SEARCH FOR: ISSY

It’s hard to believe that at this point, I have been writing for Lyrical for almost 3 years consecutively, and while I am beyond blessed for this one-of-a-kind opportunity, I know that there is still work to do. Throughout this time, there are a few artists who have caught my ear more than the rest, so I decide to write about them more than most other talents. Whether they’re bigger, smaller, or completely local, the size of their following doesn’t matter to me because if they’re making good music, I know that I’ll enjoy my job even more than if I was writing about someone I didn’t believe in. A couple of years ago, TyFontaine was an artist who I probably played back-to-back-to-back and then kept looping his tracks, because there was just this infectious energy oozing out of him, and that hasn’t changed with time. Admittedly, I have gotten a bit further away from his music just because time doesn’t allow me to repeat the same stuff constantly anymore if I want to stay tapped in with the rest of the scene, but when I found out that he surprised us with a YouTube exclusive entitled “When the Lights …

Earlier this year, LAYA Face from Staten Island debuted her boundary-breaking EP, Um, Hello. The multi-talented artist is pushing boundaries with her creative vision. LAYA wears many hats in the music industry. While she might be known for singing, the rising artist is also a producer, songwriter, creative director, and visual artist. As her career continues to evolve, LAYA’s catalog is also expanding with her melodic work composed of lush, smooth vocals and signature harmonics.  On June 14 via Warner Records, she returned with a new music video reinventing Missy Elliot’s hit “Sock It 2 Me”. In the video, LAYA takes on many forms and faces as she croons about a “late night creep” with her significant other. It’s no surprise to see her stepping out of the element with edgy scenes throughout the entire video. Um, Hello EP has received 10 million global streams and 1.7 million YouTube channel views. You can expect her to join Teyana Taylor in NYC on the “The Last Rose Motel” tour. Upon the release of her EP, we had the opportunity to catch up on a few things… — Lyrical Lemonade: How was your childhood growing up in Staten Island? Who were some …

“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! …

“This music feels like the most me. I love my first EP The Prelude and I think it’s a great project, but with 222, I can feel the growth of me. The amount of confidence I have instilled in myself over the past two years, 222 is a dedication to my arrival. I am present and I am here. I’m exactly who the fuck I say I am.” -King Marie More often than not, lots of artists glorify the amazing parts of being musical artists. The studio sessions, having fun traveling and doing shows, music video shoots, so on and so forth. However, there aren’t too many artists that show the opposite side of that lifestyle. Those days as an artist when you get knocked down and have to pick yourself back up. When you have identity issues or question if this lifestyle is even for you or not. Having tons of music and scrapping it because the timing wasn’t right. These are all things that people never consider when it comes to being an artist, but for King Marie, she went through all of that, and then some. Born and raised in Chicago, King Marie was brought up in a …

Let’s be real. “Hrs and Hrs” is sung throughout every social media platform we use today. Priscilla Renea, now known as Muni Long (pronounced Mon-ey), has been a hidden gem in the music industry for years as a songwriter. Her talent allowed her to travel around the world to write for major heavy hitters like Rihanna, Madonna, and Arianna Grande. Since the release in November 2021, “Hrs and Hrs” has received over 169.2M video views to date. Muni hit song has debuted on Billboard Hot 100, Spotify’s Top R&B, Apple Music’s Top 100 Global, and U.S. Viral 50 charts. Before pursuing a career as Muni Long, she released two albums under the name Priscilla Renea including Coloured, Nobody Knows and Black Like This. After years of dedicating her talent to others, Muni Long finally decided it was time to put herself first. In the studio, her job was to assist the artist and play her part. Today, she is the star. We’re very excited to witness the evolution of Muni Long in the years to come. Check out our interview with her below. – Lyrical Lemonade: Let’s talk about Priscilla Renea, the songwriter. The face behind Mariah Carey “Infinity” and …

North Carolina’s Tino Szn closes out the year with an eye-catching video for his single “DND.” Tino Szn keeps pushing and plugging through the year and since the release of his mixtape ‘4 Seasons’ which dropped towards the end of October. Recently Tino teamed up with rising Atlanta videographer and director Jelani Miller to shoot a video that depicts complete chaos in a work office space. Think of the wild and rambunctious scenes you see in movies Wolf Of Wall Street, Office Space, and the television show The Office. With the song itself, Tino collaborates with Oogie Mane, ilykimci, and Issy who are a part of the super-producer collective Working On Dying who has been changing the soundscape of the rap scene with their recent work with artists such as Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi Vert. What stands out to me with Tino is the subtle wordplay and references you don’t see from teenagers his age or even with some of the older people in his lane. Watch the visuals for Tino Szn’s newest visuals for “DND” after the break.

