SEARCH FOR: SONGS

Sometimes there are releases that I know are going to be so impressive that I have to set aside some time to make sure I can ingest them without any distractions and make sure that I am able to appreciate the music as it was meant to be enjoyed without rushing through it just for the sake of saying I heard it. Smino is someone who always delivers music of the highest quality, and with his natural knack for lyricism, individualistic flows, and all-out silkiness, I know going into his music that I need to omit anything that will take away from just how immaculate the songs are going to be. Due to this, as well as to the dismay of one of my coworkers who has hounded me to listen to Smino’s latest album, I just finally listened to Luv 4 Rent, and I know I am a few weeks late, but it was what I needed to do to fully appreciate everything Smi brought to the table on this one. Luckily, it was worth the delay, but that’s not a surprise, and all 15 songs were indeed unbelievably great, so I’m beyond grateful that I finally got to …

One thing I’ve learned throughout the years is that Lil Uzi Vert doesn’t do anything small. He always figures out a way to one-up himself and others, making a spectacle out of even the smallest moments throughout his career, and he has been doing this for over a half-decade since he first entered this industry. I knew he was going to be a star from the moment Lyrical Lemonade brought him to Chicago for the first time back in April of 2016, and even though I had just started listening to a few of his songs literally weeks before that show, I was instantly intrigued and knew that he was going to be a star well beyond where he was at that moment in time. Well, I don’t know if anyone could’ve predicted just how massive he would become, but now that he is one of the biggest staples in hip-hop, no one is ever going to overlook a new release from the Philadelphia phenom simply because you know there is absolutely no reason to. A few days ago, one of the homies had asked if I saw the Gibson Hazard-directed music video for his song “Just Wanna Rock”, and …

If you know anything about the music scene in Atlanta, it’s that many new sounds were created in the thriving city over the years. Rich Homie Quan, also known as Dequantes Lamar, emerged on the scene in 2013 and developed a sound that would inspire artists for generations to come. Throughout his career, Quan has been nominated for Best New Artist and Rookie of the Year from BET, earned a spot on the 2014 XXL freshman class list, and went double platinum independently. While the platinum-selling rapper reached many milestones over the years, he is ready to reinvent himself after taking some time off to focus on what matters most. To celebrate his 33rd birthday, Rich Homie Quan released a new body of work titled Family & Mula, which features eight songs and a single feature from NoCap. This project gave listeners a glimpse of what Quan created during his downtime and how his music has changed due to fatherhood.   This month, I had the opportunity to speak with the Atlanta legend about the legacy he has built and what we can expect to come. Check out our interview below. Lyrical Lemonade: What was it like being from Atlanta in 2011 …

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned throughout my time in the music business is that if you ever find yourself bored of the music that regularly pops up on your newsfeed or streaming platforms, just look to Atlanta’s underground scene and you’ll find yourself immersed in some of the most individualistic music in the entire world. It’s a tip I give friends, family, and anyone else that I talk to about music, and one of the first artists I tell them to check out is BEAR1BOSS. I have been a longtime fan of the ATL icon, and after seeing him included in a mini-documentary by SoundCloud based around the origins of the Plugg scene, I realized that he really started making music to have fun, but this quickly turned into a movement more than just another emcee recording something different. I can often come up with comparisons for talents based on their sound, but BEAR is one of the very few spitters that I simply couldn’t find a doppelganger for no matter how long and hard I pondered the topic, and it’s this uniqueness that has kept me coming back for more every chance I can. He’s no stranger …

It’s pretty safe to say that at this point in time, the A$AP Mob has already solidified its spot in the hip-hop history books, and every release that a member puts out from this point forward is just adding to the collective’s legacy. They didn’t just continue adding artists to their roster without ensuring their status as a top-tier hitmaker, and that’s why they have managed to not only stay relevant for close to a decade, but they’ve managed to stay at the top of everyone’s minds, even during a break in releasing music. Well, there really isn’t typically too much of a break because when one member takes a hiatus, another will drop, so that leaves us with a constant stream of music from emcees that work as well on their own as they do as a cohesive team, and A$AP Ant is one of the most talented of the bunch, at least in my opinion. Back in May, Ant dropped his 16-song effort Lil Black Jean Jacket 3, a project that lasted over 40 minutes long and featured other well-recognized emcees like A$AP Rocky, Lil B, Curren$y, A$AP Twelvyy, KEY!, Larry June, and more, but one of my …

