seven years already. Many people may recognize Leon Thomas as he played the character Andre Harris on the Nickelodeon show Victorious alongside Victoria Justice and superstar Ariana Grande. Since then, he has been making tons of moves …

Out of all the incredible talents that are rising to the top of the Chicago rap scene, the DCG brothers have been making moves unlike any other artists in the industry. Although they’re clearly heavily influenced by Drill music, they have their own minimal, simplistic style that sets them apart from anyone else making this style of music, and their personalities are as entertaining and enthralling as anyone you can think of coming out of the Windy City. They’ve been working hard and grinding for the past few months, and this incredible work ethic is part of the reason they’ve stood out to fans as well, and their careers are only just getting started. Most recently, they decided to bless listeners with a brand-new song and music video entitled “Paparazzi”, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with you. The beat is minimal yet again, boasting consistent, punchy kick drums that are complemented by old school hits and rattling, quieted percussion. To work seamlessly into the production, Bsavv comes in for the hook, remaining even-keeled and never really raising his tone of voice beyond the steady, consistent cadence he is already delivering. Although his pitch is fairly fixed …

It’s been a few weeks since I last talked about Lil Xelly, but don’t get me wrong, my admiration for him hasn’t faltered even slightly. This might not seem like a lot of time has passed when thinking of other artists, but with Xelly releasing constant songs and visuals, it almost seems as if years have passed with the amount of music he has dropped since I last wrote about him. I’ve mentioned how he’s one of the premier workhorses in the music industry, but this is nothing new to fans who are familiar with his work. One of his most recent singles “Blue” just received a music video treatment, so I couldn’t help but talk about the record and cover the visual as well. GeeohhS, the producer who brought this instrumental to life, does so through lighthearted, mystifying melodies, tapping percussion, and consistently pungent drums that provide a quick and simplistic base for Xelly’s powerful voice to steal the show, as it normally does. As he spits the hook, his lines are unrushed and fluent as each and every word shines through and comes off easily interpreted, allowing you to truly ingest every bar he brings to life. Heading …

House music as a concept alone is seemingly everlasting as we currently stand in this modern age; this is a genre that has adapted and attached its likeness to a number of different adjacent sounds and styles, while staying true to the standard conventions it set for itself as far back as nearly 30+ years ago now. With that being said, it takes a certain amount of telling artistry and sheer creative influence to become known as an act who serves as something of a catalyst for the genre to move further and further into these aforementioned new lanes as they are — taking the genre into new places while still holding its baseline and past-centric ideals so closely in the process. But as though there was any single doubt about it in the first place, this artistic status has come to at least in part define the resounding careers of both Dazegxd and Dirty Bird up to this point. Though the two have certainly come to be known in other circles – with Daze pushing the ever-rising next era of pop and hip-hop forward with his prolific production work in those lanes, while Dirty Bird has done his part …

Birmingham is certainly starting to earn their new reputation as a sort of ‘New Atlanta’ if you will that many around the city have helped use as a model for now to bring the same kind of relevance to their scene and much like their neighbors to the east, Birmingham is producing new names and faces in their rap scene on a daily basis to the point where it is hard to keep up with. Lil Charles is an artist I have been aware of for a while now but for whatever reason have never gotten around to writing about him. Lil Charles has an endless bag of flows and can rap circles around just about any beat while switching up flows every few bars all while sounding cool from his distinctive Birmingham drawl. He and Carlilse Jones recently met up to bring his track “Life of a Young N*gga” to life over Tuscaloosa producer Taz’s anthemic and disjointed production. Lil Charles is definitely in his mode on this one and instead of just regurgitating the same ‘sliding’ shit that many of his contemporaries do Charles instead makes sure to talk specifically about his own life and struggles while also …

Nothing better defines the overall mindset that artists within the coming wave of pop music embody than tried and true humility. These acts are carrying with them an unabashed sense of emotion inside their music, and though it ever-so-obviously makes itself apparent through their lyrical facets by themselves, it also comes through in both their vocal approach and the entire song instrumentally to follow. One act who has arguably become one of, if not the absolute best at communicating this notion in such a unique, all-encompassing, and tellingly vivid manner is without question the ever-rising Mental. Over the past year – as the scene they find themselves at the forefront of continues to develop further – he has contributed to its progression in a way that could only be done from his one-of-a-kind artistry by itself; the way in which he was and still is able to do this, however, is through heightening that thematic approach further and further with each successive single in his discography. He has rounded up an incredibly impressive collection of tracks this year that could stand against any of those from his contemporaries in full, and his latest addition to this quality-filled lineup “Better” is …

I’m somewhat new to the world of $NOT’s music, but despite my novice outlook, I’ve been listening to him so much that I feel like I have a somewhat strong grasp of his insane talents across the board. He brings a sort of underworld style to beats that are often anything but demonic, often utilizing West Coast bops while also incorporating more fitting, dark and ominous instrumentals that give listeners a completely polarizing look into his creative mind. While his album Beautiful Havoc has been out for almost a week, at this point, I’ve been listening to it almost nonstop, and I wanted to make sure I had a firm understanding of everything he delivers on the project before talking about it. I think I’ve had enough time, finally, and after probably more than fifteen listens from front to back, I can’t wait to dive into the wild sonic world that $NOT paints for us on this album. At 12 songs and almost a half-hour long, he provides fans with a further look at his unbelievable skills, unlike anything we’ve ever heard from him before. He opens up with “Watch Out (Intro)”, a song that uses a haunting, menacing guitar …