SEARCH FOR: BEST DRAKE SONGS

Cover Photo by @135alistair After introducing the new FREE SOUNDs column two weeks ago, we’re back today with round 2. From NY to Atlanta, Toronto, London, NOLA, and the Carolinas, here’s another batch of interesting and true-to-self things that have been in rotation as of late. Check out Volume 2 below and if you haven’t already, peep FREE SOUNDs Volume 1 here. – – – DEXTER I’ve been a fan of London artist dexter for some time now, and “Pressure” might just be my favorite release of hers thus far. The energy on the song is infectious, the production urges for movement, and dexter’s hook has found itself etched into my brain ever since it came out. Adding additional excitement to “Pressure” is the fact that dexter is also wearing a Corteiz tracksuit in the video, having released the song with Corteiz’s RULESTHEWORLD Records. The UK’s busiest streetwear brand can’t seem to miss, and signing an artist like dexter only enriches the existing connection between London’s fashion and music scenes. “Pressure” checks off every box, leaving me me just as excited as a fan of dexter as it does as a fan of Corteiz. Check this one out below: MEL GLIZZY …

The year is 2019 – Baby Keem walks onstage in front of a packed audience in Los Angeles, California. This is one of his first performances ever, the last of six shows that comprised the highly-anticipated ‘Die For My Bitch Tour’. The air is nothing if not rarified – Drake is somewhere in the building, fans murmur about celebrity sightings like Taco and Cuco, and the excitement is so palpable that you can practically see the energy erupting from Keem’s earliest diehard fans. As you could expect, the show was an enormous success, and since then I have been actively trying to fill the Keem-shaped hole in my heart in an attempt to re-experience that kind of feeling again. Last Thursday, I was finally successful. On May 12 I had the pleasure of attending the final LA show of Yeat’s sold-out ‘2 Alivë’ tour at The Fonda Theater. After Yeat’s performance at the Roxy got shut down earlier this year, I knew that nothing on this fucking planet was going to prevent me from being at this event. Upon arrival, I took quick note of my surroundings: insane line (which is usually a good sign), appropriately priced merchandise for fans …

“Get Refreshed” is a monthly column by Billy Bugara covering all things digital in the music world. Refresh yourself here. I Don’t Have The Stamina For This Blogging Shit Billy Bugara Hi. I’m back, and this time I brought my friends. So… I feel like this column could use a lot less Me every once in a while. I don’t treat blogging like a sport; I barely even blog at all. But even still, I know damn well that blogging isn’t really where I strive compared to others, and that’s okay! I have to write research papers every day… we are simply not the same. In all seriousness, I do want to explain what’s going on here before we jump into things. I am a person of platforming, a platforming person, if you will (it is my job for SoundCloud, after all). I just really enjoy turning the spotlight towards those who deserve it most. Most of the time – all of the time, really – I’m featuring musicians. But what about turning this spotlight towards other people who like to… spotlight musicians as well? Is this really ever done? Not often! Can it be done? Should it be done? Yes and yes! …

I love to shed light on women in the music industry who are on the come up. Especially females who came from nothing, but their work ethics are slowly leading them to stardom. Cincinnati rapper Sade Johnson, better known as “Skylar Blatt” is one of my favorite female up-and-coming artists. Her story is so raw and genuine, that it’s not hard not to fall in love with her aura. Growing up was not easy coming from Downtown Cincinnati. When your environment does not reflect the person you hope to become, it’s difficult to find the strength to motivate you every day. However, music saves Skylar’s life and allowed her to become an inspiration for others. Skylar rose to stardom after countless freestyles on Facebook live with her friends. After the release of her second mixtape “XXL”, her career began to take off with multiple offers from labels. After getting co-signed by Meek Mill, she decided to work with Dream Chaser. However, that partnership was short-lived after Skylar did not believe that was the right home for her. After taking some time to rebrand herself, Skylar returned to the scene with her singles “John Wick”, “Urgent Care”, “Mystique”, and “Milli Us”. …

“Get Refreshed” is a monthly column by Billy Bugara covering all things digital in the music world. Refresh yourself here.  Please Let Me Explain  Hi. It’s been quite a minute, huh? Whether you realized it or not, I haven’t published this column since the summer of 2021. That’s a long-ass time; it’s even longer if we’re talking in terms of the Internet. 6 months ago feels more like 6 years ago when you really break it down. So… yeah. It’s been a MINUTE. But I have excuses, I promise. Besides my chaotic school life, my work for other places, and everything else I was doing last time I wrote for Lyrical, I kinda picked up something new within that time period. It’s not as simple as just being something new, though – it was something of astronomical proportions. It’s actually not that serious, I don’t know why I’m going on about it like that. Basically, I co-founded a Sick and Cool label called deadAir with my bff Jesse, and it’s been taking up all the extra time I was originally dedicating to this weekly column. Nonetheless, I feel it’s only right that, after discovering some semblance of balance in my …