No matter where in the world you look to find new music, inspirations for these artists typically come back to one place: Atlanta. The ATL has become the first place many rap fans look to for the hottest new music, and it’s crazy that the underground is just as prominent as the mainstream emcees that call the Georgia capital home. It also just feels like there are more mainstream legends in Atlanta than anywhere else, and not a single one has transformed from a respected spitter to an overplayed, cheesy emcee like we’ve seen happen in other areas of the country. Whether we’re talking about Future, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, Gunna, or any other names that you could list off all day and night without running out of artists, they all make an impact and not only respect each other, but work together to create music that will go down in history, no matter how far into the future you look. Young Nudy is another name that you can add to the list, and although he still feels like he has certain underground qualities to him, I think that’s because he is never going to leave the street life completely …

There are more than a handful of notable groups in the rap world, and fans know that when they release music, it most likely includes everyone in the collective. On the other hand, artists who go on tour together typically can’t help but get close and become true homies, ultimately resulting in making music with one another. While they might not consider themselves in an official “group”, their musical styles typically rub off on one another, and magic is made quite often. For Keshore, he has been running with $NOT and his squad for years and considering they have made some songs that are undeniable hits, I was just waiting for Ke to team up with another homie on the road. Of course, I’m talking about Eem Triplin, a producer and rapper who has not only paved the way for some of $NOT’s biggest songs but someone who has also been making absolute waves over the past year or so in his own rap career. To wrap up this tangent, I came across Ke’s song “BGB” which was produced by Eem, and man, it is everything I had ever hoped for and more. The beat is simply intoxicating, leaking into …

I try my best to diversify the things I write about by including different artists as well as a mixture of songs, videos, and projects as often as I can. There are obviously a few artists that I write about a bit more regularly, but that’s just because it’s more fun for me to write about people I truly listen to regularly than it is for me to try and come up with tons of things to say about an emcee that I just don’t know too much about. I say all of this because earlier this week, in fact just a few days ago, I wrote about JELEEL!’s song “SHOTS!” with Denzel Curry, a track that was pulsating with energy, vigor, and vitality, as we’ve come to expect from the Rhode Island and Florida phenoms. Not even a week could go by, though, without them teaming up with director Zach Madden to shoot a music video for the banger, so even though I just posted the song, I simply couldn’t resist talking about the video because it was just so well-executed. In the miniature movie, we’re taken to this industrial warehouse where there is this complicated contraption resting in …

Some people make music just for the fun of it and don’t really put too much thought into what they create. I don’t hate on this because they just let their creativity flow and see what comes out of it, but I just think that emcees who have a vision along with a story to tell always end up with a more fruitful career that has longevity, and it makes sense why. DC the Don is one of these musicians because he incorporates his vision into every single thing he releases from songs to videos to entire projects, and it is obvious every step of the way. I had the pleasure of seeing this hitmaker live a month or so ago here in Chicago, and I was beyond enthused to know that the energy and emotion he pours into his art isn’t made up or fabricated because I could feel his passion, love, and charm in the air as he commanded a crowd at that show. I’m already itching to get to another performance of his ASAP, but with his album Funeral slowly unraveling in the form of amazing singles and visuals, I am just excited for what’s to come. …

People who grew up in rough areas of the country typically let their upbringing influence the type of music they make, and that’s completely understandable. I mean, you can’t expect them to talk about things that they’re not familiar with or haven’t been through because then it just wouldn’t be honest or genuine, so the fact that these emcees have lived through pain, violence, and hardships make their story that much more captivating, and it often leads to much more authentically impressive music. Babyface Ray has been through a lot and seen even more, so while his music often reflects these moments and experiences throughout his life, the career he has built through music has allowed him to witness another way of living, and that’s something he never shies away from while flexing on people with his designer goods and flashy jewelry. His latest release “Spend It” takes a bit of a pivot to this approach, though, because in the James Rico-directed music video, he decides to shower his love interest with wealth and appreciation rather than brag about his own riches. Accompanied by Nija who delivers an amazing hook and Blxst whose second verse is certainly one of my …