Published author, motivational speaker, business owner, and spoken word poet from North Carolina Robin “SH8KES” Williamson released his debut EP Chance 2 Change exclusively on Bandcamp back in March. Narrated by one of Southern rap’s most coveted voices Big Rube (of the Dungeon Family), the seven track project served as a personal testimony of healing and growth through love, life lessons, connection with family, and much more.
Sh8kes shared more of his personal testimony with his loose, Truss One-produced single ‘Regrets’, featuring a guest verse from New York emcee The Musalini. (of 9th Wonder’s Jamala Records).
“This poem came from a place of failure, pain and self awareness. I went through so many things during 2022, I began to question if what I was doing was the right thing. I never wanted to give up, but questioned if I needed to switch my focus to something else. I found myself reevaluating the people around me that have been in my life for 20 plus years. It seemed like I gave so much of me, but never got the same in return.” – Sh8kes
‘Harmonic Strain’ is an epic collaborative EP NEW LEASE MUSIC long-time staple FLY VON and producer Lil Kobes.
With Ili Kobes providing compelling futuristic wavery tones and a heavy dose of the bouncing bass introducing the mini set, which manifests to featherily soulful layers towards the end, and fly Von’s delivery easing into each arrangements, it’s hard to believe that the pair produced the EP in just a month.
Their burgeoning collaboration started when Fly Von did a freestyle lil Kobes’ track ‘Pull Up n We Flex’. Now the pair take circle back and combine their passion for melodic/lo-fi music through this five track set. Check it out below…
Brasstracks is the Grammy award winning project of New York based musician and producer Ivan Jackson. Over the years, Brasstracks has evolved from a hip-hop-jazz-big-band to an ever-morphing landscape where Jackson sets the framework.
The Brasstracks rap sheet runs for miles. The group scored two GRAMMY wins for their production work on Chance The Rapper’s seminal “No Problems” in 2017 (Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Album). They’ve also since been nominated for their work with Harry Styles during the 2021 GRAMMYs for Best Pop Vocal Album, ultimately taking home the Best Pop Solo Performance award for their work on “Watermelon Sugar.”
Brasstracks has appeared on Saturday Night Live, performing alongside Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson, the latter of whom is a frequent collaborator. Other collaborations include Anderson .Paak, Khalid, Mac Miller, and BTS. Basstracks has also performed songs from their debut album on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
The new Brasstracks era sees Jackson as an architect for this larger project of incubating artists and allowing them the space to grow.
The latest single ‘Anesthesia’ featuring Mandy Lee of MisterWives, is the second single from Brasstracks’ upcoming album. Lee soars as she sings, “Doppelgänger, I can’t hate you even though I know the grass is greener”, crooning a sneering congratulations to a nemesis who always seems to be one step ahead. The title itself is a nod to the numbness that accompanies this feeling. The vibrant single shimmers with oscillating synths and Lee’s velvet vocals, emitting an overall colorful and contagious aura. The playful track refuses to let listeners stay still, with fast-paced beats and layered instrumentation creating an all-encompassing atmosphere, captivating you from the very first second.
The upcoming album is a unique addition to the Brasstracks catalog: brimming with technical wizardry and maximal, brassy bombast, but intensely personal, rife with self-loathing and heartache. The album’s undeniable joyousness stands in unflinching contrast with its subject matter, and ‘Anesthesia’ is a microcosm of its ethos: a shimmering, groovy, soulful house record about, above all else, jealousy. The album weaves in and out of itself seamlessly, with ‘Anesthesia”’sampling Brasstracks’ previous FATHERDUDE + TOBi flanked single, ‘Nobody’s Fool’. Despite its seething subtext, ‘Anesthesia’ is a quintessential warm weather banger, and was a highlight of Brasstracks’ sold out, 6-show Blue Note run this March.
Sacramento’s SHOWTIME RAMON, is back with a fresh new release for his listeners titled ‘Venom Dripp’.
The 6 track project continues to showcase the artist’s lyrical flow that keeps his fans coming back for more. “I wanted to put on an array of cool bars for my listeners, I look at rap as a sport so the more you can score lyrically the doper you are” says Ramon when speaking on his latest release.
The project opens with the previously released single ‘Spin Cycle’ which the artist also delivered a visual for. Ramon is backed by killer production that makes it even easier for him to deliver his flow that is influenced by the world around him, from sports to pop culture & his love for professional wrestling. Showtime isn’t one to shy away from telling it how it is either, delivering poison-like bars throughout Venom Dripp as he aims to shoot down those who he feels aren’t in his circle. He states “I’m comparing myself to other rappers or competitors, vocalizing the differences between myself and the rapper next to me”.
With over 18,000 listeners on Spotify and a new EP out, Showtime Ramon keeps the pressure on & continues to build his fan base with the talent he provides behind the mic. Inflicting his raps with doses of dopeness that keeps the streams on an upward trend, and the artist doesn’t plan to stop soon…check out Ramon’s project below…
Originally known as A.M. SNiPER, business mogul, producer, and successful artist, A!MS has drafted in two of South London’s hottest artists, Blanco and Ramz for their slick rap cruiser named, ‘Champione’. Already amassing over two million plays on TikTok with the original audio that featured Loski, fans have been revealing “champions” that have helped them in life or personal struggles they’ve overcome, by sharing their own visual snippets.
Unapologetic, authentic, and slick are the three words that come to mind when hitting play on this gripping rap behemoth. Infusing Blanco’s reputable grit and Ramz’s slick patios in with A!MS’ signature glossy style, ‘Champione’ is a rap record packed with emotion and soul, forged between the historical shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the iconic streets of London. Welcomed with a pulsing production courtesy of Punctual (Jason Derulo, Nathan Dawe), A!MS unravels an infectious hook and verse that boasts his melodic flare. Expressing his admiration and love for his woman that sticks by him daily and helps raise their daughter Melody, he takes accountability for his previous mistakes whilst handing over reassurance and the foundation for a strong future ahead.
Swiftly entering with a hard-hitting verse that instantly changes the feel of the track, Blanco’s gritty tone and accompanying bars add that extra edge before changing direction once more. Ramz, a father himself, brings his re-invented wave to the record with his self-proclaimed “samples” style. Using sounds and styles of where he originally came from, his glossy verse and patios punchlines add a Dancehall flavour to the song. ‘Champione’ is an anthem celebrating the worth of one’s true champion in life, be it yourself, a loved one, or a source of inspiration.
Heading overseas to Cyprus for the cinematic visual, both A!MS, Blanco and Ramzare joined by loved ones for dinner at an exclusive location. Adding to the luxurious feel of the track, it wouldn’t be an A!MS video if it wasn’t accompanied alongside a sleek whip and breath-taking scenery! Closing out the video joined alongside his partner and daughter against a city nightline further reiterates the wholesome feeling of championing his own.
Speaking on the release, A!MS commented, “I have been making music my whole life, I have grown to understand that I will not let time dictate what I release as I am now so in tune with myself, and my emotions and I would rather give my supporters and loved ones my best! It’s cliche quality over quantity, I want each and every release to be an event that will defy time and places and reach the true value of what we all are, human…”.
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