Song of the Day: Make A Million Every Morning – East Hampton Polo Boys

Taken from ‘The Summer Catalogue’ LP, hip-hop collective EAST HAMPTON POLO BOYS’ infectious track, ‘Make a Million Every Morning’ is inspirational music for those that like to be inspired by the material things in life.

The guys dive right into the soul of those conflicted by the lengths they are forced to travel to stay fly. Backed by PANELS melancholy horns and pounding bassline, Scorcese leads the way in the track and continues his stellar dense, layered wordplay, use of imagery, and biting wit to provide the roadmap to success. Check out the banger below…

EP Review: Chances Ocean – Isaac B

Released earlier in the year, the piano-led single ‘Love Yourz’ leads the way with in ISAAC B‘s latest EP, ‘Chances Ocean’. The melodic piece which encourages us to be grateful for what we got, rather pining after other’s success stories, sets the tone for this conscious mini set.

‘Chances Ocean’ then takes on a meditative and somewhat a seductive stance on hip-hop and R&B, which arguably has a Tom Misch twang to it. The promising rapper covers a ray of topics – from paying homage to prominent figures who paved the way in hip-hop (in ‘I’m Here’), to contemplating the reason why the good die young and his desire to get a Grammy in honor of his late grandmother (in ‘Did You Further) and having that ego boost, while staying humble, as his career progresses (in ‘Lean’.)

When I first discovered Isaac B through his bass-heavy joint, ‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil (SNE HNE)’ last year, from that moment I knew he was a serious hip-hop contender who isn’t worry about following the crowd. Tracks ‘Oceans and Chances’ and ‘Yourz Truly’ (to me) reveals that side of him as a musician. Although he has sheer determination to make an impressive dent in the game, his priority is to stay true to himself rather than chasing ‘the fame’.

Sonically, I expected to hear some roaring thuds as in ‘SNE HNE’ – but it doesn’t mean that I was left disappointed. ‘Chances Ocean’ reveals to me that this conscious spitter can turn his hand to anything and I cannot to see how far his musical journey will take him.

Have a listen to ‘Chances Ocean’ below…

Must Listens: Love Yourz, Oceans and Chances, Higher Power

Caskie Drops Conscious Track, ‘Third Eye Shut’

‘3rd Eye Shut’ is the first single from the new EP by South East London emcee Caskie.

Attacking the beat with his relentless flows and articulately condensed rhyme patterns, Caskie remarks on the ongoing struggle faced by the many, whilst addressing the urgent need to shine a light on the dark.

“Everything around us in terms of the social and economic landscape today seems geared to mislead or misinform us… from crooked politicians to so-called gangsters…. the narrative rewrites and perpetuates itself daily.” – Caskie

In context of the superficial, fake and fraudulent society in which we live, Caskie uses the music video to illustrate the way in which mainstream media can deceive and manipulate the public’s perception.

The accompanying video, referencing 1980s John Carpenter movie ‘They Live’, was shot, edited and produced by Nicholas Tate of Deaf Nick Visuals who was also responsible for the visual effects.

After spending many years as a session drummer and backing vocalist, he was also a member of the group Dusty Stragglers alongside Flabz, Sylva Grey and producer Peter Coates. Caskie has since turned his attention to his solo material, and come out of the shadows with his debut EP ‘Ways To Stay Broke’, out September 5th, 2020.

Led by ‘3rd Eye Shut’, the EP was released on Friday (14th August) on all streaming platforms. Check out the video below…

SVNO From Planet Vegeta Links Up With Onefour’s J EMZ For Debut Single, ‘Like We Do’

Members of two of Australia’s most exciting hip hop groups have combined in ground-breaking fashion. Both hailing from Western Sydney, Planet Vegeta’s SVNO and OneFour’s J EMZ mould their styles, attitudes and years of brotherhood in their latest effort ‘Like We Do’.

The track’s most standout quality is the synergy of the two artists and how they combine effortlessly despite their varying sonic backgrounds. SVNO’s luscious R&B vocal delivery is the perfect fold to J Emz’s gritty, drill inspired rap flow. Holding it all together is a glitzy guitar line and blown out 808s, providing the perfect amount of breathing room for the infectious top lines. The track reaches an anthemic peak with its hook, its lyrics an ode to their local area, brotherhood and friendship.

‘Like We Do’ is handed the baton by a significant amount of energy. J Emz’s OneFour have been hailed as the most exciting and impactful Australian act in recent times, a pioneer in the current wave of Australian Hip-Hop. They’ve combined over 100 million streams and in 2019, claimed 3 of YouTube’s top 10 trending Australian music videos. They’ve attracted A$AP Ferg on track, ‘Say It Again’ which saw the New York rap mogul entering their home-made claustrophobic, banging sonic world. They’ve most recently released latest single ‘Home and Away’ from their debut EP to significant acclaim.

Add on the recent track record SVNO’s Planet Vegeta and the momentum for the track accelerates further. Their most recent single, ‘Mai Elle’ put the group on the global map. It received multiple spins on BBC Radio 1, was premiered on Triple J and received editorial support from local key champions Filterzine and Purple Sneakers. Their debut single ‘Jorja’ led to the group becoming Triple J Unearthed Feature Artist of the week in December, Radio 1Xtra support, as well as opening the mainstage at Field Day in 2020. Their online series ‘Sunday School’ also added steam to the hype train, with its debut episode ‘Boys to Brothers’ getting 72,500 views in the first week. The series is sitting just shy of 310,000 views across just 3 episodes.

Check out  the video for ‘Like We Do’ below…

Song of the Day: Trust The Process – Strizzy Strauss

STRIZZY STRAUSS‘ track, ‘Trust the Process’ is an inspirational and motivational piece exploring his journey as an artist, flanked by a chilled reflective piano driven production.

‘Trust the Process’ is the leading single from Strauss’ debut album bearing the same name. The album is a triumphant breakthrough, exploring Strauss’ personal struggles with parenthood, ambition and street life.

Hailing from Leicester, Strizzy Strauss has toured and performed with the GZA, Big Daddy Kane, Pharoahe Monche, Rodney P, Klashnekoff among others. He has received support from BBC 1Xtra, BBC Introducing, Mixtape Madness, Trench Magazine, FuBar Radio, DemonFM and I Am Hip Hop Magazine.

Check out the video for the track below…