SEARCH FOR: REASON

I don’t live by many rules when it comes to writing, but one of my few guidelines is that whenever Baby Keem drops something new, I write about it as soon as I can unless someone else already has. So, when I found out that he was releasing his long-awaited debut album the melodic blue late last night, I had trouble sleeping all week because of exactly how excited I was. It was already clear to me and so many others that Baby Keem was a star and considering he didn’t even have an actual album out yet, I knew this project was going to level him up exponentially, and he didn’t disappoint. I didn’t feel right writing about the album without listening through it at least a few times and truly diving into all of its intricacies, but that’s why I had no choice but to write about the incredible new Jake Schreier-directed music video for his song “issues” off of the project. This was undeniably one of my favorite records on the album after my first listen and considering Keem doesn’t even come close to disappointing with his music videos, I couldn’t wait to check it out. As …

BoyWithUke is a talent like no other and it’s truly an honor to bring him on to the pages of Lyrical Lemonade today. If you’ve paid any attention to tik-tok as of late, then odds are, you’ve probably seen him sporting his stylish mask while serenading his followers with some phenomenal renditions of his well known and up and coming songs. If you scroll through the comments, you’ll see people begging for music from him and that’s nothing but a testament to his catchy delivery and musical talent. Today, he is making a plethora of fans supremely happy as he dropped a 3 song project called, “Faded” that is truly one of the most spectacular pieces of art that I’ve gotten the chance to witness this month alone. BoyWithUke stays true to his name as he creates simplistic music that embodies the delicate yet impactful nature of a ukulele. His ability to shift the ambience just using his voice and the stellar production is so cool which is one of the reasons why I love listening to him. From the melodies all the way down to the infectious hooks, every song on this projects hits in a crazy way and …

If you know the first thing about us here at Lyrical Lemonade, it’s the fact that we usually tend to focus more on hip-hop, rap, and r&b releases more so than other genres. That’s what we were built on and that’s the demographic that usually supports us, so there’s no reason to shy away from it. At the same time, though, I’m often told about artists and bands in other genres that catch my eye, and when I hear something that I think deserves more recognition, I can’t help but write about it and make sure as many ears hear it as possible. Earlier today, I was sent some music from Massachusetts-based duo good problem, a band who might be new to the scene, but a tag team that has been making waves ever since they released their first-ever song entitled “Stitches” which came out just a couple of weeks ago at the end of August. Being described as a cross between Twenty-One Pilots and Coldplay, good problem also writes and self-produces all of their music, keeping things in-house to control every single ounce of their artistry, and it definitely shows in their first-ever single. Opening up with some deep, …

No matter how many artists I listen to or find out about, I’m always going to have a soft spot for underground music as well as the originators that made this covert scene so legendary. If we’re talking about some of the biggest names in the underground, you can’t have a conversation without mentioning Bones first and foremost because he has been one of the main artists paving a way for other emcees to share their stories and creative sounds with the world, and he isn’t even close to done. Early on, he was known for his influx of releases including projects, loosies, and music videos, and while many of his visuals were pretty lo-fi and gritty, this fit along with his sound perfectly and it’s one of the main reasons why I think so highly of him. Although his lore is still at an all-time high, he only keeps getting better, and that’s obvious in his latest visual for his record “WhiteBoyRick” off of his album InLovingMemory, one of my personal favorite projects in recent history. Directed by Darkwave, the scene is set on a dark, dreary-looking night as Bones masks up and runs into a convenience store to …

I believe about a week ago, My Favorite Color dropped a brand-new song entitled “Old News”, and it has had a place on my playlist ever since. It’s just so energetic and bubbly while also showing off exactly how precise MFC’s flows can truly be, making it a record I won’t soon forget about for even a second. Luckily, MFC is back with a Taylor Bonin-directed music video for this hit track, and I couldn’t be more excited. Considering he has a name like My Favorite Color, his videos are never anything less than vibrant, and with such a creative mind, his videos truly never disappoint, with this one being no different whatsoever. He’s always one to keep the child within himself alive, and as it opens up, this is on full display once again in his room, where he wakes up and we see a bright red comforter on his bed as well as a checkerboard carpet and a plethora of old school video games strewn about on the ground. Waking up and getting ready for the day, he throws on his multicolored, glitter-covered JW Anderson Converse before hopping in the back of a pickup truck to get dropped …

