In a dreamy display of ingenuity, and dedication, the artist known as Destiny 333 has dropped her breathtaking “Wake Up” single. It is a five minute long rejection of song conventions; an insurrection of a completely fresh and unique style of music. For, Destiny is not neither singing, nor rapping on the record. She uses her time on the mic to deliver gorgeous spoken word poetry across a poignant, piano-laden beat. Upheld by the loop of boom-bap drums, and an angelic synth pad, our New York creative taps into her life coaching expertise; encouraging us against various trials and tribulations we all have in common. She speaks on escapism, and the dangers of using drugs and other distractions to cope with hardship and reality. Instead of turning to these temporary fulfillments, Destiny empowers her listeners to tackle their problems head on. Between her soul-touching, heartwarming verses is a melodious chorus of sorts. Strings are introduced, and the overall tone of the production becomes hopeful and uplifting, swelling around the belt of a high-pitched, sampled soul vocal. There are myriad messages embedded in this track, that are applicable to myriad lives in today’s society. We are all going through something in life. “Wake Up” is a light at the end of that tunnel.




“WAKEUP” 




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“Restoring the feel” is more than a phrase for Wisconsin wordsmith, Obi Khan. With his latest opus, “THC-4”, Khan draws a lyrical line in the sand between himself, and his new-school contemporaries. In a class of freshman, the Madison-based madman gives 16, sample-heavy reasons why he is among Honors. His beat selection is inarguable; consisting of some of the most diabolical, yet divine boom-bap you’ll hear all year. Predominately produced by Thanos Beats, these instrumentals are tried and true of the cornerstone of 90s Hip-Hop. They feature dingy, vinyl-samples and apposite vocals embedded in each borrowed record. From a production standpoint, the joint “Where Do I Go” has to be one of the album’s crowning moments. It features a Draculean melody, voiced through an organ, chaperoned by rusty boom-bap drums and a vocal sample that echoes the words of the song’s title. On the record, and every other that graces this masterpiece, the Obi Khan delivers excellently. He raps with such a guttural growl in his delivery, that seems to spawn from an unseen abyss within him. This apocalyptic aggression is exactly what amplifies his lyricism; making your ears want to listen to every bar he spits. On tracks such as “Bionic Man”, “Gods (ft. Thanos & Arewhy of Brotherhood 603)”, “Faded”, “Kamala (ft. Professa Dibbs)”, “Time”, “Itch The Scratch (ft. Thanos & Jabba the Kut)” and “Check the GRhyme (ft. DJ PAIN 1)”, the Midwest rhymesayer utterly disembowels the microphone; rapping circles around any of your favorite emcees. Although, I have a slew of personal favorites from the project, it can easily be played front to back without any skips or interruptions. Obi Khan has crafted a timeless hip-hop masterpiece, worth a thousand times more than he’s offering it for. If you’re a fan of lyrical greatness, dirty boom-bap, and overall, underground ingenuity, “THC-4” can not be ignored.



Album: THC-4 (Releasing Aug 24th)



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Juxtaposing the Drill scene in Chicago, there was another epidemic gaining heavy traction. It was birthed on the opposite end of the spectrum; countering the darkness, death and violence of the city’s Drill with benevolent, care-free footwork. This movement was the “Bop” movement, and one of the forefathers of this iconic moment in Chicago culture, was none other than rapper/dancer, DLOW. After years of bopping alongside fellow Chi-Town choreographer, Kemo (under their BopKingz moniker), DLOW broke out with an astounding, anthemic single, “Do It Like Me”, with worldwide living rooms and dancefloors unable to resist his infectious swing. 

Today, he’s slowing it down a step; pulling back from his usual, hyper, anthem-friendly sound, for a more romantic, heartwarming style. With his recent release, “Stick To The Plan”, Bopking DLOW aims to show us that he has even more moves than those laid on the dancefloor. And their reserved exclusively for the ladies. Backed by a milky, conventional R&B beat, DLOW smoothly slides across in a bed of melodious autotune. He croons about a particular love interest, whose undoubtedly pulling his heartstrings. Verily, there’s a defined chorus in the song; however, there are also many bridges and pockets of the verses, where our Chicago creative’s potential with melody and autotune shine outstandingly. If you add this to your DLOW playlist, and decide to play it for your significant other; make sure the bedroom isnt too far from the dancefloor. You’ll need it.



