SEARCH FOR: EARL SWEATSHIRT

To me, Earl Sweatshirt is so much more than a rapper. I first got into him over a decade ago when he was running with the Odd Future crew, and while everyone in that legendary group brought something unique to the table, Earl was just moving so much more differently than anyone else in the entire industry, let alone OFWGKTA. Since then, he has ventured off on his own, releasing more and more albums that seem to get more inventive each time, and while Doris is still a top 5 favorite project of mine, I think Earl has so much more left in the tank. His experimental sound is nothing short of captivating, but the way he uses his words lets you know just how intelligent, creative, and all-around legendary that the LA-based emcee truly is. Simply put, you might not understand everything Earl puts out, but he creates his music in such an abstract way that I can have an extremely different takeaway than you might have, and that’s nothing short of magical, in my opinion. Despite the fact that he has been featured on so many different songs since his last project FEET OF CLAY released back in …

London based artist Kelvo nets his Lyrical Lemonade debut with a fantastic new song titled “Remain Grateful.” Immediately setting the tone as a proper lyricist, the opening bars are: “Even though shit ain’t great remain grateful / don’t have it in my heart to hate but shit was still painful.” Kelvo continues by detailing a particular incident that could have left him mortally wounded; hence his source of thematic gratitude. Although no specifics are revealed, listeners may assume someone else could have been at fault, which creates a fascinatingly mysterious conceptual aura. Admitting that his faith was nearly lost, Kelvo is also grateful for his resiliency, which enabled him to ‘connect with inner spirits’ for mental restoration. Sonically the production is ominous with a daunting melody and lowkey percussion, which gave me a dope infused impression of (early) Earl Sweatshirt and Lord Apex. Vocally Kelvo’s London heritage is certainly noticeable, but his nonchalant rap style and calm flow creates a distinguished form of delivery only catered to his own artistry. I look forward to hearing more music from Kelvo, and it would not surprise me if his underrated following skyrockets by the end of this year. Listen to “Remain Grateful” …

Ever since I first got into music, Earl Sweatshirt was one of my favorite emcees of all time. Even back in his Odd Future days when he was messing around and just having fun with life, he was laying down some of the most well thought out, clever bars that I have ever heard in my entire life, and he was quickly solidified as one of my favorites. Even though I’m not as familiar with Armand Hammer, I know that their connection to Earl runs deep and if Earl vibes with them, I’m sure I would as well. Although I want to take more time to listen to their collaborative project with the legendary hitmaker The Alchemist called Haram, I was beyond excited to peep the brand-new music video for the project’s cut “Falling Out the Sky”. Directed by Joseph Mault, the video opens up on a lovely yet somewhat desolate beach as the waves crash against the shore as well as rocks that are supporting small cliffs. When the song begins, Earl seems to walk towards the water and out of a cave, finding the light as he smokes a blunt and spits his deep and introspective bars. When …

It has become abundantly clear that the next era of music will be defined by the idea of adolescence. Not just through the teens that are crafting and communicating these notions in the online music landscape, but the music industry as a whole in how teenage-centric it is slowly coming to be. The loudest and most creatively-sound voices in this artform are coming from – or, at the very least are inspired by – this age group and all of its contemporary signature facets. But in taking all of this in, a central question remains: what kinds of things define this adolescent archetype? Well, as far as an artist’s perspective is concerned, 17-year-old New Jersey prodigy dltzk seems to have all of the answers.  It’s a telling sense of self-awareness; it’s a high level of uncertainty; it’s a constant mental battle day in and day out; but maybe most of all, it’s impassioned creativity. These are all aspects of one’s modern teenage life that dltzk has given to us on nearly every single one of their past offerings. Vocally, lyrically, and instrumentally alike, this phenomenal talent has expertly communicated these sentiments in a wide-ranging and all-encompassing manner all by themself. …

Redveil makes his return to the Lyrical Lemonade pages with the newest release with his album entitled ‘Niagara’. Every post I feel as if I emphasize how talent and how young these newer artists are. When I first heard Redveil’s single “Soulfood” I was impressed with his rapping ability but wondered what else could he offer or if he could expand his sound. At 16 years old rap traditionalists will walk away impressed with how far ahead and how much raw talent that this kid holds. He’s already received cosigns from Rob Markman, Don Lemon of Brockhampton and more. ‘Niagara’ is a 10 track album that runs just under 25 mins which should give listeners plenty of time to run the project back over again for their listening pleasure. If your a fan of heavily sample-based productions and are fans of Lyrical favorites like Mavi and Earl Sweatshirt then Redveil is definitely an artist you want to keep track of moving forward. Stream Redveil’s new album ‘Niagra’ for yourself after the break.

