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 Toronto pop singer-songwriter Nouraxalali (Noura Al Ali) is a major player in the independent music scene thanks to her distinctive style, commanding vocals, and profound songwriting, all of which are present in her newest release “Wide Awake.” Noura has cemented herself as a skilled and prosperous musician, with over 500 thousand total streams across all platforms. Considering she did all of this without the support of a major label, her accomplishments are all the more remarkable. Noura’s unique and soulful voice has captured the attention of audiences everywhere, earning them a dedicated fanbase. Her range is truly remarkable, reaching powerful high notes with ease and delivering emotional lyrics with raw passion. Their vocal technique is impeccable, delivering each line with precision and expression that truly brings their lyrics to life. Their music is a testament to the artist’s incredible talent and they are a shining example of what can be achieved with hard work and dedication. This track is a deeply touching and introspective musical journey through the artist’s own doubts and conflicts. Her capacity to communicate with her listeners and make music that touches them on a fundamental level is on full display here. Stay tuned for some new singles …

Chicago-born artist Vi City is back with his new single “Won’t Do,” featuring Ari Stylez. The track combines rap and intoxicating melodic elements to captivate listeners of all tastes. Much like his previous hits, “OnGOD” featuring Harv and “I Luv3 m3″ featuring Moneybagg Yo, City is a prime example of a multi-talent artist that crafted music reflective of his own experiences. The unique cadence in his melodies is what builds so much anticipation for his music. “Without sounding cliche, we ultimately just want to create art which inspires people – and I believe we’ve achieved that here.” he shared. Check out a few of his top singles below.

One of the most impactful Chicago artists over the last decade is Qari, who some may remember from his Hurt Everybody days or his amazing catalog of solo releases, most recently being 2022’s Stronghold project. This was one of my favorite bodies of work to come out of the city last year, and one of the fan-favorite tracks off of the tape was the introductory record “Rucksack”. Waaaaaay back in 2019, Qari and Eddie Burns actually teamed up with many other talented creatives to shoot a live performance of this record, and now nearly four years later, we are finally getting to see this masterpiece. Although it’s years later, I believe that it only adds to the allure of this piece of content, and I am glad that this didn’t slip through the cracks. They could have easily not have ever put this out, for reasons such as it being outdated or wanting to shoot something new with a similar concept, but I appreciate this not only for how good it is but for the moment in time that it captured. Shout out to everyone that was involved in this project, you all did a fantastic job and I thank …

Platinum-selling singer-songwriter VEDO is known for making hits for some of the biggest names of our generation. This time around, the Empire artist recruited R&B sensation Chris Brown for his new single “Do You Mind.” This is the second single from his highly anticipated studio album entitled Mood Swings. Mood Swings will be the 6th Studio album for the platinum-selling singer whose career evolved from ABC’s The Voice to his viral Tiny Desk appearance with his longtime mentor, Usher. When it comes to the inspiration behind this album Vado says “This is my first album where I actually had a team of writers come in and assist me with this project and we all got the chance to really learn from each other. But the music speaks for itself, and we just want to you feel… whatever the emotion or mood is.” Mood Swings includes the lead single “Forever,” produced by Needlz. The single has accumulated almost 946,000 streams on Spotify since releasing Nov. 18, 2022. This album also includes features from Chris Brown and Tink. Listen to Vedo’s new album Mood Swings below.

Joony has been an established artist in the DMV for a minute now, but after recent successes, his name reaches far beyond just his home region. Following his massively successful Pretty In Black tour, he’s expected to receive his first plaque after featuring on Brent Faiyaz’s WASTELAND, which reached gold status. In the meantime, listeners were blessed with “One Track Minded,” another wickedly creative production that features Brooklyn upcoming star Kelz, and a variety of other-worldly sounds, instruments, and vocal tones blending together with masterful precision. Both Joony and Kelz have loyal fanbases that cling to every release, and there’s no doubt that the collaboration of the two will cause this track to do well with their respective audience pool. I’m interested to see just how far this track can reach beyond that, though, as I feel the combination of the artists’ talents over this type of instrumental could do numbers far more than what may be expected. This two-minute-and-19-second song is a much-needed, refreshing piece of artistry that only further fueled my fandom for both artists. Check out “One Track Minded” on Spotify below!  

