Storytelling lands at the core of great rap. It’s a genre built around sharing life experiences and bringing listeners into worlds unfamiliar, all facilitated through beats, lyrics, and the character of the speaker at hand. Naturally, when a great rap storyteller comes around, it’s only right that people pay attention, and by the sounds of it, Delaware-raised talent JPerk is here to claim this role with his latest release, “In Or Out.” Moving back and forth between Delaware and Las Vegas, the rising talent’s music has taken on many forms in the past, from the hard-nosed style of “Backend Baby” to the more melodic “4Real.” The through-line between it all is a clear knack for lyricism, bolstered around personal experience, ambition, and heartfelt songwriting, even at just 18 years old. These elements are what makes JPerk’s music so special, and they’re displayed in full-form throughout his latest release, “In Or Out.” Just under 2 minutes in length, “In Or Out” is a brief offering that combines straight-forward rapping and melodic sensibilities with ease. It’s the best of both worlds from JPerk’s rolodex of styles, and it’s laid out atop a soulful base of instrumentation, laying the groundwork for Delaware’s own …

I’ve talked about Brevin Kim numerous times on Lyrical Lemonade at this point; their creativity, their inventiveness, the cross-pollination of genres, the production, and everything that makes the Boston-bred duo such a necessary one. But few times have I felt as though the duo’s vision was as perfectly laid-out as in their recent album, no less than three. 11 tracks long, the project is a cohesive, boundary-pushing portal into a future of music where genre is but an afterthought and every song creates a world of its own. This level of creativity heads the duo’s most ambitious and exciting release to date, and today, is followed by a new music video for one of the project’s standout cuts: “exhausted.” Arriving at track #3 on the album, “exhausted.” is an ominous step further into the world of no less than three, guided by gloomy production and soul-stricken lyrics. As the song progresses, any sense of control is lost between high-arching beats drops and bellowing vocal runs, which are both illustrated with the video’s moody aesthetic and night-set scenery. These elements mesh together throughout the nearly two-and-a-half minute duration of the visuals, and by the end, come together to add a much-needed visual dimension to …

Boston is an interesting city when it comes to rap, in particular. For the most part, it flies under the radar with a few exceptions, while the musical output from the city continues at a fast pace, constantly reinventing itself and introducing exciting new sounds to the area. This pace is what has allowed Boston to consistently introduce promising new talent over the past few years, and it’s the same type of energy that has driven the momentum around Boston’s latest sound: drill. Gaining its footing in New York and quickly making its way over to Massachusetts, drill is rapidly birthing some of the best new releases out of the city, most recently in the form of PoleBoy D Rose’s “ZAZA.” Released in mid-October, “ZAZA” is thunderous by design, pushing a stadium-ready opera sample against an undeniable supply of drill percussion. Paired together, the two refuse to let listeners stand still, while PoleBoy D Rose comes in with a full head of steam to tie this one together. The high-flying chorus and infectious deliveries push “ZAZA” to massively compelling heights, leaving Boston with a potential hit on its hands via Dorchester’s own: PoleBoy D Rose. “ZAZA” is undeniability at its …

When you think of Virginia and rap, the first names that come to mind are usually Clipse, Pharrell, Chad Hugo, and a few others – all Virginia Beach legends. But as time has gone on, the state’s musical output has evolved, more recently with the talents of 2k Melo: a Norfolk-based artist, and one whose energy and consistent output have gradually developed him into a blossoming name to watch. Today, with perhaps his most exciting offering to date, 2k Melo is here to hit our pages with “Blue Slime” alongside YBT. Put simply, “Blue Slime” has an in-your-face, punk energy to it, largely thanks to the heaviness of the metal guitar riffs that lead the production. Once you add in the sharp contrast of trap drums, Melo and YBT are left with just enough room to let loose a fully-automatic supply of flows, switching back and forth with untouched chemistry. This pairing, along with the rockstar-esque sound, make “Blue Slime” one of the most exciting new releases I’ve heard in recent memory, especially out of Virginia. Add all of this to a strong supply of visuals – simple, hard-nosed, and perfect for such a heavyweight song –  and you’ve got …

