Today’s world has certainly skewed nearly every single aspect of life as it once was some five years ago. In an everyday landscape that sees this unprecedented deadly outbreak go hand-in-hand with some of the most heightened political unrest throughout history, it seems almost comical that in late-2015 leading into 2016, the world was very, very concerned with the now-tame antics of one Kanye West. The man spent that period announcing an album, changing its title a number of times, and all-around doing what was then known as just “silly Kanye things” — nothing more, nothing less. But oh my, were we all invigorated. If anyone today were to tell another individual at that time that Kanye’s actions and overall popular presence would become exponentially worse, problematic, and purely reactionary above all else, they may agree, but certainly not to the sincerely frightening scope that he ended out that decade with. So with that being said, it makes looking back at this far more “down to earth” version of Ye quite a lot more fascinating by itself, and absolutely more refreshing by extension given the man we see today and the world that we all live in together. As off-the-wall …

The seemingly limitless amount of intersections that the rising state of pop music holds moving into the future is truly one of, if not its most fascinating aspect. We are moving into a new era that is forging a convention-less status for itself, while utilizing tried and true conventions from the worlds of dance, hip-hop, and so many other genres as its tools to do so. But if that notion is not the most incredible facet that this scene has in store, then perhaps its youthful cast of talents making some of the most expertly-crafted and fine-tuned pop offerings throughout the entire music world, regardless of age, will do it instead. The pure sense of pop-prowess that these acts hold in their own artistry has been reserved in the past for only the most esteemed and experienced figures in the genre, but the fact that they are doing so with as much ease as they are just goes to show how unprecedented this group really is in our modern times. For perhaps one of the absolute most clear-cut examples of both concepts put into motion, look no further than the latest single from 15-year-old Juno entitled “Karma” — easily among …

The art of pure anticipation plays such an integral role in designing any album rollout from a significant act, regardless of their level of fame and/or prominence. This fact becomes especially true when that coming release is meant to follow up such an acclaimed and widely-known project that had preceded it, leaving such a daunting shadow to either fill or completely take over. To say that anticipation plays into the current status of Vision4k’s already immaculate career would be selling even such an incredible figure like this short. Since making his name in the late-2010s with a number of era-defining singles leading up to his alt-rap masterwork Recluse in 2019, the influential figure has spent the majority of 2020 knowing that a follow-up to that aforementioned album needed to come to light — thus creating that sense of wonder if it really would during the entirety of this year. It was a sense of wonder that finally manifested into the resounding announcement of R — the album that will come to serve as that very follow-up come its release in December of this year. That alone sealed the anticipation as to what would be the follow-up to his 2019 classic, …

As pop’s new generation is beginning to see its landscape become more and more fleshed out and defined by the second, acts within this particular scene have a definite reason to come into their own element stylistically and sonically alike. Carving a certain niche for oneself is not only a necessity, but practically a given at this point within the most astute and promising artists who make up that aforementioned landscape in itself. Among the best examples of this notion in full effect is the ever-progressing Midwxst, who has already proven himself as a purveyor of the scene time and time again, and seemingly achieved the art of “coming into his own” with his latest album Secrets. Though that project will end up being considered one of this year’s absolute best from this burgeoning crop of talents, it certainly is not the be-all-end-all for the artistic impact that the 17-year-old Indiana prodigy is looking to make moving into the future. The next logical step for him is to progress onwards into new avenues as he has consistently done throughout his entire career up to this point; as quickly as can be, that step has already been taken with his newest …

There is no single album that quite matches the level of influence at a forward-thinking level in the realms of pop music this year than ericdoa’s COA. Being the most prominent instance of this coming paradigm shift for the genre, the all-encompassing impact that this album has as it stands today will ring true for the months and years to come as we enter this brand new era. Of course this status mostly results from the album’s star figure in Eric himself; not a single soul could possibly ignore the masterwork that he put in throughout each and every track without a single miss in sight. His energy was enigmatic; his delivery was entrancing; and his overall musicianship was exuberant and ever-so-perfected as he truly came into his own element as the tried and true pop phenom he was destined to be. But even Eric could only do so much on his end as a singular presence on the mic. The setting that surrounded him – both physically and inside the music as it came to be – played integral roles in crafting what would end up being this impactful and momentous musical experience. Simply put, if Eric was not …

Few artists – regardless of their level of fame, prominence, and/or relevance – have truly been able to turn the unfathomable into reality in a musical sense. For as experimental and off-the-beaten-path so many acts have come to be known as, music today has essentially become limitless in its expansiveness, but there does exist a telling difference between tapping into the unknown from a purely sonic perspective compared to one of pure emotional artistry. That latter description is where an act like Reserv differentiates himself from practically every single artist who has ever graced this planet throughout its entire existence. Whether one notices this through his unmistakably rich image via his cover art and its indescribable aura, or simply through the untapped sense of musicality that exudes through his emotion-packed, sentiment-driven, and blatantly otherworldly approach to his sound, there could absolutely be no comparisons to such a by himself figure like he is in these manners. In a catalog that has yet to detract from these previous notions throughout his entire career, one would be remiss to think that such a prolific figure like Reserv would fail to succeed at adding on to this exceptional status time and time again. …

After making a name for himself as an all-too-eccentric, yet politically and sentimentally-driven prodigy of an act with his debut project Nothing Great About Britain, the ever-profound slowthai has convincingly entered the next telling period of his career with a recent single/video for his new offering “nhs” — and with that a brand new album announcement as well. That album is the double-disc flaunting Tyron and is set to be released on February 5th, 2021; not only does this mark that aforementioned new light in this already-acclaimed career as we know it, but one that manifests itself in something of a far more personal narrative at its disposal all the same. The UK-standout has promised an album that tackles his conflicting personal life more than the circumstances that surrounded him as he did on his last project, and there could be no better single to represent this conceptual entrance than “nhs” in itself. The given track takes the promising and entrancing conceptual elements that this album has promised in its announcement and wraps them up ever-so-ideally in this small, but completely resounding package. Leaning more towards the side of self-appreciation rather than any sort of negative aspects that may lie …

Sometimes it takes even the simplest reminder to make a statement as a tried and true purveyor of a certain genre, scene, and all-around community. Those three concepts are all things that Braxton Knight has come to encapsulate and be at the forefront of all the same in regards to the modern state of both hip-hop and pop alike, and practically every single track he releases comes to reflect that notion in full. Though these tracks can vary in their brevity, magnitude, and even influence by themselves, they all serve as examples to the overarching fact that this is one of the most important, integral, and all-too-impactful single figures of our day when considering how the modern Internet-based music scene behind him has come to shape since his earliest offerings. If there were to be a clear-cut and wholly singular example of these sentiments put on their fullest yet most digestible display to this point, look no further than his latest single offering “Missing Person.” Spanning a minute and a half in length without a single sonic break in sight, this is a track that not only confirms these aforementioned claims, but also serves as one of the most tellingly …