SLU!¢£n $zn by Gady

As popular culture is shifting into a more retro era, so is Hip Hop. Gady has achieved an inspiring combination of Y2K style and rap music. His latest EP SLU!¢£n $zn possesses a vibrant and fast essence, within the music and Gady’s gracious delivery. The project is entirely produced by Kasai, a obviously perfect pairing for Gady’s music, known to be on the higher side of BPMs. It’s difficult to listen to without matching his energy along the way. This 10 minute, five-song EP is exactly what people are looking for. It’s completed with its uplifting energy and optimism. As the world is quickly beginning to reopen, safely, Gady’s music is a great way to encourage you to, as well.

Click here to listen to SLU!¢£n $zn on SoundCloud.

Mach II by Keko

Keko can’t be of this world. His latest EP Mach II feels as if he has traveled in and out of this galaxy searching for the perfect sound. The first song of the EP “Pull Up” has that futuristic, yet minimal sound. It’s the best balance of upbeat but methodical. Production isn’t just slapped together on this project. Keko stacks styles to keep in his arsenal throughout the EP. There isn’t just one style of Hip Hop that Keko ventures in, his music can appeal to the masses.

The EP features the single “Bon”, a melodic and relatable track about Keko’s step up as a young man and artist. His sound is constantly growing. Keko has never been shy about putting out something different. This experimenting helped bring this project into existence. The final song on the EP “Smooth Words” is a bold and refreshing Pop sound that most Hip Hop artists wouldn’t touch, but it seems like anything Keko touches turns to gold.

Click here to listen to Mach II on SoundCloud.

JETSKI by Internet Money ft. Lil Mosey & Lil Tecca

Internet Money never fails to sense exactly what the world needs to hear. Their newest single “JETSKI” is electric and vibrant enough to ignite that summer energy that’s bubbling inside all of us. Led by Taz Taylor, and following their RIAA certified gold album B4 The Storm, Internet Money has been on track to be the biggest producer-driven collective to touch the Billboard charts. This single has accumulated over four million streams on Spotify alone on its debut. With stellar credits, including Lil Mosey and Lil Tecca, it’s hard to see this track not climbing the charts.

Click here to listen to “JETSKI” anywhere

333 by Lil Turbo

Lil Turbo isn’t taking any time off and isn’t let his opposition rest on his new single “333”. His fast-paced lyrics and determination make this track a head-knocker. “Get straight to business. Know that I do not play.” Nothing’s stopping his focus. As Spring is coming, this is the exact energy that we as listeners need from the underground. Lil Turbo brings his best on all of his releases, hopefully, this will set the tone for this year.

Click here to listen to “333” anywhere.

A QUICK CONVERSATION WITH JTVION

      

JTVION is a young, influential rapper from Sandusky, Ohio. His music melds together different musical influences, from metal to punk rock, into his unique Hip Hop style. Although JTVION is still on his sprint up the mountain, his music is close to any professional caliber. Recently, he’s been strolling through Twitter and collecting believers. His music and his message are so good, they’re hard to ignore. After seeing his work as an outsider, I wanted to know what’s behind his discography and enthusiasm. He’s one of those artists that make everything seem a bit too easy.


Where did your musical career begin, what materials were at your disposal and what kind of person were you?

JTVION: When I first started making music I had got really into pursuing it as a hobby after X passed away. It hurt losing an artist that helped me through so much so I wanted to step up to the plate and be somebody others could look up to. At the beginning I didn’t have any equipment except GarageBand on my iPhone, some Apple headphones and a scrap car that I recorded in. So because of only being able to record with low quality equipment I made loud aggressive screamo style music


Did you ever dabble in music before XXXTentacion’s passing? How did it change after he passed?

JTVION: Yeah I would rap in freestyle everyday when I would walk around when i was little up until I wanted to start taking it serious


How do you think you’ve evolved or improved since then?

