SEARCH FOR: J. COLE

Going to High School in D.C. had it’s perks, but none rivaled getting put on to the local music scene. As a 14 year old freshman, I was eager to attach myself to any artist or musician who peaked my interest and it seemed like everywhere I turned, Wale was the topic of every discussion. From songs like “Lotus Flower Bomb” all the way to “Legendary”, it was evident that Wale was not just someone you listen to in passing, but a true genius who you needed to appreciate. The D.C. native has single-handedly put the community on the map while paving the way for prominent artists to come up behind him. What’s even greater is that Wale is in no way ready to slow down after all that he’s accomplished. Today, the seasoned veteran is making it on to our pages after announcing his new Album, with a new song featuring J. Cole called, “Poke It Out”. The new offering that we’ve been blessed with is nothing short of classic Wale as he never disappoints on any song he puts out. The inclusion of J. Cole was the perfect feature as it completely fills out an already impressive and …

As outside opens back up, nothing feels better than those moments of going out with the crew and getting into some action. Whether the move is sliding to a function, or just going on a cruise, those nights hit differently when the homies are around. Rising New York rapper Suave The Don recreates that scenario in his latest offering titled “Lost ‘Em”. In the visual, Suave is seen riding around with his crew, swerving through traffic, dodging the law, and everything against them having a good time. “Turn the lights off on the highway, then we lost ’em” he raps, speaking on that moment when his adrenaline is rushing and that feeling he felt while being on a high-speed chase. For those who are unfamiliar with Suave, he was born and raised out of Troy NY. Growing up listening to hip-hop legends such as 50 Cent, Ludacris, and J. Cole, Suave recalls them as a big influence on his life and his style of rap. While listening to his music, I can tell that he blends certain elements from them and adds his own twist to obtain that sense of originality and forming his own sound. Watch the visuals for …

When Andre Dontrel Burt decided to release the three-track EP, We Are Aliens, as SoFaygo, a new pseudonym to replace his former rap name, Trvllinese, the reception wasn’t exactly favorable. “I was getting backlash when I made that transition in 2018,” the 19-year-old rapper remembered, “People was not fucking with it. They liked Trvllinese better. I told them, bro, watch, y’all gonna see.” You make it seem like you knew what was going to happen? “I did,” he replied, “I always felt like I was going to be great, bro.”  Self-assurance doesn’t come in short supply for the Georgia-born teen. His need for a superstar’s resolve dates back to Junior year at Harrison High School. “I started caring less about people’s opinions in 11th grade,” SoFaygo recalled, “That’s when I started wearing different kinds of clothes, dyeing my hair in all different kinds of colors, just adapting to what Atlanta was on at the time.” “But niggas used to try me, bruh,” he asserted. “I don’t know why, maybe because I was different, but they would call me and my music weird.” With a light chuckle, the confident rookie added, “I was having none of that, bruh. I was always …

Last week, the legend J. Cole released his new album The Off-Season, and I have had it in constant rotation for the past few days. A couple of the personal favorites for me were “Applying Pressure” and “Close”, however, the whole album was very good in my opinion. Today, the Dreamville leader unleashed a brand new music video for “a m a r i”, and it’s not anything that you want to miss out on. This visual was jam-packed with attention-grabbing scenes as well as some references to past Cole albums or eras, such as when he was in college or the scene that I believe references the 2014 forest hills drive era of Cole, appearance-wise. I am excited to continue to watch J. Cole rollout more material in support of this album, as you should be too, go ahead + watch this new visual below!

About an hour ago, the legend J. Cole released a brand new documentary called “Applying Pressure”, and it’s a must-watch for any fan of his. J. Cole is one of my favorite artists of my lifetime, and he is at a pivotal point in his career, as he has acknowledged that the end may be near for him. He’s dropping a new album, The Off-Season, later this week and it has been rumored to be his second to last album ever. To build some more excitement and add some content to his journey + his upcoming album specifically, J. Cole just blessed us with a brand new documentary for us fans. I have already watched this documentary twice now, it’s amazing + insightful, if you are a fan of J. Cole or hip-hop in general, press play below!

