Despite the fact that I am continually frustrated with Rejjie’s lack of new material and insistence on asking people to follow him on twitter/instagram/facebook, each time he drops a track I remember why he is one of the most exciting new rappers out there. As a blogger it is hard to admit, but I do understand that good music takes time. Hopefully the ridiculous wait for Rejovich is worth it, “Loveleen” isn’t a bad start at all.
-PK
The still highly under-appreciated uhlife hasn’t always been about psychedelic flows and abstract imagery. A few summers back uhlife recorded this piece of lovey dovey rap that honestly sounds indebted to Gonjasufi (this may have been recorded well before A Killer and a Sufi was even released though). uhlife definitely channels his inner Andre 3000 while smooth talking over the ambling paced beat. Play this to yr grlfren in the summertime.
-PK
Last night Terence and I ventured out to our hipster haven in Brooklyn to meet up with the cool dudes Sidewalk Kal and Ghost Row who both gave amazing performances in an amazingly cramped space. Even though their set hardly lasted over 20 minutes, with Kal only jumping in for a few, they reminded proved there is a lot more to their talent than their lush performances. Kal has some serious gold coming through soon with a mixtape with Mattron dropping later this year. Whether dropping a few quick verses in a dude’s apartment infront of a crowd of sweaty hipsters or confidently striding over a minute of Mattron’s lush production, Kal never disappoints.
-PK
Cadence Collective just dropped an awesome sampler compilation, and it happened to feature a track from CT homies Ghost Row. Ghost Row, once again, show incredibly good chemistry with this track. Color Plus puts together an absurdly smooth beat driven by gorgeous guitar strummings, and Chef lays down some of his most effortless-sounding verses yet, with perfect flow and tasteful wordplay. ”Cranberry Octave” is an awesome reminder of how DIY rap can rival and surpass the work of artists with lots of resources. Keep an eye on Ghost Row in the future because if they keep putting together tracks this great people are bound to take notice.
-TC
“A Milli” came out in 2008, well before I was ready to embrace Lil Wayne. During 2008 I became enamored with bands like Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes and the mainstream status of “A Milli” placed it miles away from anything I considered to be “good”. Luckily, future-trap wunderkind Suicideyear has allowed me to listen to “A Milli” with fresh ears. It’s cool.
-PK
If the last single from Hanz, “Reducer”, then “Gum” might be more of your thing. Moving away from the largely ambient and noisey “Reducer”, “Gum” might be the closest thing Hanz has written to a pop instrumental. Only a few hi-hat rolls away from being a trap single, “Gum” has some of the most colorful and playful sounds we’ve ever heard Hanz working with. Admittedly, “Gum” isn’t exactly bubbly or poppy at all as Hanz manages to retain his sense of dark, chaotic atmospheric. The track sounds ready to break down at any time and fly off the rail. This is the type of gum you might find on the sidewalk, dirty, unsavory yet hard to take your eyes off of.
-PK
As if the stunning debut Mathematics wasn’t enough, Jalal Salaam has decided to put out a remixed version of the tape. Originally produced by Scanz, “Synergy” was an easy highlight on Mathematics with every line sounding like a statement of purpose from the SUNY Purchase based (yeah another SUNY student) rapper. Producing his own remix, Salaam gives his verse a little more space with more room to air out. The new beat is a gorgeous piece of boom-bap that doesn’t overstate Salaam’s intoxicating flows. Although it honestly sounds like a weird concept to remix a rap tape, I couldn’t be more excited for more Mathematics.
-PK