JTVION: Since then I think I’ve improved drastically. To the point where if I showed you an old song you wouldn’t even believe it was me lmao


How has you faith helped you as a person and an artist?

JTVION: My faith in god carries my career and my ability to prevail. If it wasn’t for the strength god gave me I would’ve stopped pursuing music a long time ago! As a person I’ve completely changed my life around. My whole life used to revolve around drugs and getting High off pills, weed, coke basically whatever except the crazy stuff, if it wasn’t for god and music idk who or where I’d be


How do you approach song concepts and the message you convey now? Is it hard to stick to a style or overall image?

JTVION: I don’t really have a certain way I approach song concepts I just create what I’m feeling at the time. I think sticking to a style is easy once you’ve landed how you you want to sound I guess, I wouldn’t say I have a singular style but you could hear anyone of my songs and go “oh, that’s JTVION”


It’s hard being an independent artist. Who or what motivates you the most?

JTVION: Some things that motivate me the most are having an impact on those I come across. Allowing people to see my journey in music and my faith as an example that anything is possible through hard work and faith. I’m also motivated by how far I can go with my music and the life I can create for myself! I really just want to prove to myself that I can change my life. Oh and I want to prove people who thought little of me that I’m more than what they thought o ever could be.


If you could pick 2 of your own songs and 1-2 of your favorites to direct to people that went through a similar situation as you, what would they be?

JTVION: LoveUAlways and Midnight off my album Young Lost Soul. Bounce Back by 17dreams, Fire by Seji, Change the Climate by Lil Xavy and Runaway by 6VIB3Z.


Although COVID is still a factor, do you have plans for more immersive audience experiences?

JTVION: Yeah totally, I wanna do some sort of “virtual” concert this year and put on a show for my fans through a livestream of some sort! I think that’d be pretty cool


What are your plans for this year? Are more collaborations in the future?

JTVION: Some of my plans for this year are to drop another album/project toward the summer! Along with getting the Seji x JTVION tape out. I also wanna work with some more artists I’ve connected with here on twitter. Like Yung Gosse and Babyface, etc. there’s really so much I want to get done!

Click here to listen to JTVION anywhere!

Age of the Beat Stars

Hip Hop has morphed dramatically since its origin in the 70s. Each generation adds its flavor and layer of creativity to the art. As we’ve fully stepped into the new decade, it has become increasingly obvious that producers have come for the crown. Rap has always been about the rhythm and poetry created by the DJs and emcees. But the years have brought a new audience, and a new sound. Melodic, drill, and trap rap are now international. Hip Hop is global and connecting personally with the lyrics isn’t necessary. Countries as vast as Russia, Korea, and Italy have adopted rap music. Where verbal communication falters, the rhythm does all the talking.

Now, simply what’s heard sonically is enough to connect one to a song. The impression of the bass, the emotion and tone of the vocals is key to evoke a response. Entire cultures are infused into Hip Hop, then shared even further through streaming and social media. At the core of these experiences are the producers and engineers. They’re able to create instrumentals so timeless and organic that it doesn’t take a certain listener to appreciate it. Producers search for fresh and enticing sounds to add texture and brand the beat into listeners’ brains. This all comes together in the studio as engineers take the best qualities of the beat and the artist’s vocals and create the hits of today. 

It’s hard to say you haven’t liked a song just from the beat, especially the drop. That energy is hard to ignore. Production in itself has always been a prominent skill in creating music. Now, thanks to social media, young listeners and artists can follow their favorite producers, learn from them, and listen to all of their songs. Producer collectives have launched their recording careers. In this era, the artists are the instruments. Internet Money, the multi-faceted music collective, has earned themselves over twenty weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. Stars can be discovered at any stage when it comes to production. A young and driven collective is more than capable of leaving their mark. The collective Neilaworld acquired credits on multiple platinum projects in 2020, including Pop Smoke’s Shoot For The Stars, Aim for the Moon. In this new decade, everyone gets their credit. Anyone can be a star.