A lot of people who aren’t familiar with Chicago’s very own Lucki might hear people describe his music as conscious rap and automatically group him in a lane with artists like J. Cole or Kendrick, yet he is in a lane of his own, and listeners wouldn’t understand that until tuning in for themselves. He is just so ethereal that his songs seem to naturally ooze out of him as his deepest and darkest thoughts come to life through his nonchalant, almost sleepy delivery that caught me off guard almost a decade ago and kept me coming back for more with every new release he put out. Late last night, he decided to surprise listeners once again with a brand-new two-track EP that came out of nowhere, yet I couldn’t be more thankful. The first song is called “LifestyleBrazy” and features production from one of my all-time favorite producers Brent Rambo. Here, Brent uses some almost worrisome, momentous piano keys underneath some sinister and piercing hats, poignant synths, and minimalistic drums that provide the perfect underworld sound for Lucki to absolutely demolish. As I’ve grown familiar with Lucki, I’ve learned to love his stylistic choice of starting sentences in a …

Certain songs swoon you. This was the case when I heard Chris Chand’s “Shine” for the first time. The Toronto-based producer, singer-songwriter, wrote and produced this R&B atmosphere while collaborating with the help of friends, Elyssa Plaza, Amaka, and SAAKB for vocals. The collaborative sweetness that is the result is brought to life by lush guitars, hypnotizing harmonies, sterling horns, and a baseline that sets a bright rhythm. In Chand’s own words, his latest single is “something that can bring you out of a dark place.” The three-minute-long serenade is rooted in classic R&B but does feature funky alternative elements that make it unique and current. “Almost as if Marvin Gaye meets the internet,” says Chand, in describing the fruitful soul and groove-riddled heartbeat this song uses to keep pace. His description perfectly brings to mind the soothing funk production associated with the four-piece band and the vocal talents of Elyssa Plaza, Amaka, and SAAKB establish a soulful essence that reverberates throughout the record. Although his latest release is one out of a handful of currently available, Chris Chand plans to elaborate on the idea. Looking to bring to life the sonic elements into a cinematic experience, the up and …

Morray may very well be the next mainstream rap artist to breakthrough from the state of North Carolina. Today the Fayetteville, North Carolina artist shares new visuals for his newest record “Big Decisions.” This is only the fifth record since Halloween that the 19-year-old emcee has dropped and his star power seems to rise with each release. He’s definitely in a very unique place in his career because the first record he released “Quicksand” has turned into a viral hit. This has caused some hip-hop talking heads to speculate that Morray is an industry plant. I myself on the other hand am deciding to focus on how moving his music and story. If you’re a fan of rappers who rap about struggle, pain with vivid stories like Lil Durk, Polo G, Rod Wave, Kevin Gates then Morray would seem like a perfect save for your music library. One thing I’ll give Morray an advantage over the rappers I’ve mentioned is how good his vocals are on his records. It makes sense how he’s received cosigns from his other rap peers like J.Cole, DaBaby, Rick Ross, and more. Watch Morray’s new video for “Big Decisions” for yourself after the break.

Kyle McCarthy is an emcee based in Los Angeles, California who is making his debut today on our Lyrical Lemonade pages with the release of his video “Not Everybody Lives.” The first thing that caught my attention was the North Carolina A&T jersey Kyle is wearing. It’s not often you see people sporting things from Greensboro, North Carolina. The video reminded me of J. Cole’s video for the “Fall Off” which in fact now that I’m thinking of it I believe McCarthy is paying homage to the Carolina legend. The message in this video is one everyone should take in especially with everything going on in the world. Don’t take life for granted because you don’t know when everything will come to a halt or if you’ll even be able to travel to these places. Everybody lives life but it’s truly the people that are living life to the fullest that’s experiencing it. Watch Kyle McCarthy’s video for “Not Everybody Lives” after the break for yourself below.

“There’s just so many different sounds and vibes that I fell in love with, and as a creative and curious person, I can’t help but want to make all of them“ -!llmind Give credit where credit is due, and always give people their flowers while they can still smell them. While we often look towards the future and the next hot thing, we can forget about some of the amazing creators that came before us. With Hip-Hop recently celebrating 47 years of existence, it forces us to take a step back and look at where we came from, where we’re at now, and where we are going in the future. If there’s one thing for sure, legendary music producer !llmind has the resume and the work ethic to prove that he is belongs in the past, present, and future of the genre and of the culture, as a whole. !llmind being born in New Jersey puts him very close to New York – the home of Hip Hop itself. As he stands now, he currently has a production credit list that spans over almost two decades worth of material – ranging across various underground artists, well-known legends such as Jay-Z, …