“STICK TO THE PLAN”



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Flowing like the myriad Georgia rivers, is 16-year old rapper, Blessed.Savage; and his recent release, “Frequently”, is soaked in undeniable swagger. It is two-and-a-half minutes of Zaytoven-esque production (completed by milky, gospel organs and vocal chants), layered underneath the raps of a kid fully coming into his own. Because, the track is not reflective of this artist’s age. On the contrary, it is a testament that if he’s dripping over beats like this now, he’ll be making tidal waves in adulthood. His delivery and flow, over this smooth series of snares, claps and 808s, is inexhaustible. He never seems to tire; in fact, he only gains more vigor as his verses lunge onward. By the second verse, our Riverdale representative was whirling with melodic inflection; spitting throughout the song about the impact that rapping has had on his recent years. If Blessed.Savage can push through the hatred, and continue dropping joints just like this, he’ll be “Frequently” seeing dollar signs.
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The Milwaukee marauder, Taiyamo Denku, continues powering forward campaigning his recently released LP, "No Industry Standard". Side by side with fellow producer cohort Dcypha, the pair continue delivering nothing but high quality Hip Hop. Enter the third single from said album, "Still Waiting", featuring highly compelling jewels shared by Griselda Records own, Benny The Butcher. 




The song begins with a sick piano melody that gets split by soulful horn and vocal samples. Denku sets up the record's concept with a short introduction that rides into the chorus that states, "no matter how things get, they still waiting for change / stages of life, sleep half of the days". After the intital hook, Taiyamo and Benny begin assaulting the mic with brolic bars of knowledge, hoping to wake up the unknowing. "Still Waiting" is a stand out cut from "No Industry Standard" and is the second feature from the Griselda camp. The album's lead single, "Be Who You Are", was another super soulful clapper and featured Conway The Machine.


"No Industry Standard" has quite a few hits on it's hands. The two aforementioned singles, "Fabulous Life" with Lil Kim, it's title track and much more. Benny is still pumping his "A Friend Of Ours" project. A fan favorite of 2018, the project carries guest appearances by 38 Spesh, El Camino, Dark Lo, Skyzoo and others. Both albums are available to preview / purchase on Bandcamp, nice additions to add to your Hip Hop collection.


 Webster's dictionary defines the word 'rich' as having a great deal of money or assets; wealthy. On-the-verge new-age rapper, R3SS3 M3ANC3 is all about his money, assets, and wealth on new hustler's anthem titled "Rich Forever". Watch as R3SS3 M3ANC3 delivers an animated performance on the new song on a scenic rooftop. Walking the streets of 36th/Wayne of Kansas City aka Killa City has taught the young homie to grind above all else. Regarding the video, he says, "I mean, the name speaks for itself. I try to get it however I can!" Enjoy "Rich Forever" and join R3SS3 M3ANC3's growing movement today.



Check Out R3SS3 M3ANC3 on ReverbNation http://www.reverbnation.com/open_graph/artist/6192777


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The gunk and grime of 90’s East Coast will cake up on the edge of your speakers after only the first few seconds of rapper, P-Wize the Emcee’s, “Real Life”. Seasoned by almost-cathedral instrumentation, and sparkling, soul-sampled vocals, the gritty verse of out Asbury, New Jersey native splits the mix, announcing himself and that he has a “Story to tell.” Not long after that announcement, a series of snares snap through, before the roll of boom-bap drums and a muddy bassline immediately landslide the entire orchestration. And the emcee’s story beautifully commences. 
With a microphone stolen straight from the coffin of Golden Age Hip-Hop, P-Wize raps his heart onto his sleeve. It is not simply the sonics of the song that will blast you back to the 90s; but likewise, the messages within in the man’s lyrics. “You see the god inside of all of us—“ is just one of the myriad, knowledgable bars he unleashes, displaying that excellent Five-Percenter enlightenment so many others had, as well, in the previous century of rap. Armed with wordplay, lyricism and a filthy, yet passionate deliverance, P-Wize welcomes us all into his “Real Life”. If you love the spirit of 90’s Hip-Hop, its an event you won’t want to miss.


“REAL LIFE” Stream/Download: 


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