SEARCH FOR: TONY SHHNOW

I’m a big believer in speaking your truth, no matter the outcome. Tell people how you really feel about them, good or bad, and manifest greatness through the power of the spoken word. On Wednesday, June 15 at 3:17 PM I DM’d Tony Shhnow “bape ☆ is the best song ever made” with no expectation of a response. Why? I meant it, and sometimes speaking your truth takes form as giving somebody their flowers. For the uninitiated, Tony Shhnow recently released his newest project Reflextions – a collection of Southern flavored plugg tracks so timeless that they sound borderline nostalgic even though they dropped earlier this month. From the vintage shimmer of mixtape opener “Summer Off Relaxxx” to the booming minimalism of the Zelooperz-assisted “Last Chance”, Reflexions is a phenomenal showcase of talent from the young Atlanta-via-LA artist. If nothing else, Tony Shhnow has an impressive talent for presenting listeners with futuristic music that carries a deep reverence for the culture that preceded it. Even in the cosmic haze of the previously mentioned “Bape ☆” with Bear1Boss, Tony Shhnow is still referencing Soulja Boy while physically pushing the found of music forward. Though I could quite literally write a novel on …

Within hip-hop, there exists a sacred pantheon of famous duos spanning from OutKast and City Girls to Clipse and UGK – and this month another group enters their ranks. Father and Tony Shhnow join forces this month to drop their long-awaited collaboration “Only Built 4 Hermès Linx” – a love letter to luxury taken straight off Father’s latest LP Young Hot Ebony 2. Though much has changed for the Awful Records MC since his last project Come Outside, We Not Gone Jump You dropped almost two years ago, Father returns on his newest project sounding like he never left, and “Only Built 4 Hermès Linx” is no exception. Featuring production from Father himself, “Only Built 4 Hermès Linx” is an elegant and minimalistic banger that levels the duo’s affinity for clever lyrics with their signature charm. Though fans might have never expected a sequel to Father’s breakout mixtape, Young Hot Ebony 2  is full of often humorous hip-hop bangers infused with Father’s signature style and a bevy of guests. Whether you find yourself more partial toward the booming bass signals of “Flim Flim” or the ominous futurism of “Bichon Frise”, Father’s latest LP Young Hot Ebony 2 has something for even the most …

No artistic medium of the past century is safe from post-modernism, and much of the last two decades have seen a re-purposing of everything from architecture to clothing trends and even music, as the ‘SoundCloud’ generation in-particular showed millions how contemporary music styles can be fused with futuristic production styles and autotune warped deliveries. This creative trend is even evident in a scene such as NY-drill’s red-hot sample movement that has turned classic songs from the last thirty-years into frenetically-paced instrumentals fit for the artists to record by punching one line in over top the next, resulting in staccato, machine-gun-esque flows more suited to the subject matter of their lyrics than the oftentimes ironically warped 2000’s pop-hits they borrow melodies from. However this is just the tip of the iceberg and chances are at some point across the internet almost every single genre of the past one-hundred-years has been retrofitted in one way or another, having trunk-rattling 808’s introduced over acoustic instrumentation of the past or hedonist lyrics with almost sacrilegious subject matter over tracks considered musical canon or at the very least veer sharply in a different direction from the original creator’s intentions. Rising teenage star Lawsy is one …

Cover Photo by @135alistair After introducing the new FREE SOUNDs column two weeks ago, we’re back today with round 2. From NY to Atlanta, Toronto, London, NOLA, and the Carolinas, here’s another batch of interesting and true-to-self things that have been in rotation as of late. Check out Volume 2 below and if you haven’t already, peep FREE SOUNDs Volume 1 here. – – – DEXTER I’ve been a fan of London artist dexter for some time now, and “Pressure” might just be my favorite release of hers thus far. The energy on the song is infectious, the production urges for movement, and dexter’s hook has found itself etched into my brain ever since it came out. Adding additional excitement to “Pressure” is the fact that dexter is also wearing a Corteiz tracksuit in the video, having released the song with Corteiz’s RULESTHEWORLD Records. The UK’s busiest streetwear brand can’t seem to miss, and signing an artist like dexter only enriches the existing connection between London’s fashion and music scenes. “Pressure” checks off every box, leaving me me just as excited as a fan of dexter as it does as a fan of Corteiz. Check this one out below: MEL GLIZZY …

Though Plugg’s surge in popularity over the past year has led to an incredible proliferation of different artists and scenes, nobody can quite capture the magic of Atlanta and Florida’s cosmic Plugg magic. This week the Atlanta masterminds behind Popstar FM return with Paradise – a new project decorated with features and dreamlike production from the genre’s most in-demand names. Guided by Popstar Benny, Paradise showcases some of the most promising upcoming acts in Plugg over eleven intricately-crafted and hypnotically ethereal mixes. Sporting guest appearances from Tony Shhnow, Bear1boxx, Mercury, and more, Paradise is the perfect project to serve as a soundtrack for your upcoming summer. Whether you get hooked by JohnnyBae’s ominous hip-hop vocals, 1TakeMarcJ’s dulcet tones, or Nolanberollin repeating “quickscope” over a beat pulled straight out of Kingdom Hearts, there’s something for everybody to enjoy on Popstar FM’s latest release. With more music likely planned for the near future, it’s only a matter of time until Popstar Benny and Popstar FM take over the world. Check out Popstar FM’s Paradise below:

