Georgia emcee Flawless2k delivers his debut EP Blackout.
Southside Yoko On His Way To Taking Hip-Hop By Storm With The Newly Released “Westside”
Growing up in the city of Hampton, VA, rapper, songwriter, and entrepreneur Southside Yoko developed his passion and taste for music over the years. The artist got inspired by his uncle, a legendary guitarist, and producer of David Williams, who worked with Michael Jackson, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Paul McCartney, and more.
The motivation of greatness and inclination to perfection were instilled in Yoko from a very young age. Now, he owns a barbershop business that also houses a recording studio. Recently, he released a fiery joint in collaboration with G Perico titled “Westside.” The track is home to positive, feel-good vibes and spreads its energy with inviting, warm beats and a sensual atmosphere.
Pitchfork described Yoko as “one of the most promising newcomers,” while The New York Times called his work “gloriously slippery music reminiscent of that city’s golden age of gangster rap.” No wonder the rising young artist has it all to take the industry by storm, and hopefully, we will be the witnesses and get new releases from him in 2021.
Destruct – “Dreamstate” (Album)
Starting off the new year right, Rising Los Angeles, CA based emcee Destruct is campaigning his latest 13-track album titled “Dreamstate“, featuring Gajah, Silvandgold, Deltron Blac and more! This project is also available on Bandcamp. Make sure to follow him on Instagram @destructmusic.
Shah Leezy – “The Iron Sheik Tape” (EP Review)
Shah Leezy is an MC from Staten Island, New York who’s been floating around for a couple of years now. So far he has a few EPs under his belt up to this point but last month, he released his 6th EP paying tribute to one of the greatest wrestlers to ever do it: The Iron Sheik.
The opener “Theme Music” gets on the competitive side of things lyrically over a string loop whereas the next track “Who the Fuck is Shah Leezy?” is a proper introduction to the man himself with a churchy-beat. The song “Sheik’s Shadow” talks about betrayal over some snares & an orchestral sample while the penultimate track “World Stage” advises the listener to keep dreaming over a soulful beat. The EP then finishes with “The Main Event”, where Shah speaks on being the King of the Middle East over a luxurious instrumental.
I think this is Shah’s best work to date & I can only see him going up from here. He sounds hungrier than ever lyrically & I’m not sure who did the production, but the soundscapes they bring to the table all suit him pretty well.
Score: 7/10
JGreen Adds Jackboy On “All On Me” Remix
Coming by way of popular demand, Florida boys JGreen and Jackboy reunite after three years to release the remix to the fan-favorite song, “All On Me.” Natural chemistry between the two new stars on the remix treatment as Jackboy lends an exceptional verse to an already great solo effort by JGreen who recently shed his YNW past and became his own popular artist, no co-sign.
On “All On Me” Remix, Green and Jackboy showcase their evolution with hints of signature traits that prove they have even more in store for the music as they continue to evolve. JGreen exhibits the best wordplay yet which hints of it was shown in previously released hits, like “Love Scars,” “Rugged” and “Up Next.” 2021 is quickly shaping up to be JGreen biggest year yet.
“All On Me” will appear on the next JGreen project coming later this year via EMPIRE/510 Music Group. If you want to relive the original collaboration between JGreen and Jackboy, stream the 2017 track, “Throw It On The Scale” from Jackboy’s New Jack City collection. For newfound fans, after “All On Me,” feel free to explore more JGreen music with his complete catalog available now on all DSPs. Jackboy appears on the remix courtesy of Sniper Gang.
Stream the Jackboy remix for “All On Me” below and learn more about JGreen here.
Slym B Nabs Mystikal & King Draino For “Whatchu Want”
Rapper Slym B. has been making quite a name for himself over the years with exceptional musical output.
Looking to take things up several notches, he recruits fellow lyricist King Draino along with veteran emcee Mystikal for his latest track titled “Whatchu Want.” Produced by The Great Wizard, the thumping track finds all three men flexing their lyrical muscle. Jonesboro and New Orleans connection definitely shines here.
Check-in below and/or on your DSP of choice.
A.P. x Talk2walls – “The Green Destiny” (EP Review)
The pairing of Long Beach-based rapper A.P. and Orlando producer Talk2walls has resulted in a new joint EP “The Green Destiny”. In their first-ever effort together, will these two gifted artists be able to become hip hop’s next major rapper/producer duo?
When it comes to A.P.’s performance, he does everything you want a great MC to do. Hard bars, witty punchlines, and a memorable delivery are some of the things that make cuts like “Act One” and “Coast Line” so enjoyable. In addition, his hook game on songs like “Jack Nicholson” shows he’s way better at creating memorable bridges than the rest of his contemporaries. On the closing leg of the extended play, A.P.’s performance only gets more intense as we see his topical depth and connectedness focus down on moments like the elusive “Green Destiny” and the introspective “White Window”. Summed up in the vocally mellow but topically powerful “Sundaze”, the poetic demeanor that A.P. utilizes through this entire record makes him one of the smoothest MC’s in the entire underground right now.
