Photo by @nxphew You almost get the sense that Kaash Paige doesn’t realize she’s famous. For one of the most buzzing young singers in music right now, she’s remarkably regular, whatever that means, and she’s proud to be that way. The 20 million Spotify streams on “Love Songs” haven’t gotten to her head, and quite frankly, neither has anything else. Kaash is still living life just as she did a year ago, only now, with a lot more attention. “These past few weeks have been crazy, everywhere I go. People be crying and I’m like what the hell [laughs], why are you crying?” Earlier this year, it was “Love Songs” that blew up on TikTok, propelled straight from her humble home studio into the headphones of tens of millions of people. Now, with her debut project carving out its deserved spot on the top charts, Kaash Paige is ready to show that her viral moment wasn’t a fluke. After all, TikTok might present an unprecedented rise in the scale of virality, but it doesn’t guarantee that in six months, anyone will hold onto that moment. “I’m not even where I want to be yet. I’m still young, and I know …

In an age of unparalleled connectivity, we live in a world where every time we turn on the news and every time we check social media, there’s a tragedy happening somewhere, to someone. It’s a time of unrest in many ways, and consequently, a time where many people are on guard, knowing that tragedy is widespread and that situations can turn at a moment’s notice. In SwaVay’s new music video for the soulful  “Dog Food,” off of his Pure Pack EP released earlier this year, the Atlanta wordsmith addresses such. Kicking the video off with a commentary on the prospect of such unrest striking too close to home, “Dog Food” is a charged release, distracting itself from the pain of the modern world with sheer ambition, from a porch in Atlanta to the world. The song itself is an ultra-focused display of character, and a true-to-self release full of Atlanta-induced identity, which the video subsequently plays on. Director Josue Inferno pairs with SwaVay for an unrelenting set of scenes, and the result is a perfect video encapsulation of the fear and anger that so many people feel in their daily lives. Thoughtful as can be, “Dog Food” is something worth watching. …

Admittedly, I wasn’t hip to Deaton Chris Anthony up until about two weeks ago. When you’re not hip to Deaton Chris Anthony, and try and enter his world, it can be a lot at first. But that’s also what has kept me coming back over the past few weeks, especially after the release of his brand new album, BO Y. You see, DCA — as he’s referred to in the bootleg NBA logo on his album cover — is one of a kind. He’s a jack of all trades, but not in a traditional sense. Rather, where Anthony’s music exists is in a world of striking color and sound, obsessed with liveliness and unable to get some rest for even a moment. At all times, DCA’s BO Y is doing something, and at all times, that something is impeccable — a drifting blip of sound that seems to disappear after just moments, only to be replaced by the next token of sonic magic. Oh, and even further into this theme of constant movement, it seems as though Deaton Chris Anthony doesn’t do just one speed. He switches gears often and abruptly, and marvels at athletic leaps between sounds and feelings — a given throughout BO …

Ben Chandler has seemingly mastered the art of communicating ideas to completion. With every new release we receive from the budding talent, he makes sure to bring his points full circle, never compromising the emotional integrity of his art — a trait that, unfortunate as it may be, isn’t always present in today’s day and age of immediacy and hyper-consumption. Today, the man himself is here to bring this characteristic home with a polished new release, “Sad Boy.” Set to the tune of a simplistic instrumental, “Sad Boys” finds an intriguing balance of instrumentation in which Chandler’s mellowed, frowning thoughts are echoed by the croon of the guitar. Once these dramatic steps come in contact with the Naples talent’s silky smooth cadences, the song soars around its saddened state, and communicates a remarkably full picture of the mental space that it inhabits. With Chandler, himself, facilitating the songwriting, production, and mixing, “Sad Boy” is cohesive by all counts, explaining just one reason why Chandler is such a gem of an artist. Don’t just take my word for it, though — stream “Sad Boy” on SoundCloud below!

Without a doubt, there’s a new sound being ushered into the hip-hop and pop spaces right now — more electronic, more dramatic, and unconcerned with defining itself. One group helping to lead the shift is Brevin Kim, a Boston-bred duo of biological brothers whose untapped base of sound is perhaps one of the most exciting in music right now. Today, revisiting one of the standout tracks from their cliff EP released earlier this year, the group is back with a remix of “the wedding!” alongside none other than Lil West. Quite honestly, before I jump into the contribution that Lil West brought to this one, it’s important to note that production as polarizing and volatile as this is what matters right now. Someone needs to push the needle forward, and by creating his own world of hyper-reality under the guise of such ambitious music, Dylan Brady is effectively changing the face of what we consider genre conventions. Add the songwriting genius and experimental adaptability of Brevin Kim, plus Lil West’s world-crushing vocals, and you have a hell of a remix, reflective of what could very well become the future faces of left-field popular music. Personally, this is one of the best songs and …

Photo by Pooneh Ghana / Red Bull Content Pool On November 23rd, coordinated by Red Bull Music Festival, Smino played for a sold-out crowd at Thalia Hall in Chicago. A few days prior, he was nominated for his first Grammy Award in light of his contributions to the renowned Revenge of the Dreamers III. A few months before that, Smino offered a standout performance on Chance The Rapper’s highly-anticipated album, The Big Day. And before that, the St. Louis mainstay embarked on the 33-stop Hoopti Tour, directly after releasing his critically-acclaimed album, NOIR.  2019 has been busy for Smino. And tiring, probably. But on November 23rd, the wear and tear of a restless year, bounded by success, refused to be seen. Entering the stage with the same effortless cool that swept across his introductory album, blkswn, Smino won the night before it even started. The show was just a victory lap. You see, at one point in his life, Smino moved from St. Louis to Chicago without a dime. He slept on the floor of a cramped recording booth, convinced that at some point or another, Plan A would pay off. In front of an exhilarated Thalia Hall, I was …

Dayytona Fox is remarkably prolific, constantly dropping new music. Yet, even with such a high rate of output, it’s been intriguing to see him cover so many artistic bases, consistently switching things up and never dwelling on one style for too long. Quite frankly, few artists are capable of such stylistic fluidity, but with Fox, staying static isn’t an option. Rather, Dayytona Fox seems dead set on becoming one of the most exciting young rappers out, and if you ask me, he’s doing a damn good job. Today, the man himself is back on our pages with “Outro,” taken from the recently released KiNG DAYY project. Just under 2 and a half minutes long, “Outro” is a brief explosion of color, blooming Fox’s style into a million different directions, each as exhilarating as the last. It’s a strong display of the ever-changing flows that Fox is capable of, and furthermore, it shows the budding talent’s personality even beyond the music, as he blends the song with several small interjections of dialogue in order to build the story. That said, I can’t name anyone quite like Dayytona Fox right now, and “Outro” is proof. Be sure to check this one out at the …

From a listener’s perspective, nothing is more satisfying than watching an artist grow right in front of your eyes. It changes the way you consume the music, the way you see the artist, and more than anything, what you get out of the music. Such has been the case with Massachusetts talent Bouvé. Personally, I’ve been watching Bouvé for a few years at this point, and his latest release — “Around Here It’s Not That Bad” — brings all of this progression full-circle. You see, Bouvé has come a long way. From being some kid in Massachusetts to garnering placements on a YG album, he’s grown quite a bit. Still, though, there’s a long way to go. In his latest single, Bouvé reflects on his journey over the past few years, from feeling lonely to his ambitions for the future. The two-part production is sincere as can be, and the lyrics follow suit, painting a genuinely inspiring picture of an artist who refuses to slow down, knowing that eventually, his time will come. “Around Here It’s Not That Bad” is a special one, so don’t sleep. Check out the song below! Produced by Bouvé & Cedes