It always amazes me how incredible the Chicago underground music scene is, and even after getting away from certain artists’ music for one reason or another, I always get sucked back in, but you’re not going to hear me complaining even slightly about that. When thinking of local legends like BIGBODYFIJI, Jose Franco, and others, they bring me back to a time years ago when they’re all I was bumping, and I couldn’t stop telling my friends all about them. One of the many names that I was always listening to was Vela Seff, a talented artist who has been making waves in the local scene for years, yet he still doesn’t even get close to the amount of recognition he deserves. While I have gotten away from his music in recent history for no reason other than my busy schedule, when he direct messaged me and told me about his Jose Franco-shot music video for his song “DR*G PARTY”, I was drawn right back in. This song comes off of his project First Round Pick, and while I need to make time to go back and listen through this tape, I couldn’t help but write about this song itself. …

“The “scary sky” EP is a project that explores the different faces of who I am in the context of my relationship.  This is something that has both evolved over time and that mutates based on the circumstances. The artwork for this EP follows the template of the singles’ artworks (“in summation,” “scary sky,” and “shrunk in my head”) but moves a step further. I took the physical film versions of the composited image (made up of 25 separate photos) and placed them face-down on top of a large piece of clear plexiglass.  I then laid down on the grass underneath the plexiglass and took a picture of the photos with the night sky in the background” – Restless Modern Restless Modern returns to Lyrical Lemonade with an epic song off his brand new scary sky EP titled “my insides.” Self-producing the record like always, the booming bass creates a spine-chilling match for Modern’s soft, yet high-pitched vocals. The hook in particular is quite impressive, as RM effortlessly fluctuates intensity to showcase the raw emotions felt at a particular time. Fascinatingly the lyrics are full of romance, but the tragic words sung make the track a unique nightmare amid an intended …

Making his Lyrical Lemonade debut today alongside soulful Florida artist Seddy Hendrinx is youthful Atlanta artist YiC Titan came together recently for a new DakMagic directed visual “Different Bout That” that shows off both of their emotional sides over a downtrodden and slow-burning saxophone powered instrumental which creates a somber soundscape perfect for this pair of artists to make the song cry with. This song comes off of Titan’s recent 12 Reasons project that is definitely worth checking out. I am excited to hear more from Titan and hope that we get a new project for him soon, and Seddy yet again proves to be a great eye for spotting new talent as he comes together with yet another exciting new artist out of Atlanta, as he has been showing the city lots of love collectively so far.

Although I have admittedly never been a massive BROCKHAMPTON guy, that doesn’t mean I don’t respect their craft and all of the incredible things they’re doing for the music world. I just never really caught on to their wave, and I do feel like I’m missing out when I hear some of my closest friends raving about them, so it might be time to finally catch up. I have heard a handful of songs that I thoroughly enjoy, and that’s usually due in large part to the group’s frontrunner Kevin Abstract who also obviously has a booming solo career as well, so when I saw he teamed up with friend and collaborator Ryan Beatty for their new song “Sierra Nights”, I definitely wanted to listen up, and boy I’m glad I did. Opening with some very intergalactic sound effects and pungent drums, soothing and calming synths eventually enter the picture for an awesome foundation that Kevin and Ryan build off of magnificently. As Kevin raps throughout his verses, he utilizes his vocal effects and autotune flawlessly, allowing these things to elevate the record and combine with the instrumental nicely while also giving him a chance to switch things up and …

“Icarus is the Greek mythological story of the one who flew too close to the sun. A cautionary tale about chasing highs and moderation— dream big, but don’t lose everything in the process. At one point I had nothing, truly. But I’ve come to learn that when God takes away all the things that once constructed our little, fragile egos, it’s time to re-calibrate your intentions and learn gratitude. Today, I view my suffering as a fu****g blessing— even more so because it’s created art that’s managed to connect with so many people” – Leon Zhang Auckland, New Zealand artist Leon Zhang makes his well-deserved Lyrical Lemonade debut with a fantastic song titled “ICARUS.” Zhang is a part of Stirfryboyz; an LA based collective with plenty of intriguing variety to their artistry. Individually, Zhang has just released one track total, making “ICARUS” a special release for several reasons. Off his upcoming album FRASER, the record contains a fascinating mixture of love lyrics coupled with shades of expressive vulnerability from past mistakes. Sonically the instrumentation and production couldn’t be any better, as the melody can be described as somber-fully mellow contrasted by a lively guitarist touch. Vocally Leon comes across as …