Inspiration and influence; are the two I’s of music that not only allows the musicians before us to continue their legacy but allow the musicians of the future to continue theirs. Louisville native KINSLOW debuts on Lyrical Lemonade today with his latest offering titled “DOGWOOD.” Produced by Kingston, with the visual directed by ‘The Trap Steve’ — the much-anticipated single exceeded its hype and expectations. With the catchy hook and bouncy instrumental, “DOGWOOD” will quickly become a fan-favorite and reach even further than his core fan base to new listeners. “It’s inspired by the street I grew up on, ‘Dogwood Drive’. I first wrote the hook .. which made me recall my childhood/adolescence years .. when I would play basketball and write rhymes. It’s also heavily influenced by [my take on] that Southern Texas sound. That’s the aesthetic I was aiming for.” Immediately upon checking out this record, I instantly caught the vibe of DaBaby’s earlier videos. Not only from the production, but to the style of editing as well. The comedic factor in the visual as well plays a big part in that, and that is exactly the vibe that KINSLOW was going for. “Another influence was ReelGoats .. the director of DaBaby’s videos. I …

Born Anchelo Eliasin, AnChelo is challenging the typical R&B sound by giving listeners a new perspective on the genre. His music is fresh, with sounds influenced by other great artists in the R&B/soul genre. AnChelo has borrowed from music legends and used that to carve out his niche, which has seen him quickly cement his spot in the brutally-competitive industry. Two of his songs, “Take All My Love,” and “All Eyes on Me,” have each gained 1M plays on Spotify despite being less than one year old. His latest track, “A Night To Remember,” is also receiving a lot of attention. AnChelo believes song lyricism compliments melody. Without one, it is hard to have authentic music and songs that speak to the heart and soul. He uses his music to share his story, talk about societal issues, and inspire others to live out their dreams with passion and commitment. The rising artist has written and released various songs, including “All Eyes on Me,” “Quarantine Nights,” “Win Or Lose,” “Remember the Name”, and “They Don’t Know”. AnChelo has also produced an EP, Legacy.  As the debate on whether R&B is dead and whether it sounds the same continues, AnChelo is giving …

Jelani Kay is a rapper from Moreno Valley, California whose single “Millions” made its way to my inbox and I wanted to share some thoughts on it. I’m really not too big of a fan of west coast rap, maybe it’s because I’m from the east coast but sometimes I feel like it can become to region locked for my taste. That and I simply don’t hear it enough when I’m out and about and among my peers. The start and the hook of “Millions” are my favorite part of this record. I still have to get used to the flows but in a unique and quirky way actually, believe it fits. I haven’t really dug into more of his discography but after listening to this it has me wanting to dive into some more regional-focused west coast rappers at all levels. Stream Jelani Kay’s recent single “Millions” for yourself after the break.

In my opinion, inspiration is one of the most valuable feelings known to man. When you have it, you feel unstoppable, but when you’re without it, life feels nothing more than a useless search for meaning and fulfillment. What I love most about inspiration though is that people can find it in so many different ways. If you’ve kept up with my writing throughout the year, then you’d know that I made a vow to myself earlier in 2022 that I would only write when a song or project inspired to the point of wanting to put words behind it. Although this past year was a fast one and it seemed like new songs were dropping left and right, there truly were exceptional artists who inspired me more than they would know. For my last article of the year, I wanted to do something special, so I decided to compile 22 of my favorite songs this year with small personalized notes to each artist. Each song and artist on this list mean a lot to me and I pray they inspire you in the same way they’ve inspired me. — “Security” by Will Keeper Will, This is the most beautiful …

There aren’t too many people in the rap world that don’t need an introduction, but one of these individuals is without a doubt G Herbo. He has been at the top of the Chicago scene ever since he first began taking off over a decade ago under the name Lil Herb, and even though his name might’ve changed over the years, his dominance hasn’t gone anywhere. He is just one of those artists that you can’t forget about whether we’re talking strictly about Chicago hip-hop or discussing the genre as a whole. His aggression has always captivated me, but the way he has been able to incorporate so many other sentiments and emotions into his music throughout his tenure in this industry is something that will never fail to impress me, regardless of how many new names come across my radar. This year’s album Survivor’s Remorse was one of the most highly anticipated efforts of the past 12 months, and even after dropping the original version, he couldn’t wait to release the extended edition just 3 days later which unleashed another 13 songs that more than doubled the album’s tracklist. Despite these additions, one song that stood out to everyone …