STREAMING // (Video) BBY GOYARD – “Backin’ It Up”

Listen/Watch Here – Youtube

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Video By: THE DIGGGERS

Produced By: Mixed Matches

New Music – Close Encounters Of The Vert Kind

lil_uzi_vert_eternal_atake_01After what felt like a hopeless record release time span and millions of hours of speculation on social media, Lil Uzi Vert has finally answered the prayers of his fans and dropped what was to be the most anticipated project in rap currently. Eternal Atake whether made you smile from the rapid-fire production and powerhouse aesthetic, or made you disappointed, still reflected one of the most fun releases of the year.

Lil Uzi Vert has always carried this energy throughout his projects and Eternal Atake is no different here. From the opening track “Baby Pluto” which introduces a new persona for Uzi to release under, or the onslaught of the first six tracks on Eternal Atake that made a standout for a comeback. While the record is not incredibly complex, it is deserving of some praise for having one single feature through 18-total tracks and creating a frequent crash of performance.

On “You Better Move,” Uzi uses a Space Cadet Pinball sample to establish this commanding beat that accompanies his higher-level end rhymes. He describes, “Louie my shoes, pull out my whip on 22’s, I saw your girl, I had to scoop. Just like a bird, she gonna swoop. Neck is a-choo, might catch the flu, banana clip straight from the zoo.” With this 808 that claps behind, Eternal Atake sets this stadium-sized punch from “You Better Move” with a singular Uzi calmly moonwalking with the mic. Later in the track, the beat stops and he explains, “Step on competition changing my shoes… I’m an iPod man, you more like a Zune, made her eat on my dick with a spoon. Versace drawers, bitch you fruit of the loom.” It may not be the highest brow of sophisticated lyrical rap, but it sure as hell is exciting.

Especially when the transition to “Homecoming” blitzes in with a flow switch up and multiple sound effects to craft this almost child-cartoon sense to the release. If Space Jam could be a rap track, “Homecoming” would be fairly close with the blown-out 808 and the unbelievably animated delivery of Uzi. Describing “Ever since Clifford, Uzi been the big dog. Drippin’ in this Ragu, you know I got the big sauce. Every outfit, I gotta get the pic off… which transfers from a hook where Uzi is belligerent and able to switch his flow more often than he changes clothes.

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Eternal Atake then takes a more backed off and subtle approach with other tracks like “I’m Sorry” and “Chrome Heart Tags” which focus less on the high-powered performance that includes more flow switches, and to instead opt for catchy hooks and production that makes Eternal Atake have this dynamic but cohesive theme.

When the record finally ends and the alien ship seems to fly off into the distance, there is not much left that Uzi does not cover. He hits the rising and exciting entrance, then transitions into the almost saddened and nostalgic style, then to finally end with a positive look toward the future. Lil Uzi Vert may not be the Mozart of hip-hop, but he is certainly the Andy Warhol with pop art that will transpire generations and inspire more than just sound.

Listen To Eternal Atake Here!!! – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes

STREAMING // (Track) Knxwledge – “Learn / Howtokope.”

Listen Here – Youtube

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STREAMING // (Album) Cat Soup -“Neverform”

Listen Here – BandCamp

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STREAMING // (Video) HOOK – “FALL in Luh”

Listen/Watch Here – Youtube

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Song Produced By: Nedarb x Khroam

Directed By: DOTCOMNIRVAN

STREAMING // (Video) GRiMM Doza – “Pay Me”

Listen/Watch Here – Youtube

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Produced, Directed, Shot, + Edited By: Revenxnt

STREAMING // (Track) Jordan Montgomery – “Back At It”

Listen Here – BandCamp

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Produced By: C. Scott

STREAMING // (Tracks) Conway The Machine – “#Yikes (Freestyle) + Sign Language”

Listen Here – Soundcloud

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Produced By: Daringer

Classic Day – My Ghetto

black_flag_slip_it_in_01Slip It In is the fourth studio record coming from Black Flag, the band that seemed to have greased wheels that in a single year, played nearly 180 performances, and released three studio records all in just 1984. While the outrageous cover art is synonymous for Black Flag releases, the nun with a dick in her ear is a shocking but eye-catching cover that leads to one of the band’s stronger displays of promise.

The record begins with the title track, “Slip It In” that is a rapid-fire machine-gun of ripping bass from Kira Roessler and guitar work from Greg Ginn with a screeching Henry Rollins on vocals. Bill Stevenson covers the percussive aspect and is able to create and sculpt some rage behind Slip It In. Through this rumbling bass line that opens the album, Black Flag is immediately a force of nature that becomes both punk in style, but more intricate with instrumentation. Similar to how their record My War was able to form a muscular front and grind down to a halt with the last three tracks, on Slip It In, the album has diversity within the realm of sound.

Many of the tracks on Slip It In follow a plethora of styles that were able to break the action of the record up to more progressive bounces. Tracks like “Rat’s Eyes” are a shuffle and jump into sporadic waters that bust and flex with quarter-note punches. It is one of the simpler tracks present but determines a nice transition into “Obliteration” and “The Bars” which is one of the best tracks coming from Black Flag in a career standpoint. With a familiar bassline and percussive duet to begin “The Bars,” the real beauty of Black Flag comes to the delivery. The guitar from Ginn is just magnificent and while still dirty, is a technical push in the right direction while Rollins is able to shout into this void, almost helpless as he cannot save himself from his own reflection.