Anniston, Alabama artist headed down I-20 to collaborate with Atlanta’s Tony Shhnow who through hard work has built a prolific catalog and risen to the top of the underground, knocking on the door of the mainstream while cementing himself as a legend within the plugg-music community. The duo came together on one of the best sample-instrumentals I have ever heard in my life that flipped a Stevie Wonder classic that is equal parts mellow and jazzy. Star G4A’s flow is nonchalant and is carried in part by his smooth southern-drawl that propels his lets him glide over the soulful instrumental and is contrasted by Tony’s more energetic flow that allowed him to fully emphasize his streetwise and punchlines. This is truly one of my very favorite songs I have heard in a while and have no doubt it will end up as one of my most played songs personally for 2022.

Atlanta might be best known for the Young Thugs, Futures, Gucci Manes, and other artists in a similar vein, but the underground scene there is the part of the city that truly fascinates me. Ever since I can remember getting into some more up-and-coming acts within ATL, Pollari was an artist who I simply couldn’t get enough of, and I feel like the rest of the industry felt the exact same way. He was honestly the first person I remember experiencing who used autotune as an extension of the production, not using it as a crutch for subpar vocals but rather using it as an instrument to accentuate his lyrics, and this was a trend that I feel he started, and even to this day, there aren’t many emcees out there who can do it quite as we as he could. While I feel like I haven’t paid nearly as much attention to him in recent memory as I should have, my admiration for Pollari was more than rejuvenated thanks to his latest project called Heaven Only Knows. On this album, we are gifted 12 songs that last almost 22 minutes long, and while it boasts only one guest in …

SenseiATL has been one of the unsung heroes of the Atlanta underground music scene, having his hand in countless songs and trends that have shaped his city, soundcloud, and even mainstream sonic trends, pushing the trap style forwards through the past decade and continuing to innovate as the ’20’s roll forwards. His bag is endlessly deep and he creates everything from bouncy and melodic r&b instrumentals to being one of the foremost architects of the ‘Atlanta-drill’ sound if you will. His catalog is formidable and has aided dozens of artists to finding their best sounds and has the consistency as well as variety to always suit whoever he is working with. I was very excited to see him recently unveil his latest EP Zone 2 Zone, giving us only three tracks but coming from a trio of his earliest and most frequent collaborators, Tony Shhnow, 10kdunkin, and ATLSmook and Sensei understands their styles and preferred pockets intimately, making this EP incredibly short in run-time but very potent in substance. He and Tony’s intro “Die Rich” is one of my very favorite Tony songs in what has become one of music’s deepest repertoires as Tony has flooded the streets with tape after tape …

One thing I never realized when getting into the music scene was all the different tiers that exist in all of the different cities. Specifically for Atlanta, there are obviously a few more levels than most other places considering it features the upper echelon of artists who never fail to do numbers no matter what they release. Obviously, world-renown emcees including Future, Young Thug, Lil Yachty, 21 Savage, and too many more to name call this city home, but the talent pool runs much deeper than there. Going down tiers also doesn’t mean that the music gets worse, to be totally clear, it just means these talents appeal to a bit more of a niche crowd that is only going to continue to grow as the years go on. Other names like Lil Gnar, Yun Bans, Thouxanbanfauni, BKTHERULA, are putting on for their city in a different way, bringing innovative styles to the forefront of the historied town and proving that even if you’re not quite doing as many numbers as the Migos, your creativity is leaps and bounds away from some of the talents who came before you. In this group, Tony Shhnow is definitely someone to keep an …

I was thrilled when STRAPPED! dropped their first official project last year as they have been an invaluable asset to the underground community for years both as a blog and SoundCloud hosting services, giving us our first listen to more links and snippets than I could count, as well as giving emerging artists a greater platform to expose their songs to. Their latest release, Stay Strapped, Vol. 2 follows their debut last year but have reloaded in terms of the artists they featured, even with a few repeat appearances. The twenty track project encapsulates almost every notable sound in underground rap today, ranging from the endless bars of Tony Shhnow, to the melodic plugg-stylings of BoofPaxkMooky, or the autotuned crooning of Pollari, with a number of flavors in between, truly giving a comprehensive sample of what is coming out of SoundCloud today. The tape features: Tony Shhnow, Draft Day, 10kdunkin, Stunna Cold, ATL Smook, Lil Xelly, BBKnight, Texako, BoofPaxkMooky, IceBirds, DC2Trill, FLEE, 1600j, MDMA, Destroy Lonely, Lil Candypaint, Thouxanbanfauni, Lil Yen, Bear1Boss, and Pollari. I am looking forwards to Volume 3 and cannot wait to see which new faces are selected for that project, as well as hearing how much the …