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“Get Refreshed” is a weekly column by Billy Bugara covering all things digital in the music world. Refresh yourself here.  Cover by IllustratorFile Full Playlist (2021) Kai Whiston: Drayan! Conceptual undertakings in electronic music are a dime a dozen. Extraterrestrial motifs in electronic music are a dime a dozen. Abrasive instrumentals and distortion-tinged vocals in electronic music are… a dime a dozen. Drayan! – the latest mixtape from rising producer and performer Kai Whiston – holds all of these ideas as its main features, but its price is certainly not as easy to come upon. Throw any sense of commonality out of the window; all 9 of its tracks might as well be worth a million dollars each. What we have here is a project that, from a spectacle, is akin to a standard release in this genre. But someone as ferociously passionate and talented as Whiston is simply could not play into these standards without transcending them entirely. The Lux Cache founder took the magnificent photographic work of Janaina Tschäpe’s “After The Rain” and effectively gave it its own score — telling the story of a hybrid alien figure as they proceed through the trials and tribulations of their …

Just a week or two ago, BIGBABYGUCCI dropped off his highly anticipated project entitled 1 Night I Took Acid, and while I still want to dive even deeper into this record, I can already tell you without a doubt in my mind that it’s one of his strongest efforts to date. That’s saying a lot too because he has been known as one of the biggest phenoms in the underground, so with a discography as strong as his, other artists can struggle to live up to their previous hits. Obviously, this isn’t the case for BBG though, and throughout the 12 songs that last right about 26 and a half minutes long, GUCCI takes us on a journey to another world that you need to hear to understand exactly what I mean. Although there are so many hits on this project that it’s hard for me to choose specific favorites, I think it goes without saying that a fan favorite was one of the project’s singles entitled “Pressure + Layers”. While the album’s version features the legendary Cold Hart, GUCCI decided that he wanted to team back up with filmmaker Keaton Jones to shoot a movie for this hit, and …

Ever since I found out about Huntington, West Virginia native 7ru7h a few months ago, I have heard nothing but rave reviews from fans all over the world. Most recently, when I saw his latest release “Love Hurts Feelings” pretty much going viral, I had no choice but to tune in. Opening up, you hear the strums of a very emotive guitar melody that 7ru7h ends up introducing his vocals on, starting out with a very passionate, almost melancholic delivery that is full of pain and heartache. Although his voice is powerful and as honest as ever, a deep, pungent 808 enters into the scene about halfway through, elevating the bounce as well as the energy of the instrumental which then seems to rub off on the singer, ultimately adding up to another unbelievable offering from the rising star. Considering he predicted this track to be a hit from the jump, he also teamed up with T Aubrey who shot a miniature movie for this record, and the results are simplistic yet complementary in all the right ways to bring this offering to new heights. As it opens up, he is sitting down in a cemetery with his back to …

While the idea of rap groups as a whole may be slowly disappearing in the rap game, we have been seeing tons of cliques and rap labels that may have tons of solo artists, but appear to have that group-like demeanor. As of late, we have seen Quality Control–home of rap acts lie Migos, Lil Yachty, Lil Baby, and more. Griselda Records consists of Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher. Last but not least, we have seen YSL flourish in the rap game since Young Thug took the scene by storm. If you do a bit of digging, you will see Young Thug interacting with tons of members of YSL before they were famous as he built them up to become the stars they are today. Gunna used to appear in Thugger’s music videos before signing to his label, and a young and determined Lil Keed played his music for Thug before the fame and he ultimately ended up signing with Thug as well. Here we are today and Young Thug is here to showcase his latest body of work alongside his star-studded YSL crew, Slime Language 2. With the original Slime Language project dropping in 2018, it was met …

“Get Refreshed” is a weekly column by Billy Bugara covering all things digital in the music world. Refresh yourself here.  Cover by Brixton Yorker Twikipedia + SEBii: “hotel” Occasions like these remind me that nothing ever truly grows “stale” in music, no matter what the hardcore skeptics and critics of the world may think otherwise. Both the art and the craft of basing entire hip-hop tracks around video games – while always being present and developing – have taken on prominent and exciting new forms over the past decade. MCs and producers alike from scenes that stretch from South Florida to the Kanto Region ushered in this wholly entertaining era as the 2010s entered its waning years, and though this particular approach had its moment for quite some time, it certainly isn’t at the level of supply that it once was.  Now if anyone from today’s crop of superstars-in-the-making were to give this approach a welcomed return-to-form, could we have chosen a more obvious pairing than Twikipedia and SEBii? I seriously believe there could have been no one better to take up this task than these two given their track record of video game-centric bars and aesthetics alike; the shared …

