NYC’s pithy wordsmith 4KPHIL. releases his new single ‘Johnson & Johnson,’ solidifying the poet turned rapper’s place as the next left-of-center emcee.
Following a near death experience after being the victim of a shooting, 4KPHIL.’s perspective on life was forever changed; he decided that life was too short to not make music that made people feel. ‘Johnson & Johnson’ is an ode to becoming a new father – the rising artist recently welcomed his first child into the world. The self-produced, written and recorded track was made in 4KPHIL.’s home studio off the famous Dyckman street in upper Manhattan. Each verse attests to his authentic storytelling abilities, as his commanding bars float over the atmospheric production.
4KPHIL.’s lyricism is refreshing – with one listen, it’s clear that he doesn’t seek the limelight. Instead, he makes music that paints the soundtrack to his own life, providing listeners with vivid snapshots of life’s wins as well as his experiences navigating its trials and tribulations.
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.
RAYNE STORM returns with single ‘Let It Fly’, featuring Strange Music’s own Krizz Kaliko. The melodic track serves as the second single off his upcoming album ‘Audiocity II’.
The production by Wyshmaster creates a riding bassline as the background for this introspective weed anthem. Krizz delivers with his classic midwest flow while Rayne brings it with a bouncy verse about getting away from the stress of daily life, in between puffs of smoke.
‘Let It Fly’ is a must for any cannabis enthusiasts playlist. Make sure you hit play on this while you light one up…
Coming up under the mentorship of the legendary Kid Capri in the ’90s, producer AMADEUS360 has put in years of work honing his craft and, subsequently, producing songs for the likes of Kool G Rap, Busta Rhymes, Sheek Louch, Paul Wall, among others.
Overlooked and underrated, Amadeus sets out to cement his legacy in the pantheon of producers still carrying the torch for raw, undeniably gritty Boom Bap Hip-Hop with his forthcoming album ‘The MPC Jedi’, set to release May 12 via Soulapazm. To give a little taste of the forthcoming album, Amadeus drops the music video (directed by Mo Stafford) for the Buckshot, DJ Evil Dee, and Termanology-assisted single ‘Warfare’…why not take a peep below…
New Lease Music 