Number 1
OSO B3ST - SYMPHONY OF THY SLAP
Vallejo, USA
Starting off this week’s top 10; we have OSO B3ST and his brand new single, ‘SYMPHONY OF THE SLAP’, and this is one that slaps for sure.
There is no ‘feeling out process’ with this song, it just gets straight into it which I love. The beat has an oriental trap vibe and is carried by choppy, quick, diversifying flows. We see many artists hesitate to fully embrace themselves through their tone, but that’s not something we can say for B3ST, as his bars of full of energetic personality. A worthy leader on this week’s list.
Number 2
Zinqq - Speeding
London, UK
London-based artist, Zinqq, introduced us to a new sound of his with ‘Speeding’.
He focuses much more on the melodic aspect of the track, blending thoughtful lyrics with a rhythmic instrumental to create his own unique theme. The details of the track correlate with the title, the cover art and the energy. Through listening over his catalogue, I’m convinced this is a prelude for things to come. A new evolution to Zinqq’s game.
Number 3
LW6, CP6 - Scene
Dublin, Ireland
Drill has grown so prominent in this era, and here we have some Irish drill with LW6 and CP6’s ‘Scene’.
The flow doesn’t drop off throughout the three minutes this track goes on for. They bounce off each other’s flows naturally, there isn’t just a standard split of two halves, they are punching in, taking turns bar after bar.
The authenticity is something else I respect about this song, it doesn’t feel like either artist is trying too hard, they are embracing themselves as much as they can. A pair to keep an eye out for on the European drill scene!
Number 4
Rylai - Issues (Can you let go of me?)
Seoul, Korea
I’ve loved some of the recent work I’ve seen from artists based out of Korea, and that trend continues to impress me with Rylai and his new release, ‘Issues (Can you let go of me?)’.
This is reminiscent of poetry, for me. The rhythm is so soothing and Rylai’s vocal performance compliments that perfectly. His tone is majestic and pitches at just the right moments. The lyricism is deep and, evidently, personal to him yet translatable to others. A very clean piece of work overall!
Number 5
BLVD - A Day With You
New Braunfels, USA
We love a lyric-heavy inclusion on our list, and the influential source of that derives from BLVD and his single, ‘A Day With You’.
The New Braunfels rapper speaks about people not receiving equity for their true worth, and subsequently wanting to be the one to provide that for someone he loves, who has been mistreated. His rhyme scheme is clever and he references the past, present and future; providing a full circle to add context to what we are trying to make out of his situation he’s referring to.
A really solid track which promises for more of the same from this emerging artist!
Number 6
STØNEWÅX, Roman MC - THE GREAT HARMONIC CONVERGIENCE
Sunshine Coast, Australia
In at number 6 this week, we have Australian artist, STØNEWÅX and his brand new single, ‘THE GREAT HARMONIC CONVERGIENCE’.
This song is full of energy, for a start. It merges so many elements that it is hard to put a finger on what exact genre it falls into. The areas which I feel deserves most praise, of course are the vocals and the instruments involved in the instrumental.
The vocal performance is confident and doesn’t drag on, it’s far from monotonous, constantly diversifying into something more intriguing. The same goes for the instrumental, which incorporates so many instruments and different patterns that it always alludes the listener as to what’s next.
A track full of mystery by the emerging Australian and one that promises for a bright future!
Number 7
Proklaim - IDK
Windhoek, Namibia
Namibian rapper, Proklaim gave us some J.Cole vibes with his track ‘IDK’, focusing hard on an older-school type of rap and bringing back the hard lyrics with rapid flows.
On this track, he speaks about doing whatever it takes to reach his goal. Long, sleepless nights with the pen in hand, grafting to achieve his ultimate goal.
Proklaim is only blessing his presence upon SoundCloud right now, which is a scary prospect. When his music reaches Spotify and other major platforms, it’s bad new for his competition as he is already seemingly blowing them out of the water with his unrivaled understanding of rhymes.
I’m genuinely excited to see what’s next for him and his content!
Number 8
BG the Boy Genius - D.A.N.G.E.R
Tampa, USA
In at number 8 this week we have BG the Boy Genius and his track, ‘D.A.N.G.E.R’.
Accumulating almost 20,000 streams on Spotify alone, this track is carrying quite a lot of steam right now. The vocals take regular level changes, and there are symbolic effects embedded within the mix which add further context to what BG is saying.
This isn’t to mention to constant flow switches, and progressive construction of tone, expressing his delivery much more emphatically towards the latter end of the track.
A big congratulations to the Tampa-based artist on the growing success of his work here.
Number 9
Don Data The Bard - Imminent Hazard
Riverside, USA
The penultimate inclusion this week features Riverside rapper, Don Data The Bard and his release, ‘Imminent Hazard’.
‘Don Data The Bard’ is evidently not just a title, but a strong theme that the artist desires to associate with heavily, consistently mentioning it since the beginning of the track. He manifests it regularly throughout, also. There are alterations in his tone and delivery which add versatility to what is already a unique sound.
A worthy body of work by the emerging musician here.
Number 10
The GroovaLottos - Ima Groovalotto (Ask Yo’ Mama)
Bourne, USA
Topping off the list this week is a head bopper, a ‘groovy’ addition from Bourne collective, The Groovalottos and their new track, ‘Ima Groovalotto’.
This track premieres on their album, Mama’s Hamper: Pure Phunk. This particular track succeeds their previous album from 2017, ‘Ask Yo Mama’, and maintains the theme perfectly. There is a perfect cross blend of style within The Groovalotto’s music. It is quite like modern jazz, in my opinion. All the popular aspects of old jazz, spiced up by modern polishing of the production from today’s era.
This theme continues throughout the project and, honestly, I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Take a listen to their new album below!
WHO'S YA FAVOURITE?! CHART TOP 10 Hip Hop/Rap/R&B 22/07/2022 - VOTE NOW
OSO B3ST - SYMPHONY OF THY SLAP
Zinqq - Speeding
LW6, CP6 - Scene
Rylai - Issues (Can you let go of me?)