In a current climate fueled by snippets and previews, there’s a certain level of joy that comes when a song you have been listening to finally gets an official released version. Speaking on behalf of Lyrical Lemonade veteran Lil Tecca, he has been notorious for previewing snippets that have been amazing. After circling around the internet for some months now, and most recently blowing up on Tik Tok, “Show Me Up” has been a fan favorite and finally sees the light of day on streaming services, as well as an amazing visual to accompany it. “Show Me Up” showcases one of the many bags that Tecca can get in, and that is his relaxed flow with many quotables scattered throughout the song. Tecca is seen in the visuals rapping his verse effortlessly overlooking a beach as the sun sets, adding to the overall aesthetic of the song and the beat. One thing is for certain, is that Tecca knows that his fans love and he knows what will resonate online. Say what you will about Tik Tok and that community, but we have all seen by now just how fast a song can really take off once those creators get …

Boston artist, Neemz is undoubtedly going to be the most pleasant surprise of your Friday afternoon as she hits our page for the very first time in nothing other than an impressive fashion. Today, she just released a brand new video that will spark your interest and place the talented up and comer on your radar for 2021.  The best thing about music is that anyone and everyone can make it. In an industry that can sometimes seem to be repetitive, it is always refreshing to see new faces pop up on your YouTube and Spotify page, which is exactly the case when it comes to Neemz. Last week, her latest offering, “Lifethativebeenliving” made its way around the industry and has since received positive reviews from anyone who’s listened to it. Today, she’s adding more fuel to the fire by releasing a music video for the same song and its extremely dope. Once you check out the video, you’ll immediately know why people are slowly rallying around Neemz. Her look, style and aesthetic completely shine and allow her to exude the almost authentic version of herself. The visual is a treat in itself as it follows Neemz as she blesses …

“Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it/Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it/Guess every super hero need his theme music” -Kanye West on “Power” The Chicago legend that is Mr. Kanye Omari West–many people love him, some people hate him. Regardless of how you feel about him, his views, personality traits, political stance, etc., it’s almost impossible to deny the impact he has had on this world, amazing level of artistry that he has delivered, and crowing him as nothing less than a musical genius. While as of late, his music may not be resonating with the listeners as it once did ten years ago, or even five years ago after the release of his highly-anticipated and critically acclaimed project The Life of Pablo, hip-hop historians and all-around music lovers never count out Kanye West as being one of the best creatives of all time. November 22, 2010 would be the day that Kanye West would release his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Little did he know that it would go down as one of the best musical bodies of work of all time, and end up being arguably one of the best …

You all have seen my write about Boston Native, Colby Lafayette before and today all of the kind words and in depth song reviews have brought us to the release of his brand new EP called, “So Bad”. Ever since stumbling on him earlier this year, I’ve been very eager to see the trajectory of his career and nothing makes me happier than getting some more music from the now LA residing talent. The 6 song EP is nothing other than Colby Lafayette in his truest form. For most artists, the bad boy persona can be an easy look to try and assume, but with Colby it is 100% authentic as he is the closest thing this generation has to a pure rockstar. When you listen to his music, it is impossible for your attitude to not change. From the hard-hitting production all the way to Colby’s gritty yet melodic vocal talents, every base is covered.  One of my favorite songs on this EP is an offering called, “YKWII”. The very second I heard it, I knew that it would be at the top of my playlist favorites for the rest of the week as there’s no denying the catchy …

As you all know, it brings me immense joy getting to write about artists who hail from the same home state as me. Today’s latest talent from the great state of Virginia goes by the name of Zekey and he’s dropping impressive music in hopes that you don’t forget it. The 21-year-old from Williamsburg, Virginia is currently attending James Madison University as a full-time student while effectively maintaining his full-time artist project at the same time. To be able to balance both of these time consuming responsibilities is nothing but a testament to Zekey’s drive and determination. Just recently, the young up and comer released a new song called, “If Only” that has been receiving positive reviews and feedback from a plethora of industry tastemakers. Drawing influence from artists like, Jeremy Zucker, Chelsea Cutler, Mac Miller, Jack Harlow, and Mike Stud, Zekey aims to pave a lane for himself while paying homage to the amazing acts that have gone before him. Since its release, “If Only” has been streaming well with some immediate support from tik-tok. According to Zekey, this song was a special one as he explains: “This song means a lot to me, it was the first song that …