We are entranced by how the beat for Brooklyn Bridge embraces the smoothest era in soul. It resonates with the instrumental breaks known to Marvin Gaye’s landmark album What’s Going On and integrates it into the lofi beat aesthetic. The new single from Aaron Veal and coldbrew is multiple espresso shots of rap fantastic.
The flow and percussive inflection is stylistically rich. It’s that infectious middle ground between musicality and prose. The music mirrors the integrity of the rhymes. This is rap’s altar, a solemn place where the art is still sacred. Damaged by the mainstream machine, Little Tommy might not be ready for it; but it’s the verse that’s going to change his life. The performance is undeniable. We’re taking the game back. For fans of Kendrick, J Cole, Action Bronson, people who like rap.
Hear Brooklyn Bridge now on our Best New Hip Hop Playlist.
Hip Hop and Post Punk converge convincingly on Dark Matters, the new single from Fold. This might be how we imagine the singer from Idles would sound as a rapper. The beat is a soulful reference to trip hop and the study beat compositional aesthetic, though we wouldn’t call this lofi. The tones are crisp. And for the prose and poetry, it’s pure.
Sometimes this is referred to as UK Rap. A association that stems from breakthrough icons The Streets. However you dig it, one things for certain, Dark Matters will get you into an omnipresent frame of mind. Free your mind.
Dark Matters is featured on our Hip Hop Discovery Playlist.
If you an’t never missed a meal cause you couldn’t buy a crumb, then you might not connect with Plates. If you never stepped into the neighborhood at the peak of community relations, when one crew’s grill feeds the whole block, then you might not connect with Plates.
Skizza and AK Productions highlight candid community feeds on this new rap classic. When people ask what is American culture, you tell them it’s Pops and his peeps feeding the whole block on a poverty ridden street deep inside the hood. If you know you know. Get into it.
Plates is featured on our Best New Hip Hop Playlist.
Phat Panda and Syllabus collab on the grimy new single Sir Gratitude. The duo embrace their love for trip hop and how its best producers occasionally experiment with rap. The combination works, and Sir Gratitude includes the added angst and energy known to less cited rap king Zach De La Rocha.
The track is rap intoxication. It’s a reflection of its sonic design, with a unique mix that feels chemically twisted. We can dig it. For this song the duo connect with the influences of DJ Shadow and Massive Attack.
Hear Sir Gratitude now on our Best New Hip Hop Playlist.
The Wild Is Calling 