Without subtlety, the rise of New York drill has been one of 2020’s most important musical headlines. Birthing numerous stars and bridging the gap between sounds, it’s an undeniable style, and one that seems to adopt new variations with each coming day. On one hand, you have more melodic brands of drill, where hard-nosed production meets melodic deliveries and infectious vocal runs. On the other hand, you have the more rap-focused brands of drill, where the energy around the production guides the lyrics, and each new release is a chance to storytell about what’s happening in New York City right now. Somewhere in the middle, you have Rocko Ballin. Rising into his role as a favorite up-and-comer in his city, Rocko Ballin’s style meshes all of the above in a refreshing new way, bolted down by earworm hooks like that in his latest offering, “Time Up.” Without missing a beat, the “Time Up” chorus is a sign of undeniable promise. The energy is there, the sound is there, and Rocko’s captivating personality is the component that fuses everything together. He’s a capsule of several aspects that make New York’s sound one of the best right now, and “Time Up” is …

Nusto Thugn is one of the most interesting artists to come out of Atlanta in recent memory. His lyrics, on one hand, have an almost cinematic feeling to them, rooted in experience and decorated with Nutso’s inimitable personality. On the other hand, his ear for production is unrivaled, and has helped place him in a lane entirely of his own – different, darker, weirder, and all in all, more compelling in the most unique of ways. One major player in the development of this sound has been Brodinski; a legendary French producer in his own right, having grown his name in the techno world, worked on Yeezus, and more recently, become an omni-present name in Atlanta rap. Brodinski’s eclectic approach to trap production is a direct result of his time in the techno world, and adds an ominous, almost apocalyptic feel to the illustrative nature of such an exciting and important genre of rap. Meshing his world of sound with Nutso Thugn’s, the two recently joined forces with Zurich talent Modulaw on a brand new project, Red. 5 tracks long, it’s a dark listen, and one that seemingly builds out a new world of rap in real time. Nutso’s storytelling, Brodinski and …

Speaking to Tulsa artist Gang51e June over the phone, there’s a sense of humility in his voice. He has a slowed, calmed tone, and more often than not, deflects questions about his own personal growth to the way that it helps those around him. As an artist with just about every label knocking down his door with an offer, this humility isn’t so much surprising, but rather, refreshing. June’s music is a direct reflection of darker times in his native Tulsa, Oklahoma, where opportunity is limited and the future often bleak. Gangs are the easy route for most, and as a result, June notes that not many make it out of Tulsa, or even feel like it’s possible. Naturally, his recent success in music has been a source of inspiration for many, coining June as “THE HOPE” in his city – a label that he wears proudly, and one that continues to act as his ethos amidst recent success. 22 years old, Gang51e June began his quarantine working at Best Buy. As COVID set in, he found himself on the way to being furloughed, where he’d still receive some pay but would need to take time away from work to …

A new frontier of talent has been quietly growing out of Houston over the past few years. It’s selling out shows across the city, making noise all over Texas, and more recently, has begun to cross state boundaries, reaching national audiences and beyond. This scene has birthed several burgeoning names as of late – Fade Em All and BBY Kodie, to name a few – but not until this year did it get its latest star in the making: HVN. Back in February, HVN released his debut project, Welcome to Heaven, after being known as a behind-the-scenes figure in Houston. He ran, and currently runs, a brand called Don’t Die which threw a large part of the shows in the city, to the point where he and his brand had become a fixture in the scene, acting as a focal point for Houston music and fashion. In the months following his debut, cosigns began to roll in from Virgil Abloh, Kevin Abstract, and Taco Bennett, among others. Houston had another must-watch name on its hands, and earlier this week, HVN proved himself worthy of the hype, delivering a brand new song and video entitled “Demon.” Arriving with a masterful video …