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2021 has very much been an up and down year for most, but it’s undeniably been a phenomenal year for music. In fact, I enjoyed listening to so many releases that I’d forgotten some even released this year. Not only has there been plenty of stylistic/genre variety, but also artists of all types (small, emerging, mainstream) actively releasing their art. To showcase my appreciation, I decided to put together a list of my favorite projects; (in no particular order) all of which remain in my rotation heading into the new year. I hope you discover an album, EP or mixtape that you might have missed! Last but not least, this list is also a token of gratitude to each and every person that has read a Lyrical Lemonade piece of mine. I wish you a happy and fulfilling New Year. – – – – – Issa Gold: Tempus (album) Genres: Introspective hip-hop, Conscious rap Favorite track: Cold Summer   Amaria – Bittersweet (EP) Genres: R&B Favorite track: Lose Control   Richie Quake – Voyager (EP) Genres: R&B, Indie Favorite Track: Sensitive   Jean Deaux – Most Wanted (EP) Genres: Hip-Hop, Modern R&B, Electro-Trap Favorite track: Stay Down Marlon Craft – How We Intended (album) Genres: Hip-Hop, Jazz …

Without a doubt, Portland, Oregon artist Yeat is unquestionably the most exciting and simultaneously groundbreaking artist to emerge in the past year, despite having been making noise in the underground for almost four years. He has been constantly innovating with his deliveries and melodic patterns but still lacked production that was both recognizable enough and captivating enough to fully realize the sound that we love him for now. The duo of Moshpxt and Jack Rottier also deserves a great deal of credit when looking at the meteoric rise of Yeat, as it was Moshpxt who helped Yeat first grab everyone’s attention this year with their now classic song and video to “Sorry Bout Dat” which was just the jumping off point for Yeat’s run. “Cmon” is the intro track to Yeat’s most recent project Up 2 Me which is easily my favorite underground release of the year and is certain to be a verified cult-classic in the underground world. I could watch this video over and over and never get bored and I like the emphasis Moshpxt placed on the actual car-racing element of the video, as Yeat’s music is likely responsible for dozens of reckless driving offenses since first coming out, …

There are certain individuals whose sole purpose is to serve. In a world that’s all about “I”, it is a breath of fresh air when you come across someone who is more concerned with the well being of others above all else; and these are the types on individuals who I strive to gravitate towards. At the end of the day, when you strip away jobs, money and societal constructs, all we’re left with is our relationships with people; and it is our job to steward those relationships to the best of our ability. Someone who knows this concept all too well, is making a well-deserved appearance on the page of Lyrical Lemonade to be celebrated not only for his music but for the person he is. prettyboyshav’s journey in music has been anything but ordinary and nothing shy of spectacular. Growing up as an Indian Immigrant, life for Shav looked inexplicably different; something that the young boy knew but something that would prove itself to be a catapult rather than a hinderance. Affirmation amongst his family was a driving force that led him to where he is today. “You are krishna. you are chosen. you are our sunshine boy…” These …

An immensely talented Southern California duo is making their very first appearance on our pages today. If you haven’t heard of DWELLERS before, it’s of the utmost importance that you sit up right now and pay attention. Joey Spurgeon and Bren Eissman have been friends since High School, but it wasn’t until their first year of attending college where they began to explore the art of making music and collaborating together. As the two young men began growing their bond, the music began to benefit from it as well. I was able to talk to the two guys and they shed some light on their story in a really cool way. Bren explained, “When we started getting close we kinda bonded over our tendency to overthink a lot of stuff and that’s what DWELLERS kind of came from. An expression of the ins and outs of two dudes minds and how we perceive things like love, lust, life, and death. We write all our songs together and our first single “And Then We’ll Be Alright” was pretty much the embodiment of what we want DWELLERS to communicate. Experiencing something/someone, ur mind questioning it or doubting it, and then finding a …

