Ugly Heroes - “Roles”
After the disturbing tragedy we had in Atlanta last week, this song came through my shuffle this afternoon and hit me harder than usual.
Marcus D & Pismo - “Hit the Crowd”
“Hit the Crowd” is the first song on the album and man…the track title is so appropriate. It hits in all the right places throughout the track. Classic jazz hop beat that Marcus D tends to gravitate to that I can’t get enough of.
Curse - “Warum nicht?”
After such an insane and frankly terrifying week we just got through, “why not” pretend life is okay (it’ll make sense when you read the post) with this smooth jazz hop track from Curse.
Fuze the Mc - “That Wave That Fire”
I love the chill groove on this track. It kinda lets me relax and melt away. Also, I don’t come across many 1 verse songs, but I think there was enough packed in the verse that it didn’t feel lacking. Definitely worth a quick 2 min of your time to check it out!
Soulstice - “Sleepwalk”
I love tracks like this that let you take away as much or as little as you want from it and enjoy it no matter what.
“SleepWalk” gives us a nice long intro to really get entranced in the music. The hypnotic strings and steady drums lull me to tranquility before Soulstice’s smooth vocals layer in.
Kenichiro Nishihara - “Beautiful Things” Remix ft. Amanda Diva
I think of “Beautiful Things” as a modern version of “Favorite Things” by Rodgers & Hammerstein. We’re trading out some of the drama and dynamics in “Favorite Things” for a consistent, energetic bounce throughout “Beautiful Things” though both lyrical concepts are about appreciating life’s beauties to get through tough times which we’re probably all feeling at least to some degree in this unbelievable year.
Bop Alloy - “Step Into Cipher” ft. Cise Starr
“Step Into the Cipher” is definitely my favorite track under the Bop Alloy name. If you’ve ever seen Afro Samurai and have appreciated how it perfectly blends anime/feudal Japan tropes and hip hop, “Step Into the Cipher” is a lot like that for me.
Logic - “Soul Food II”
With Logic’s supposed “retirement” (you know how these rapper do…he’ll be back eventually) as of this past Friday with the album “No Pressure”, I gotta talk about my man here real quick because there’s a lot to unpack.
Billy Drease Williams - “Shut the Gate” ft. Richie English
Billy Drease Williams drops a solid flow over a beautiful melody provided by Richie English in one of the most confusing, mixed signal pep talks for mending a broken heart I’ve ever heard.
Kojey Radical - "Water (If Only They Knew)" Ft. Mahalia & Swindle
These are the cuts I could see being added to the Soundtrack of the Revolution. These songs help us express and cope with the oppression that’s been happening for far too long.
Flowsik - “DAE 1” ft. Daegunz
Turn the bass up for this one, y’all, because you can feel this one in your chest!
There’s a number of Korean and Korean-American rappers I stay up on and Flowsik is one of them. You might have been introduced to him without realizing it from a Google/YT ad from a few years ago that featured “Eung Freestyle” with Live, Sik-K, Punchnello, and Owen Ovadoz.
"Last Call" - Logic // J. Cole // Kanye West
Taking a look at “Last Call” tracks from three great emcees
Drake - “One Dance” (Disco Funk 80s MODES Remix)
Everyone knows Drake, but have you heard this phenomenal funk remix of “One Dance” yet? I challenge you to put this on without at least bobbing your head, if not full on bouncing.