In the midst of the pandemic that began early last year, it forced a lot of us to find other means of entertainment as we were all stuck inside the house on lockdown. One of the best things to come from this pandemic from an entertainment standpoint, would be the Head-to-Head music battle platform “Verzuz”–founded and created by Hip-Hop legends Timbaland and Swizz Beats. What once started as just a one-off Instagram Live battle between the two moguls to see who had the better production catalog has now turned into a worldwide phenomenon–bringing the group chat/barbershop conversation into fruition as to who is the better artist. Two legends take turns playing hits after hits and a winner is declared just shortly after the battle is over once Timbaland and Swizz Beatz go Live and talk it out. The platform has since then grown to produce live in-person battles–accompanied with live DJ’s, amazing stage settings, and commentary from both artists in between songs. Some of the battles we have seen come from this would be DMX vs. Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys vs. John Legend, Rick Ross vs. 2 Chainz, Nelly vs. Ludacris, and even the controversial battle with Jeezy vs. Gucci …

After releasing last year’s buzzworthy EP, QuickTape, which spawned big songs “Bag Talk,” “Solid Bitch” and “Bitch Do It,” famous South Carolina rapper pops out early in 2021 with the release of her new visual for the latest single “Hands On Ya Knees” featuring Kevin Gates. The Des Grey-directed visual stars Renni Rucci is a Dominatrix who controls a prominent sex dungeon filled with clients and dominatrixes-turned-dancers, fulfilling every desire over the DJ Chose production. Unlike the usual Rucci presentation, “Hands On Ya Knees,” with its multiple dance sequences and hypnotizing looks, is a must-see. While Gates doesn’t appear in the video physically, Rucci credits the I’m Him creator for the song’s originality. “Kevin actually presented the opportunity to me,” she says. “He had the song, and he wanted a female on, and he let me have my shot with it. He really was all for helping me excel in my career and has shown a lot of support to me, which I’m very grateful for. I laid my verses, and it was all she wrote after that. “ When speaking to Renni about the record, she says: “I wanted the video to be very different from what we see right now. A visual …

Not a single day can pass of speaking about the pioneers of the rap game today without mentioning the artistry that stems from Pi’erre Bourne. The 27-year-old rapper and man of many musical faces has been destroying the game for years now and has definitely become a household name. From producing hits for Young Nudy, Lil Uzi Vert, and dozens of songs for Playboi Carti (most recently on Whole Lotta Red), Pi’erre Bourne has crafted a sound that has been duplicated by many, but never comes quite as close as the original pocket that he has birthed and mastered. While many people are well aware of the production he has and can do, a lot of people tend to forget the fact that he did start out as a rapper. Releasing tons of freestyles and The Life of Pi’erre projects independently, lots of it went unnoticed and overshadowed by his amazing production he has been dishing out. It goes without saying he’s had a hell of a career thus far, but he is far from being done yet. Releasing the latest visual from his The Life of Pi’erre 4 album, he is back premiering another smash from the album, “Guillotine”. Without a doubt, Pi’erre …

It’s often debated on the timeline as to if people think producers should venture into rap careers after dominating the production side of things. There have been very few that have done it successfully, but there definitely is a lane for it. Rappers such as Kanye West, Travis Scott, Pierre Bourne and Sonny Digital are all artists who got their rise to fame from starting out as a producer, and then venturing into rap–with the exception of Pierre Bourne who started out doing both rapping and producing at the same time. One of the latest inductees into the ever-growing pool of producers turned rappers would be the Virginia-native HighDefRazjah. Razjah has been someone that has been on my radar for a very long time. To see his ascension and his rise to stardom has been nothing less of amazing to witness, and he is just getting started. After landing tons of placements for his trunk-rattling anthem “Value” with A$AP Ferg, Razjah is already planning for the next chapter in his career and that is putting his pen and rap skills to the test. Very recently, he premiered his latest rap offering, titled “Demonstrate”. “They been sleepin’, so I guess it’s …

“This is my story. It’s all about me and told by me. I can’t have no other artist come and tell my story for me.” -Slatt Zy Historically speaking, Tennessee has been a major player in the game as far as delivering musical talent. As far as bringing tons of Country artists, Jazz artists, and even the legendary rap group Three 6 Mafia, it goes without explanation the amount of impact Tennessee has had on the music industry as a whole. For the sake of Chattanooga Tennessee specifically, things may not have always been that easy. One artist in particular who is here to tell the world from his perspective, is the  18 year old Slatt Zy. The “came from nothing to something” story is something we have all gotten used to by now–to the point where we almost expect it from certain artists. Slatt Zy on the other hand, his story feels so much more rewarding and ambitious than the others do. Coming out of a household with 11 brothers and sisters, Zy was born into poverty and hardships, and he grew up with it his entire life. With this being all that he has ever known, he continued …

Turning pain and real-life hardships into music that can be enjoyed by others is something that can always be enjoyed no matter what. The idea of turning other peoples pain into our enjoyment sounds like a bad thing to say out loud, but nonetheless, it makes the music that much more enjoyable when its relatable and can be attached to a certain moment in all of our lives. One thing about Lyrical Lemonade, is that it’s not just about Lyrical in a sense of bars and freestyles. For certain, music moves all–no matter the genre or how it sounds, and making his return to the Lyrical Lemonade platform, Brendan Bennett is here with the release of his latest single “LOVE IS…”. Only recently being put onto his music by one of the other writers here, from what I have seen so far from Brendan is immensely impressive and the music strikes a certain chord with me. Harkening back to the concept of turning pain into music, it is something that lots of artists can do, but not many can do it in a genuine fashion. For Brendan though, it comes off as genuine as can be, and “LOVE IS…” can …

“Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it/Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it/Guess every super hero need his theme music” -Kanye West on “Power” The Chicago legend that is Mr. Kanye Omari West–many people love him, some people hate him. Regardless of how you feel about him, his views, personality traits, political stance, etc., it’s almost impossible to deny the impact he has had on this world, amazing level of artistry that he has delivered, and crowing him as nothing less than a musical genius. While as of late, his music may not be resonating with the listeners as it once did ten years ago, or even five years ago after the release of his highly-anticipated and critically acclaimed project The Life of Pablo, hip-hop historians and all-around music lovers never count out Kanye West as being one of the best creatives of all time. November 22, 2010 would be the day that Kanye West would release his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Little did he know that it would go down as one of the best musical bodies of work of all time, and end up being arguably one of the best …

By now, many of us are familiar with the name SAINt JHN and what he is currently contributing to the game, but he has been one of my favorite case studies as of late. Most notably recognized for his smash song “Roses” which was released in 2018, remixed in 2019, and blew up in 2020, SAINt still goes down in my book as one of the game’s silent hitmakers that has been patiently waiting his turn. The foundation has been laid and the work has definitely been put in, and I can definitely say that SAINt JHN is an early pick of mine to be one of the best things that the game has ever seen. Premiering right before the years end, SAINt is back with another full-length body of work, While The World Was Burning. SAINt JHN recruits Future for the remix of his smash single “Roses” Hailing out of Brookyn, NY, SAINt JHN has been quietly working on himself and his artistry–quickly building up a aesthetic and a vibe that can’t be duplicated nor imitated. While this album is not his debut, it sure feels like this is his debut as the rest of the world is finally catching …