SEARCH FOR: DRAKE

We are currently in the era of music where lots of the artists that are out now have all been making music for various amounts of time in their life. Some artists have been writing raps since they were in middle school, some artists may have had a musical background as an adolescent, and some maybe even have just started making music literally months before becoming discovered. No matter the case, there’s a beauty in all of it. However, the artists that come up with the musical background potentially have some of the longest-spanning careers, and in result, may even have more “war stories” to tell. The ever-so-talented producer/songwriter duo known as The Rascals have been deep routed in music for much longer than we may have thought, and it truly shows in their art. Leon Thomas III and Khris Riddick-Tynes (also known as The Rascals) have been instilled in the music industry since they were very young, and have been a duo for seven years already. Many people may recognize Leon Thomas as he played the character Andre Harris on the Nickelodeon show Victorious alongside Victoria Justice and superstar Ariana Grande. Since then, he has been making tons of moves …

Drakeo The Ruler is an absolute legend, and despite his wrongful incarceration for so much longer than he should have gotten, he stayed strong and never let him get down on himself. Even though he knew he didn’t deserve to be locked up but the LA court system wouldn’t let him out, he used this as the fuel for his fire that drove his incredible work ethic to new places, constantly recording verses on phone calls that he’d make from within the prison he was being held in. Unsurprisingly, the moment he was finally free, he didn’t waste any time and headed straight to the studio to get some things off his chest in one of the best ways he knows how, through music. This led to his song “Fights Don’t Matter”, the first single off of his upcoming project We Know the Truth. Thank You Fizzle and Al B Smoove teamed up to bring the instrumental to life, using high-pitched instruments combined with crisp hats and snaps as well as a groovy, deep baseline that gives this record a familiar West Coast sound that puts Drakeo right at home, where he deserves to be. Despite the hyphy, mischievous disposition …

If there’s someone who has been putting in the work recently in the hip-hop scene it has to be Lil Durk. Coming fresh off an album, “Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 ” and a Top 10 Billboard hit with Drake in Laugh Now, Cry Later. Talented lyricist and Chicago’s own Lil Durk returns with another hit, “Stay Down” accompanied by the influential Young Thug and talented 6LACK. The beat feels dreamy which is a stark contrast to Lil Durk laying down what life is really like and talking about his struggles growing up on the block. 6LACK delivers an incredible chorus with his melodic voice before Durk comes back with his unreal rhymes followed by the always amazing Young Thug. Thug, who needs no introduction delivers once again with a catchy, impressive rhyme scheme as the final verse before closing out with 6LACK’s astounding vocals. Make sure you stream the new record down below! Produced by Metro Boomin and DY

Towards the tail-end of the highly dynamic and evolutionary decade that was the 2010s, the underlying alternative music landscape began to enter what was then one of its most daring and forward-thinking periods that we had seen up to that point. The scene as it stood began to saturate itself in the ideals of the Internet age more than it had ever done in the past, with artists putting on a far more transparent image as far as their artistry was concerned, along with combining sentimental visuals with their far more passionate and experimental sounds respectively. Though this period has come and gone as far as how it stood in the aforementioned years gone by, artists at the forefront of that movement have taken this new decade with a new sense of approach and nuance in regards to progressing their still ever-so-ambitious creative goals and aspirations. Among these incredible acts was and still is Harry Teardrop, who solidified his status as a forerunner of this period with his EP 1000 Backyard Pools in May of 2019 — a genre-blending project of all things indie music and beyond that certainly put the greater online music scene at the time onto his …

When it comes to the discussion of who makes the best rap bangers, you probably haven’t mentioned or heard the name ShaqIsDope. Well, quite frankly, you should’ve. Full name Shaquille Bastille, the rising Northern Toronto artist recently released a brand new single titled “Pressure,” which is the first record off his upcoming EP Dark Days Ahead. ShaqIsDope is not limited to making hype tracks aka bangers, but his killer rap flow over trap or bass-heavy instrumentals has become a reliable formula that his fans can always count on. Similar to how Drake is always revered for his consistency at the mainstream level, ShaqIsDope is arguably the Drizzy-esque representation at the underground level (ironically both share Canadian roots). Whether you’re clocked in at the gym, DJing at a party/club, or simply in need of an energy boost, ShaqIsDope’s sound never fails to impress. His latest track “Pressure” joins other notable hits such as “Know The Feeling,” “Power,” “Simple Prayer (All I Need),” “Try Me,” “Revenge,” and many more songs that have verified the third word of his stage name – dope. Stream “Pressure” below!

