SEARCH FOR: RED MIRROR

Jean Dawson is a trailblazer, an innovator, and a master at his craft, and he’s only 26 years old. I have never come across someone in the hip-hop world that has proven to be as dynamic as Jean, and I honestly don’t know if I ever will. He never settles for the ordinary, and even if it takes years to put out a full project, the wait is minimal compared to the artistry that is shown. I have had a blast getting to cover all of Jean’s singles off of his highly anticipated album CHAOS NOW*, and just last week, the finished product was finally delivered to all DSPs. This 13-song project is seriously unreal, and every single second of the almost 36-minute-long effort packs a punch. Some tracks are much more upbeat and intense thanks to heavy electric guitar chords and a swifter tempo. Others take a step back, allowing his words to really reminisce with you and self-reflect as Jean appears to do the same on his end. He is also not one to typically include many features on his projects, so the only exception with this album is George Clanton and Earl Sweatshirt. Now, Earl is one …

It’s hard to imagine an artist from Indiana that is more exciting than Freddie Gibbs, but it might be difficult to envision because that person is nonexistent. Sure, there are tons of emcees that I love from the midwestern state, but in terms of sheer success, skill, and accolades, I think Freddie takes the cake without a question. For over a decade, he has been carving a path for himself as one of the most lyrically gifted and overall talented emcees in rap music, so while his GRAMMY nomination for his Alchemist-produced project Alfredo was amazing to see, it was long overdue in my opinion. Until late last night, his highly anticipated album $oul $old $eparately was keeping me up at night out of how much excitement I had leading up to its release, but now that it’s here, I can’t wait to keep listening time and time again until I can actually appreciate all of the artistry and skill that went into its creation. With a total of 15 songs and features from world-renown emcees like Pusha T, Rick Ross, Offset, Raekwon, Scarface, and many more, this album was set up for success from the moment it was announced, …

The name Dave Coresh may be a new one to some of you rap fans but some might remember Dave’s name as it floated through the hip hop ether a few years back. Through tireless dedication and an obvious evolution in his artistry, Dave Coresh returns with his first body of work in a few years, SMOKENMIRRORS. The newly shared six-song EP is an electrically charged, lyrical clinic surrounded by rabid beats and an unmistakable metal mentality.  Dave Coresh spares no feelings on the EP’s opener, “Nobody Cares,” dealing rhymes out with total offense and a smug tone while electric guitar chords crash and collide like bolts of lightning around him. The project carries along with reckless intent with the equally combative follow-up “TALK2ME,” featuring Mother Wata. The EP’s second track mimics the energy of the project’s opener and builds on it by throwing all caution to the wind. The production is wild and unpredictable and the lyricism, naturally, follows suit as both Coresh and Mother Wata yell, “shut the fuck up when you talk to me!” With no hesitation, SMOKENMIRRORS dives head first into the project’s next song, “pymfb.” The EPs third track continues its noise dive mentality into mania as Coresh …

If you’re reading this, congratulations; You’ve made it to the second and final part of the Daniel Price Interview. On Tuesday, we left off chatting with Daniel about his upbringing and today, we dive back in to the conversation. Just a week ago, Daniel released his highly anticipated project called, “Peaking”, which has been met with nothing but positive reviews. A body of work this good though doesn’t just appear out of thin air, which is why for part two, we are going to uncover what makes Daniel the artist and musical mind that he is. The Daniel Price Interview Part two is now live, enjoy! — Sam: So tell me this…What do you make music for? In part one, we left off and you alluded to the importance of being able to share your perspective with others, but what do you truly make music for? Daniel: This recent music is more so storytelling, some of it is autobiographical, some of it features things that never happened, but it’s just a good story that I think people need to hear. Overall, just trying to implement what my mom implemented in me. Self belief…thinking for yourself and just not having any …

Whether you’re a listener, an artist, or have anything else to do with music, it’s an art that always comes with a journey. It’s a journey that I find fascinating because it always leads somewhere that you might not expect, but you can learn so much about yourself and others if you really take it seriously and pay attention to the details. When Cam I Am first got into the industry, it was a bit to my surprise after he had a promising career in the NFL. Unfortunately, a few injuries prevented him from continuing to thrive in this endeavor, but the mindset and determination that he has always had helped him realize that it wasn’t the only gift he was given. To rewind a bit, I have been familiar with Cam for quite some time. Although he is a few years older, he actually went to the same high school as me, played football on the same team that my dad was a coach for, and he was always someone who people looked up to as a role model. He just had all the qualities you’d look for in a leader, so whether he was on the field or …