If you have been watching Lady London over the years, you know her craftmanship is finally receiving the recognition she deserves. As a poet since 2018, London grew to fame on social media by flipping and remixing a few of Hip Hop’s most revered tracks from artists like Foxy Brown, and Busta Rhymes. Hip-Hip icon Cardi B praised her bars in “Money Over,” and expressed that London is “the most slept on.” The song has accumulated over 500k views on Youtube thus far. As an artist, London’s versatility sets her apart from her peers. Being an artist is only one part of her puzzle. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine from Howard University and a Master of Science in Global Medicine from the University of Southern California. Her knowledge and hustle mentality help to develop her into the artist she is today. “There are multiple levels to me,” she explains. “I’m not one-dimensional. I really take my craft seriously. I consider rap to be an artform—not a trend. I’ve studied cadences, timing, breath control, double and triple entendres, and syllables. It almost breaks down to an exact science. I pay attention to verbiage, semantics, and diction. I’m …

Last month, I had the pleasure of launching a brand new long-form series on Lyrical Lemonade that I’m more than excited to expound upon. If you’ve had the chance to read my articles, then you’d know that my musical taste is all over the place in the best ways possible. I’m never listening to the same genre consistently, which has allowed me to discover and appreciate a wide range of artists. With that being said, the goal of this series is to share my taste and give you all a concise list of my favorite released tracks from each month. October was filled with some great music, so keep scrolling down below to check out some songs and projects that have been on repeat for the last 30 days; IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER — 1. argyle-[brakence] One of my favorite artists out right now is none other than the pure genius that is brakence. Ever since first stumbling on him in 2019, I have been utterly hooked on just about every song that he’s put out. Once 2020 hit, it felt like everyone in the music community instantly became aware of how talented and trailblazing he actually was. With songs …

Creative Direction: @shotbycones We are a couple of weeks removed from our annual Summer Smash festival, and we are all still having major withdrawals from such a great weekend. After the past year that we had of quarantining, social distancing, and avoiding large events, it felt amazing to be able to come outside and enjoy our festival once again. With over 75 artists on our lineup ranging from the up-and-coming rappers to superstars and legends, it was truly a weekend to remember, and a special moment for not only Lyrical Lemonade but Chicago as a whole. I had the opportunity to work as a lead for the Summer Smash Media Team—a squad full of some of the best photographers and videographers in the game put together by our guy Cones. All weekend long, they captured tons of videos, photos, and clips of the entire run of show. While our full recap of the entire Summer Smash weekend is dropping very soon, I felt it would be a great idea to give my perspective on some of the best moments that happened during Summer Smash. At last, here are some of the best moments of Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash 2021!   …

In accordance with the rise of social media as the predominant way for artists to promote their work, the snippet game has become crucial in building an audience. Post 20 seconds of an unreleased song – the most quotable part, the part when the beat drops, etc. – and if it’s captivating and brief enough, people will want to hear more. When done right, snippets create demand, which was exactly the case when this snippet from 2219 Lee, Mali Smith, and Cash Cobain caught my ear on Instagram. Hailing from New York, all three artists are part of a collective called MHPG SOUND, which is characterized by its “SOUND OR DROWN” slogan. The group has built out a style that’s buzzing around New York right now, especially seen in Cash Cobain’s recent growth with cosigns from Drake via IG live and Lil Yachty, to name a few. MHPG’s latest release, “HAKEEM,” is the group’s best work to date. Built on the simple-yet-effective foundation of an ominous melody and hard-nosed drill percussion, “HAKEEM” is the kind of straight-forward release, packed with signature New York charisma and quotable lyrics, that cements the excitement around such a promising collective of talent. With lines like “Cash Cobain …

It hasn’t even been a full week since Slime Language 2 was placed in our laps, yet I feel like with all of the new content we were given, it seems like it has been months. While there are names on here that I’m very familiar with like Travis Scott, Drake, Lil Baby, and many others, there were also artists such as YTB Trench, Unfoonk, Karlae, Strick, FN DaDealer, and others that I am definitely not very familiar with. While this might be the case for other listeners as well, it gives us the chance to get to know these rising stars and see how they perform on songs next to some of the biggest names in the game. While almost every smaller artist on the project went above and beyond to make sure that they weren’t overshadowed in the slightest, I think Unfoonk had one of the best features on the album period. That’s why, when I saw his and Thugger’s song “Real” was getting a Never Panic-directed music video, I was beyond excited to see what the results would be. After watching it, it seems to be a life story for Unfoonk, and while he tells tales of …