One of the biggest letdowns of the 2010’s for me came at the end of the decade when Playboi Carti and Young Nudy’s song “Kid Cudi” or “Pissy Pamper,” or whatever you personally called it then, failed to make any major impact on music beyond being such an unprecedented success for a leaked song, which is a win that has to be taken with a grain of salt considering the lost revenues and general lost cultural importunateness, so it is no surprise to me to start seeing more and more artists remix the song, and the fact that it initially leaked just before Covid paused the world, making the song feel like even more of a throwback than it is when you hear it. The newest remix that I have heard to this track comes from Queens, NY artist Pasto Flocco who teamed up with the endlessly creative director DotComNirvan for the visual and glides over the PowerUp production that warped the inital Pi’erre Bourne melody but adding distinctive new percussion that has become a sonic calling card of this latest New York wave of producers that are the musical background of collectives like Surf Gang that Pasto is affiliated …

Over the past few years, there has been an absolutely remarkable movement of women entering the rap scene full force and never looking back. They bring a new sense of empowerment to people, especially other women, all over the world, and they’re making such an immense mark on the music industry that I can’t help but applaud this incredible movement. While some of these artists seem to have it made from the moment they stepped foot in the game, others, such as Texas’s very own Big Jade, have to work overtime to make their dreams come true. While Jade has an amazing crowd of supporters and possesses such incredible talent, she still has to juggle a blossoming music career with things like being a single mother as well as a part-time hairdresser on the side. Recently, she decided to make another claim as to why she deserves a moment in the spotlight with her latest freestyle entitled “Bonnet”, and it’s definitely going to turn some heads once people begin to notice her unique talents and stop sleeping on her. As far as the production is concerned, her rap mentor BeatKing flipped a classic Missy Elliot track and sampled “Hot Boyz”, …

Having been in the game for a while, it’s always exciting to see members of New York’s A$AP Mob come together to deliver hard and catchy bars.  The incredibly talented A$AP Twelvyy dropped the “Noon Yung” album on 10/30, the sequel to “Before Noon” and he’s got company; an incredibly talented group of features including Billz Raw and Conway the Machine. One of the catchiest highlights is Pissy Staircase where Twelvyy is accompanied by fellow mob member, A$AP Rocky, the track delivers a smooth dystopian instrumental that is sure to have the listener moving their heads along. Twelvyy starts the track with a clean catchy chorus that really works well with the beat before both rappers go on to deliver smooth clean rhymes that attract the listener to the record, being reminiscent of old-school boom-bap rap from their own home, New York. Take some time and unwind with the rhymes tonight and stream the song down below. Produced by Héctor Delgado and Zoneout Worldwide

WesWill, the lyrically creative, soulful rap artist from Cleveland, Ohio, has resurfaced with a new single that balances his duality as an artist impeccably well. His newly released single, “MOTSB,” maintains that signature WesWill bounce that has become synonymous with his name but also incorporates a heavy dose of production-inducing nostalgia. From the Missy Elliot-inspired cover art to the bounce-riddled production, courtesy of Hype Alexander, WesWill taps into a vein of music that feels familiar but is ultimately new. His creativity in constructing this unearthed-feeling sound captures your attention almost instantly; through the explosive synthetic steel drum-sounding patterns to the full-force entrance of WesWill’s voice and intricate rhyme scheme. Although the song’s subject matter is rooted in moving-on from negativity in whatever form it manifests itself in, WesWill’s clear-and-present confidence in his ability makes the delivery of each verse feel tranquil, effortless and ultimately at peace. This is WesWill’s first release of the new year as well as his first single since sharing his ten-track project, Summertime Slaps Vol. 2, in June of last year. Listen to “MOTSB” by WesWill below.