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He describes, “Every time I see, I got my hands wrapped around the bars. I can’t shut off my mind and now I’ve waited, my hands are wrapped around the bars… My mind hates my body, my body hates my soul. I close my eyes and fight inside my own black hole.” It is poetic, but not entirely removed from the gritted teeth and aggressive knuckles that Black Flag adopts so well. Where Slip It In is able to differentiate itself, is in the melodic standouts that act as transitional periods for Black Flag that sail on rough foundational waters, towards forceful winds.

When the end finally releases the listener from Black Flag’s grasp, there is this Stockholm syndrome to immediately run back into their arms. They may be the aggressor in most situations and capture some hellish burning that lurks inside society, but Black Flag is a great mirror to stare into as emotions drown out the rooms.

Listen To Slip It In Here!!! – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes

STREAMING // (Video) My Favorite Color – “neverleftfreestyle”

Listen/Watch Here – Youtube

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Directed By: Scott Benning

Produced By: PotatoHead People

STREAMING // (Album) Hi-C – “PRETTY D3M0N R0KKSTARZZ”

Listen Here – Soundcloud

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Produced By: Matty V, c4mboy, + dazegxd

STREAMING // (Video) Code Orange – “Sulfur Surrounding”

Listen/Watch Here – Youtube

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Directed + Animated By: Shade Balderose

Written By: Jami Morgan

Edited By: Shade Balderose + Jami Morgan

 

STREAMING // (Video) JUICEBOXXX – “IN THE BASEMENT”

Listen/Watch Here – Youtube

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Director + Producer: Thunder Zone Entertainment

DP: Joe Denardo

Editor: Sam Lubicz

Hair/Styling: Soren Roi

Assistant: Al Bedell

Band: Willy Dintenfass, Mike Birnbaum, + Stephen Pope

Special Thanks: Pali Kashi, Tabi Hickey, + Borna Sammak

Misc. Day – Hurricane Wrist

westside_gunn_hitler_wears_hermes_ii_01With blood on the Basquiat’s, pistols and MAC’s hidden around multiple safehouses in Buffalo, NY, and a Chanel ski mask to dawn the cover, Westside Gunn on Hitler Wears Hermes II is a grimy but fly god. He steps from the shadows not ready to rob but to instead enact the representation of orchestrating a New York mind state that twists something deeper than rap.

The focus of fashion and wrestling are often repeated motifs in Westside Gunn’s sound that has now become instantly recognizable when paired with the production of Daringer, Camoflauge Monk, and J57 that format the instrumentation of the record. As for features, Griselda member Conway The Machine pulls up alongside Keisha Plum, High Fashion P, and Tionna D. Together as a unit, Hitler Wears Hermes II can strike through nine tracks in 24 minutes and create a balance of brains and Berettas.

Pulling back the controversial curtains with “Big L & Half A Mil,” Westside Gunn is immediately transported through the 70s with instrumentation that relies on slowed, authentic percussion and a looped guitar that is dusty but hits like a crisp vinyl. The vocals here are a stream of consciousness coming directly from the iconic-voiced Westside Gunn as he describes, “And my shit the bomb diggy, Fendi strap on the SK, who can F with me. All gator strap back, relax, Supreme hoodie, couple niggas with me got the MAC, facts. SB Dunks, Dior gloves with the pump out. I want my money now or your brains get blown the fuck out.” He is violent, but charismatic and never seems to drop this theatrical style that proceeds through his Hitler Wears Hermes saga.

westside_gunn_hitler_wears_hermes_ii_02On a later track, “Eggz” is one of the shortest pieces on the record, but Westside Gunn packs a digestible amount of verse into the minute and 40 seconds before the piece uses scratch techniques to bring an outro. He begins by stating, “Muzzle on the baby TEC, you can hear the bullets whisper. My pockets got more sharks than the Shine State, New York Mind state, check the Buffalo crime rate.” No matter what is said, Westside Gunn is able to make the listener feel 20-feet tall as a giant that can stand against any pressing matter with newfound confidence.

When he reaches the end of Hitler Wears Hermes II, Westside Gunn uses the final track “Salute” as a sendoff into the future with a roll call of past deaths or lock-ups seen in his lifetime. While he is not political, his speech carries weight and for the millions who are outside of the Griselda ranks, they are beginning to perhaps, only be seen as the most impressive spectacle of hip-hop power.

Listen To Hitler Wears Hermes II Here!!! – BandCamp/Soundcloud/Spotify/Amazon/iTunes

STREAMING // (Video) Choo Jackson – “Paine Rain”

Listen/Watch Here – Youtube

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Produced By: Hellyer

Directed By: Dom Pomposelli of One800

Styled By: Shop Zeds

Skatepark Provided By: One Up Skate Shop

STREAMING // (Album) Pop Smoke – “Meet The Woo 2”

Listen/Watch Here – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes

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Featuring: Quavo, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Fivio Foreign, Lil Tjay

STREAMING // (Album) Boldy James X The Alchemist – “The Price Of Tea In China”

Listen Here – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes

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Featuring: Vince Staples, Benny The Butcher, Freddie Gibbs, Evidence

 

STREAMING // (Track) Spookyli – “2020 ALREADYDEAD”

Listen Here – Soundcloud/Spotify/iTunes

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Produced By: BMB KRXXK