“I don’t fuck with you musically.” That’s what I told Hoodie as he sat down to eat some chicken fingers after rocking completely crushing a charity concert on 4/19 at Friar’s Tavern in Clemson, SC. “But, I can’t deny the fact that your music is very good.” I’m a married, 25-year-old college grad with a [...]
The first quarter of 2012 has posed a peculiar dilemma for me, pertaining to the albums released. As the resident critic, my process for analyzing the quality of a body of music is based on an undetermined gestation period of listening… Then re-listening… Then changing my surroundings (the “car test” is often essential)… And, most [...]
DISCLAIMER: Many ears were harmed in the crafting of this article. It’s an impressive feat for an artist to achieve mainstream success with his or her debut album. It’s even more commendable if that artist replicates (or even eclipses) that debut with their second album. Indeed, the sophomore slump is the most dreaded outcome facing [...]
Hip-hop is an artform as indebted to its conceptual atmosphere as it is to its performers. To save a rambling, antiquated historical recap, recall the early days of the MC/DJ dynamic; The Eric B & Rakim dynamic, if you will. The bond between the rapper and the individual behind the turntables isn’t exactly necessary in [...]
While relatively new to the music scene, Kivvy has already been creating quite a buzz around his hometown of Rochester, New York. He has a catchy flow and the beats are always on point. Check out this video for Surely which is the first single off his upcoming mixtape. He spits out what every aspiring [...]
The Knocks – “All We Got” ft. One Room & Kardinal Offishall (Brenton Duvall Remix) Brenton remixed this already awesome The Knocks song. I’d tell you to go heart it over on Hype Machine… but the motto is still Fuck Zoya. He’s got an album/EP/project/what-have-you of all original material coming soon. In fact, he debuted [...]
Look who’s back. Childish Gambino, he who still doesn’t understand why that Trayvon Martin line he dropped sucked balls, releases this track after a lengthy Twitter monologue. He touched on common subjects, like his musical development (more power to ya bruh), his poor upbringing, and his favorite target, the irreconcilable differences of race. All in [...]
“Brick Flair” is another vicious heater from A$ton’s upcoming Versace Rags, produced by Joey Fatts & Leken Taylor. You didn’t know A$AP Rocky bit A$ton’s flow for “Goldie”? “Brick Flair” is getting added to the whip playlist with a sincere quickness. Hope y’all are catching on. Aston Matthews – Brick Flair
The phrase “Dream Pop” conjures imagery of barely-engaged instrumentalists, sleepwalking their way through a reverb-laden, melody-driven tune, with an emphasis on atmosphere. And, for a subgenre so predicated on large sound, the personalities involved often land on the more tepid side when it comes to performance presentation. Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally aren’t exactly bucking [...]
Way before Rihanna was even “a thing,” Adina Howard was the R&B sex symbol that everyone was ranting and raving about. Ms. Howard pushed the envelope with songs like “Freak Like Me” and of course, “T-Shirt and Panties,”—letting men know that women could be sexually explicit in their music too. Late-night t-shirt and panties attire [...]
Death Grips’ The Money Store is one of the most exhilarating and unconventional albums in recent memory. Anyone who has caught the experimental trio’s live set can attest that they’re flipping the status quo. The group-directed video for “Hustle Bones” has weed, money, beer, and pills going through the laundry machine, an accurate visual representation [...]
COMPLEX debuted “Escape To Italy,” the first listen to Frank Ocean’s cousin SK La’Flare & superproducer Michael Uzowuru‘s upcoming joint project Mark Of The Beast. Listen to “Escape to Italy” below and look for Mark Of The Beast to rattle trunks this summer.
Attention Philadelphia and surrounding region! Did you miss the first 4 Roots Picnics? Lucky for you, not all is lost. Tickets are going fast, so head over here to cop your pass for one day or for the whole weekend. Hit the jump for the full lineup, more info, and a special opportunity for our [...]
Man, Alex Nazari did one Hell of a job directing this visual for 2 Chainz. Whack song, dope video. This was definitely one of the more skippable tracks off of his T.R.U. REALigion mixtape. But hey, you can’t knock ‘em all out the park.
Chief Keef nabs a verse from Mr. Trap or Die himself, Young Jeezy, for his new record “Understand Me.” We saw this one coming a mile away, though. Chief Keef – Understand Me ft. Young Jeezy Keef has now collaborated on tracks with Jeezy, G.O.O.D. Music, Jadakiss, Riff Raff, Waka Flocka and Shawnna (If her [...]
Let me introduce you to your next favorite jazz-hip hop infused quintet based out of Miami – The Politix. They just released their free debut album {po-’li-tiks} and is setting the bar pretty high for artists who strive to put out quality projects. Think of them as a more mature version of Kids These Days with [...]
