SEARCH FOR: TONY SHHNOW

Atlanta is a powerhouse of rap industry innovators, and that is how it has always been and will always be. I feel like you can just feel the different tiers of the scene down there more than anywhere else because you can go from some of the most famous emcees in the world like Young Thug and Future all the way down to the local, underground scene but constantly find something you absolutely love. Tony Shhnow is someone that I feel has more of a grasp of Atlanta’s hitmakers than anyone else of any scale, and it seems like he’s tapped in with all the right people to continue his dominant run. 2022 has been a huge year for the underground king, releasing his project Reflexions in June as well as a number of other notable drops as the year has gone on. If you somehow aren’t familiar with him, you need to know that he is one of the main founding fathers of the “Plugg” microgenre that was one of the central styles of the SoundCloud rap movement, and while this moment in time might be a few years gone, the specific sound is as alive and well as …

Detroit emcee Lelo is already back with another solid new single that should satisfy rap fans entitled “Blessings.” Lelo is one of those rappers who can rap really well, at this stage in his career his hooks are a working progress. All that being said that doesn’t take away from him being one of my favorite rappers in the underground currently. I love listening to rappers like Lucki and Tony Shhnow and I feel like much of Lelo’s music is adjacent to them thus far. It took me about a year to get into the Detroit sound, but now that I’m here I can appreciate the chemistry Lelo has with producers Wayne Glenski and DATBOIWILL on “Blessings.” Lelo has so many standout bars across his whole discography. My favorite bar on this record is “pull out guwap takin a pic, caption look at me and my bestie.” Something that’s not going to go over your head but I think this line in the context of the song sets up the next couple of bars nicely and I just love clever braggadocious bars. Stream Lelo’s new record “Blessings” for yourself after the break.

The underground scene has been thriving for quite a while now, and thanks to the innovations that all of these remarkable tastemakers have brought to the table, a plethora of subgenres have emerged along with them. One of the most unique and distinctive styles that have come to life is plug music, a mystical combination of pungent bass and cloudy melodies, and while many different spitters have tried their hand at this sound, I think that one of the only true founding fathers that can claim it for themselves is Tony Shhnow. The Atlanta icon has been weaving through the subversive scene for some time now, and even though he utilized several trademark plug sounds within his music, he has set himself apart thanks to his old-school taste and refined sonic pallet, not to mention his work ethic that can be matched by almost no one. Not only does he drop songs and projects on the regular, but he ensures that each release is carefully built and curated for keen ears, securing his status as one of the best underground rappers in the world. After an abundantly eventful 2021 where he dropped at least 5 projects, each one to critical …

Atlanta is overflowing with insanely talented emcees, and somehow the mainstream media loves to sleep on some of the most entertaining musicians in the entire city. The one thing is, there are no secrets in Atlanta, and even if someone wants to stay under the radar for whatever reasons they may have, the community is just too strong to keep amazing music under wraps. For someone like Tony Shhnow, there is no reason whatsoever to keep his music to yourself because he is making songs that are so incredibly unique, there’s no way you’d place him in the ATL if you didn’t know he was from there prior. Tony is one of the main reasons why plug music became such a force in the underground, and even though this niche doesn’t seem to have the same inspirational nature that it once possessed, I like it because it allows the true masters to shine while all the other imitators need to take a back seat. Although he is never one to fly under the radar, Tony is back and more dominant than ever on his track “Life N Hard Times”, another easygoing yet addictive offering that you’ll want to run back …

If you are somehow not familiar with Pollari, then you have to open a history book and do some reading about the underground legend. He is one of the very first artists I ever remember hearing when I first dove deeper than the surface of hip-hop music, and he is one of the major reasons why I have such an open mind and why my taste in rap is so diverse. Now, I’m not claiming to have a perfect taste by any means, but I do take pride in the assortment of emcees that I listen to, and without Pollari, I can’t say that I would be the same music fan that I am today. Earlier on in his career, he was going crazy, dropping hit after hit all while consistently demonstrating exactly how individualistic he was as a musician. As time went on, he seemed to showcase a similar inimitability, just in a more mature, grown-up fashion. If you haven’t tapped in with Lar in a while, you have to get reacquainted with his brand-new project Yours Truly because it is seriously one of the most intriguing projects that has dropped all month, and it’s a trademark example of …

If there’s two things I love in this world it’s new music from 454 and hydrangeas, and today I’m lucky enough to get both – at the same time no less! This week the Florida plugg phenomenon returns with two self-produced new singles ahead of his upcoming mixtape Fast Trax 3. “GEEWIZ” and “8TEEN” are psychedelic and energetic bangers sporting hypnotic vocals and bright, bass-laden mixes to top off your summertime playlist. It’s been over a year since 454 released his last Fast Trax mixtape in the wake of his debut LP 4 REAL, but since then our hero has had anything but a quiet year. Between dropping a handful of singles, touring with Aminé, and appearing on both the last Denzel Curry album and Tony Shhnow album, 454 has been keeping his momentum strong as we enter the rollout for Fast Trax 3. His music has never felt this polished or concentrated, so if you’re a fan of 454, you may be in for a treat once he finally decides to drop. Until then, you can catch me spinning “GEEWIZ” and “8TEEN” until my ears bleed.   Check out the visual for 454’s “GEEWIZ + 8TEEN” below:

A very important but rarely spoken-of quality of great artists is consistency. Whether you’re PinkPantheress creating countless viral tracks or a graceful burrito artisan at Chipotle, it’s hard to claim you’re good at what you do if you can only do it once. In an age where labels are chasing fleeting viral moments, who among us will turn our backs to those in power and dare to be different? The answer is Tony Shhnow, best known for his unique blend of southern plugg music. Hot off the release of his last project Reflexions, Tony Shhnow hits our pages today with “Ease My Pain” – a hard-hitting and energetic banger from the young Atlanta-via-LA artist. Sampling The Whatnaut’s infamous “I’ll Erase Away Your Pain” (once propelled into our cultural zeitgeist via Kanye West’s “Late”), Tony Shhnow’s latest release delivers fans Tony Shhnow rapping over a nostalgic-yet-forward thinking drill beat decorated with 808’s and hi-hats. Between Tony’s iconoclastic bars, Geeohhs’ production, and SoundCloud comments like “TONY NEVER FUCKING MISS BITCH” – it’s no wonder why so many are championing him as the next artist to break into hip-hop’s ever-elusive stratosphere. With more music likely planned for the near future, Tony Shhnow is …

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 …