Behind the boards, there’s a well crafted intricate soundscape from Talk2walls. Whether it’s the jazzy “Act One” or the immersive “Green Destiny,” each song does an amazing job at adding layers to this well thought out experience. The moment that shows off Walls’s production ability at its pinnacle is hands down “Interlude,” which is a solely instrumental track that captures a handful of emotions with some simple loops and samples. With the sonic range that this record covered, I honestly believe Talk2walls has all the skills going forward to become an all-time great producer.
In conclusion, “The Green Destiny” is a great EP that shows off what can be the next great rapper/producer duo. Both A.P. and Talk2walls do their thing with their intricate lyrics and soulful score. Going forward, if these two can put their efforts into something much more significant, we may be able to see hip hops evergrowing boundaries broken once again.
Rating: 8/10
Highlights: Intropsetve lyricism, Soulful production, Atmosphere
Jaysin Logik – “Stop Trying to Wake Me” Ft. The DRP (Video)
With his full-length debut Soundcheck set to be released under Force 5 Records at the end of the month, Jaysin Logik links up with The DRP for the album’s lead single “Stop Trying to Wake Me”.
Suave The Don Shares Suspenseful “Stories of the Hood” Visual
New York recording artist Suave The Don enlists the eye of Jack Trvdes & Haddawi to release his latest visual for his new song, titled, “Stories Of The Hood.” In the new visual, over the Twan instrumental Suave The Don shows out for his widespread notoriety with expensive designer fabrics and diamonds dancing everywhere. The new song is arguable Suave The Don’s best work yet. A jump-on point for any newfound fan.
The song was inspired by the streets consistently retelling the usual story of friends becoming enemies in a matter of time. Suave states: “Beefing with the same kids you grew up with is the story of every hood.”
“Stories of the Hood” follows Suave’s 2019 Matter of Grind album which spawned “Understand Me” and “SLumped Anthem.” Originally bursting onto the scene in 20115 and made his run in 2017 with a string of buzzing tracks, like “Like That,” “Heat,” “Live From The 5” and “I Think I Might,” Suave The Don is best known for his breakthrough album called Know the Vibes. Suave’s latest release is the lead to his anticipated new album coming mid-2021.
After the stream below, For more on Suave The Don, follow him daily on Instagram and Twitter.
“Stories of the Hood” is available now via 510 Music Group, a subsidiary of EMPIRE. Watch it below and stream it here.
C-Lance – “The Demon of Hiroshima” (Album Review)
C-Lance is a 33 year old producer from Boston, Massachusetts who broke out in 2010 after becoming an in-house producer for Vinnie Paz. He would go on to become one of the underground’s most prominent names for the likes of the Army of the Pharaohs, La Coka Nostra, Swollen Members, R.A. the Rugged Man & G-Mo Skee throughout the last decade. However, C-Lance has decided to drop a new album every month throughout 2021 & is kicking it off with a sequel to his previous instrumental album The Ghosts of Mt. Fuji.
Things kick off with the title track, which has these dusty boom bap drums & some horns that kinda remind me of the classic Pharoahe Monch joint “Simon Says” for some reason. The next instrumental “Duel Under Autumn Leaves” has a sound kin to that of Visions of Gandhi while “The Ghost of Yarikawa” gets back on the boom bap rip albeit with a more alluring loop attached to it. The “Bamboo Forest instrumental has these string sections throughout that give it a cinematic feel to it while “The Hannya Mask” sounds like it was originally made for Chaly & the Filth Factory.
The “Curse of the Snow Woman” instrumental perfectly lives up to it’s name with it’s spooky vocal harmonies & icy keys whereas “Oni & Yurei” dives right back into that Jedi Mind Tricks sound. The “Haunting in Kawasaki” kinda reminds of me C-Lance’s first instrumental album House of 1,000 Beats with its horror movie quality while “Shrine of Kobe” stands out as the most uptempo beat on the entire project without question.
The “Spirits of Inunaki Tunnel” instrumental is laced with a heavenly vocal loop throughout while the penultimate beat “Shadow of the Samurai” is the complete opposite as the crooning samples sound evil & the trumpet is a nice touch as well. The album ends with “Tears Falling in Tokyo”, where C-Lance & Aaron Hiltz come through with a more mellow & relaxing beat.
This dude has been one of my favorite producers in recent memory & I can’t wait to hear everything else he has in store for the year. Much like The Ghosts of Mt. Fuji, he does a good job at taking all these Japanese samples & putting his own grimy spin on them.
Score: 7/10