Shoreline Mafia is about to go crazy with the release of their upcoming album Mafia Bidness and that’s just a fact. Although all of their singles leading up to this project’s release have been awesome, I honestly didn’t even have to listen to those to know fans are in for something special. Each and every member of the group brings a different energy and skillset to the table that elevates every single one of their offerings which helps them stand out and separate themselves from other groups in the realm of Rap and Hip-Hop music. I also enjoy the fact that not all of the four of the members need to be present on every single track because this makes them shine even more on the songs that they do play a part in. Their chemistry has been seamless since the moment of their inception and there’s more than one reason as to why they’re one of the biggest things in music coming out of the West Coast in recent history. Just as I was growing more and more anxious about the release of the album this Friday, they dropped off a brand-new music video for their most recent single …

Anyone who knows anything about Kanye West knows just how important his mother was in his life. Donda played a pivotal role in supporting him and being there every time he needed her during his early days in music all the way through some of the biggest moments of his career as he was first starting to take off. Although she, unfortunately, passed away over a decade ago, her spirit stays alive and well through her son and she still plays a massive part in his drive for success. As far as his latest offering is concerned, this might not be the first time he has paid homage to his mom via music, and it definitely won’t be his last, but he took to Twitter last night in honor of Donda’s birthday to release a song for her, using her name as the title as well. At the beginning of this track, for almost three-quarters of it, you can hear Kanye’s mother reciting lyrics from KRS-One, a legendary rapper from The Bronx who always had something powerful to preach about within his lyrics. Full transparency, I’m not overly familiar with the rapper himself and I only knew that these were …

Ever since Earl Sweatshirt notoriously switched up his style entirely and went with a more abstract concept that takes a lot more time and brainpower to sift through in order to get a deeper meaning, he has influenced other artists to follow suit. While some day-one Earl fans don’t understand this creative expression and therefore they’d rather stick to his classic albums, I for one am a big fan of this new style. It can be tough to comprehend at first, but the wild timestamps and intricate messages bring out a much more musically complex offering than ever before. Now, I only mention this because he has influenced other rappers to do the same, including his friend and collaborator Sage Elsesser who goes by the moniker Navy Blue. Navy Blue is still relatively new to the world of making music, but if you didn’t know that prior to diving into one of his songs, you’d have no idea. His sophisticated flows, interesting messages, and unique instrumentals give off the impression that he’s been working on his craft for years, when in all reality that’s just not the case. After his debut project, Ada Irin dropped earlier this year, his music started …

Although I’m impressed by a lot of the unique up and coming artists in the current state of Rap music, it seems like less and less time is being put into lyrics. A lot of these artists rely on a unique sound or a different voice that sticks out to fans in order to gain more recognition, but virtually no one is really taking the time to truly write lyrics that are mind-bending and thought-provoking. That’s why I’m such a massive fan of Earl Sweatshirt because he takes his time when writing lyrics and although I might not understand references he makes after my first or even fiftieth listen, I seem to always unveil new messages or references after every single time I turn on one of his songs. I was a fan of him back in his Odd Future days because even if his lyrics weren’t the most meaningful, I could still understand the abundance of time and effort that went into his intricate wordplay and lyricism. This effort and artistry have always been a constant throughout Earl’s extensive career, and it’s no different at all on his latest single “WHOLE WORLD” which features LA-based rapper Maxo. It’s clear …

Medhane is a very unique artist. Despite being born in New York City, the young artist’s style sounds nothing like the city’s ancestral influences, such as Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G. Not adhering to traditional boom-bap direction, Medhane’s vocals are much more monotone, often meshing well with grimy lofi instrumentals to match his gloomy, yet interesting artistic approach. Similar artistic peers point to artists such as Earl Sweatshirt and Chester Watson, who are exceptional in their own right. It is no surprise then that Earl Sweatshirt co-signed Medhane, with Earl having produced a collaborative track of theirs called “agoura134.” The pair have even collaborated in a fashion sense, with Medhane modeling for Earl’s clothing line “Deathworld.” Fast forward to 2020, Medhane is more motivated than ever to forge his own lane and identity. His latest visual is for the song “Trauma and Grace,” which is off his 2019 album Own Pace. The song is very chill, yet ominous, with Medhane’s opening lyrics being: “In between tomorrow and today, sunshine and I’m in the shade, stress being my wake, can’t express the pain, isolated days, what’s the price to change, life is strange.” The production matches Medhane’s melancholy tone and flow throughout, as …