In today’s climate, there are a million and one factors that go into making a hit record, ranging from the right feature at the right time to a viral Tik-Tok. Sometimes, though, it really is as simple as making dope music. At the end of the day a hit record is a hit record and Bblasian’s “Upper Hand” is a hit record. Already garnering some buzz, and, now, freshly signed to Cinematic Music Group, “Upper Hand” could be the one that takes the Louisville product to the next level before his debut EP, DIF, drops later this month. On “Upper Hand,” Bblasian looks to motivate and inspire, tackling obstacles in his path, with his melodic flow that’s engined by his positive, youthful energy, and a hook guaranteed to get stuck in your brain. The video, directed by Gxdlike, echo the personality and mission of the track, with  “Upper Hand” spreading the color throughout a dark environment. A positive message, packaged in a colorful, anthemic sound, with well-executed video to cap it off, “Upper Hand” will serve as a strong foundation for the talented up-and-comer.

Vancouver’s young rockstar AC has been dropping a steady stream of melodic hits over the past year as I’ve written about previously. Earlier this week, he dropped “All4Me” which is one of his first official releases on streaming platforms since his collaborative EP with ILLYMINIACHI. Over the past few years, AC has adopted a much more melody-heavy rap allowing him to create music that is laced with iconic bars and a lot of his brash personality. This song has AC declaring he wants it all, as he deserves putting in years of work into his music and he’s only 18. Take a listen to the new track here, and be on the lookout for more singles from this artist on the rise!

Fresh off of the release of his stellar new project, The Interlude, A$AP Ant and his unforgettably charismatic style are a main topic of conversation in rap right now. The level of growth and development that we’ve seen from the Marino Infantry representative is second to none, and today, Ant is back in the headlines to prove this with a new music video for “Cloud Burst” alongside Soduh. Produced by none other than Lord Fubu, the otherworldy instrumental on this one sets the tone for an eclectic set of visuals. Shot by BORN UNIVERSAL, the video is sure to take advantage of this, as trippy scenes of Ant, Soduh and their team cross the screen in ways that perfectly fit such a dreamy song. “Cloud Burst”, as the title denotes, sounds like Ant and Soduh are floating on a cloud while they rap, and considering the addictive, ethereal tone of this one, it goes without saying that the stocks are going to continue to rise for them with this release. Click play on the new video at the link below and stream The Interlude here if you haven’t already!

I apologize because I am a few days late on this, but while he was rocking stages at SXSW over the weekend Chicago’s own Qari dropped a brand new music video for “Pants From Japan”. Any one of Qari’s fans will tell you that this is some of his best work to date, so he needed a brilliant mind behind the camera to bing this song to life, and that’s exactly what he got as he linked up with Lyrical Lemonade’s own Cole Bennett. Qari has been having a fantastic year so far in 2018 & this new visual is only going to help that trend continue. Watch this brand new visual below and let me know what you think about it in the comments section! Produced by Mulatto

KerryTheAce is a rapper who hails from Texas who I came across a couple months ago in my submissions. He sent me his then brand new music video for arguably his best song “GNA,” and I instantly became a fan of his music. He offers a sound that includes plenty of melody but don’t sleep on his bars because this man does not play, on top of this he always seems to be rapping over some fire production. Dope artists like Kerry deserve some shine, so it’s only right that I include him in our newest Q&A segment. Learn a thing or two about the Dallas native below & be sure to check out his brand new song titled “Bankroll” at the bottom once you finish!   EM: Before we dive into the questions, give our readers who may not be familiar with you a brief introduction of yourself. KA: Yo my name’s KerryTheAce, I’m 19 from Dallas Tx I started putting out music here n there like sophomore year of highschool, started taking it serious towards the end of last year now I’m tryna take it to another level this year. I first got linked in with Lyrical Lemonade through a …

‘No Coast News‘ is a music podcast that has just aired their 10th episode earlier today, speaking on various subjects such as Surf, Miguel’s surprise show with Chance The Rapper & A$AP Ferg, Chi-raq movie, & Drake coming to town to perform at the United Center. They also touch on the XXL Freshmen list, speaking on its importance & how Mick Jenkins deserved to make the list.  Listen below to catch up on all Chicago-related music subjects. Voices within the podcast: Jake Krez, Brent Butcher, Westley Parker, & Eric Montanez