“Poundside pop … rocky …. diamond st keem …oz sparx….. sim Santana … Za sosa…. I might be forgetting some but they the young’s catching they waves right now” -Meek Milll on the next artists coming up from Philly, via Twitter Any artist will tell you, that getting that co-sign from one of the biggest artists in your own city, is one of the best things to happen early on in your career. No greater feeling can be felt than getting your art noticed by someone who is known for putting your city on the map. That said, Philly-native Oz Sparx got exactly what he needed when Meek Mill shouted him out last year on Twitter. That was all the fuel that he needed to ignite that fire in him and continue to go crazier than ever before. Here were are, with the release of his latest project, Vibin, Sliding, N’ Connivin, and he is proving he is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to creating a vibe, or setting the tone for a night out with the gang. Being inspired by the modern greats such as Future, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert & Playboi Carti, Oz blends many genres and touches on many topics …

Ever since I heard Sada Baby’s music so long ago, I knew he was going to be a star. His enthusiasm, charisma, and talent are simply infectious, and after listening since probably last year, I have yet to be disappointed by either a song or a project in its entirety. Bartier Bounty 2 gave us a mixture of old, well-known talents that are captivating as well as some new sounds from the Detroit artist like a bit of singing and more melodic deliveries, so his arsenal of talents was simply expanded unbelievably. I was lucky enough to get an early listen to “Whole Lotta Choppas” about a month before it released, and as soon as I pressed play on the unreleased track, I was sold one hundred percent. The beat, produced by CoalCashBlac, was as energetic as it was addictive, and Sada took some time to boast some lively bars that were bound to get stuck in your head even though he never really heightened his enthusiasm as he has done in the past. His straightforward delivery and insistent flows were flawless, and I just enjoyed the song itself overall. Somehow, it didn’t even cross my mind that the song …

Just last week, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin finally delivered their highly anticipated collaborative album Savage Mode II, and fans have eaten it up ever since. I have to admit, my first run through I enjoyed, but I had some skepticism. Since the first listen, though, I have revisited it probably more than ten times in its entirety and it has rapidly become one of my favorite projects to drop all year. The inclusion of Morgan Freeman’s narration was as unexpected as it was brilliant and hearing him describe certain situations related to the streets was unbelievable. The plethora of samples, beats, and homage being paid to other artists throughout the album are remarkable, and I want to go and listen to it all over once again after just talking about it. “My Dawg” is a standout on the album not only because of the catchy vocals and infectious flows, but 21 also goes into detail about the situation that arose early last year dealing with being born in the U.K. where he talks about how much of a struggle that was for him and his family. Luckily, the new content doesn’t just stop at the album, and the super …

With the past 5 years being some of the most monumental for the city of Vancouver’s ever-growing rap scene, each month it seems a new artist rushes to the front of the leaderboard of artists to explode out of the city and be the first to create a steady outpouring of talent, much like Drake did to Toronto. Over the past few weeks, we have seen one of the city’s most promising prospects take the whole world by notice with his hottest debut yet with his new smash hit “Cold World”. His song took over quickly amassing millions of streams across platforms and quickly asserting himself as the next to blow out of the West Coast. Eric has always been ahead of the curve in terms of how he crafts his lyrics, he is the creator of velvety smooth verses while intertwining complicated rhyme schemes, that end up melting together like warm butter. If you’re familiar with Eric’s music than you would know his visuals are always incredibly on point. He dropped the video for this ice-cold new single, possibly the best front-to-back music video he’s released to date. Directed by Eric, with help from one of the best up …

Jaxon Free is a familiar face to the Lyrical Lemonade pages if you remember our coverage on the Raleighwood Hills record in which landed in former President Obama’s playlist last year. Today the Raleigh, North Carolina vocalist returns with a brand new single and video for “Fly.” The 20-year old’s sound is influenced by artists ranging from Drake, Khalid, and 6lack. You can see all of these inspirations in Jaxson’s music as he includes melodic sounds of r&b, pop, and hip-hop cadences. This is an upbeat single in which Free claims derives from a conversation he had with a friend. The record provides a message in which everyone can apply in some aspect in life and that message is letting go. Free states via email “When working on this record I started with the loop made by the homies xynothing, anselynl, and michaelcollinsprice. I just punched in and let it all flow out after having a conversation with a friend of mine about other anxieties and struggles.” Stream Jaxson Free’s new single “Fly” after the break.