Although Florida is one of the most popular destinations in America, I feel like it could seriously be considered its own country for so many different reasons. There is not only this different vibe that is in the air there and just this unique culture that is obvious while you’re traveling in the southern state, but in terms of music, no artist from there can really be compared to any other emcees anywhere in the world. For many Florida spitters, it’s the specific accent that you notice right off the bat, but there is so much more to the individuality of the scene down there that comes along with getting tapped in with the various artists who call the state home, and Taleban Dooda is one of the most exciting hitmakers to come out of the Sunshine State in quite some time. In the rearview mirror of his recent banger “Spin” which has amassed hundreds of thousands of streams, over 1 million views, and critical acclaim from publications like RESPECT and Noisey, Dooda dropped his latest hit “War With Whoever” which turns out to be another unsurprisingly strong addition to his repertoire. The Sheffmade and Einer Bankz-produced record is certainly …

A collaboration between a producer and rapper isn’t a guarantee in quality but the pairing of Pat Ron and producer Por Vida is the closest thing to a guarantee you can get. Pat Ron’s latest project, The Highest Flyest Fly on the Wall, entirely produced by por vida, is a cinematically constructed, lyrically sharp, hazy collection of songs that is certifiably un-skippable. From the moment you press play on the eight-track project, you are immediately engulfed in a truly vivid soundscape with Pat Ron at the center of it all delivering laid-back rhymes with an undeniable punch. The project in its entirety progresses beautifully, its pacing is more focused on Pat Ron and the production, forcing the listener to match their pace, and step into their world rather than the other way around. Sonically, the 19-minute project re-instills that feeling of the blog era when mixtapes like Taylor Allderance, the Finally Famous series, and K.I.D.S. were all freshly released and blared from every speaker. Songs like, “Mirror Mirror,” “SwatMeOutTheSky,” and “Mr. BigShit” all exude this mixtape feeling as Pat Ron is surgically precise with his timing, cadence, and overall rhyme schemes that will have you completely entranced from the start of every song.  …

“Hate Today!” is about waking up not only on the wrong side of the bed, but waking up on the wrong side of the bed in the middle of a pit of lava… and being able to laugh at it! Days vary, but this song is for the ones that Lev just sometimes hates. Lev talks about his vulnerabilities and anxieties, but in the end, has the knowledge that they’re not going to hold him back in the SLIGHTEST from what he wants to do…which is world domination! I made this with my best friend/producer Heartgaze in my Airbnb studio in like 55 minutes. In between takes I could hear the toddler in the apartment below us screaming back at me, which made me want to get even louder. I wrote a bunch of lines that made me laugh on the spot and got them within a few takes and I just IMMEDIATELY knew that I loved how this song sounded…I hope you do too! Or else you and me are gonna have a problem :)” – Lev UFO LA and Chicago’s own Lev UFO successfully delivers on his highly-anticipated debut with a personality driven single titled “Hate Today!” Produced by Heartgaze, the ultimate friendship duo have created …

With so much incredible music out nowadays, it can be hard for me to not only decide what I want to listen to, but it’s even more difficult to choose which artists are truly my favorites, and which ones I just enjoy from time to time when I’m in the mood. At the same time, there are a handful of musicians who make my life easy because I know that I’m going to get the highest quality and most creative songs in the world. This makes it very easy for me to realize that ericdoa is one of my all-time favorite artists, and I don’t care who comes at me saying that he’s new to the industry and hasn’t proven himself, because if there’s one thing I learned about eric, it’s the fact that he doesn’t put out bad songs, and I seriously don’t think he is capable of making anything less than extraordinary. His project things with wings has been a hot topic of discussion amongst fans since it was very highly anticipated, so I got nervous about the fact that I didn’t know if it could live up to the hype, but considering I have listened to it …

The only things I love more than risks are the artists that take them. I admire them so much it’s almost a character flaw – I’m quick to yell “BORING!” at shameless Olivia Roderigo clones, Travis $cott wannabes, and people more concerned with clout chasing than pushing our cultural canon further. While working through my backlog, the sacred gods of music blessed my ears with tabula rasa – the newest LP from Atlanta rapper Mercury. In a world of mimics and mirrors Mercury stands alone – weaving together alien melodies and forward-thinking production with writing so full of charm that I literally could not add tabula rasa to my rotation fast enough. From the project’s minimalistic and Southern-flavored “500 DEGREEZ” to the foreboding ambiance of “HEAVY”, Mercury has me reaching for a fucking thesaurus trying to find words to describe her sound. It’s impossible to truly compare her to anyone because no one out there is doing it quite like she is – maybe she’s like if all Doechii listened to growing up was Negative Gemini, Tommy Genesis and Yung Lean. There are so many high points on tabula rasa – and from her own performances to her guest features DavidTheTragic, Jelani …