STREAMING // (Album) Sovren – “BITCH, IMMA ST☆R!”
Listen Here – Soundcloud
Artwork By: Nate Guenther
Produced By: Billionaire Diggs, Dos Global
Featuring: Psycho T
Misc. Day – Afterburner
It is hard to pick a defining moment where Playboi Carti was able to infiltrate the hearts of millions through his bombastic and energetic style that mixed with a pretty boy personality. Through his 2018 release Die Lit, his repetition on verses, the lightening production pieces, and the introspective view are both stunning and full of vitality.
As he begins on “Long Time – Intro”, Carti is a personal voice recording that describes, “No cap and gown I ain’t go to class, I’d rather die before I come in last… Just to felt like this it took a long time, just to look like this it took a long time.” It may sound cliché, but for some reason, the emotional attachment that he displays through the verse is approachable and almost sentimental. Carti sculpts to illustrate these tears of joy that overcame incredible turmoil over and over again through the framework of Die Lit. When he moves between the skrrting mobility of “R.I.P” to the dramatic styling’s of “Shoota” with Lil Uzi Vert, Die Lit is a new experience at each leap and roll.
With little in the way of boundaries in his style, Carti recruits London based Skepta as a bi-coastal tag-team on “Lean 4 Real” that can bounce between verses. As Carti begins the chorus with this baby-esque style describing, “That bag loaded bih, got it all the time. Nickelodeon, way I got that slime.” To have this dichotomy within his voice that seems to consistently shift behind inflection creates new looks to the way that the production works with the vocals. “Lean 4 Real” then contrasts the work of “FlatBed Freestyle” where Carti uses this baby voice as the main component to the track. Even as comedic it might seem at first glance, this performance becomes addictive and almost this dependency on his voice to survive.
Die Lit is the best representation of Carti as he balances rhyming through creative and clever wordplay techniques, then referencing the instrumental to fill the gaps where his vocals become the background. Even as the final moments of Die Lit where “R.I.P. Fredo” stands out for one last punch to the gut or stage dive hits the scene. It is this mosh inducing push toward a team-up with Young Nudy as the two begin this slime season of trading verses and hooks. The instrumentation consists of this bouncing 808 and tapping hi-hat that does more movement than rattling, keeping the space open and ready for anything that Cardi is going to throw onto it.
After 19-tracks and nearly an hour of new-aged hip-hop, Die Lit becomes this legendary next step after the self-titled work of Playboi Carti. His music has this unique factor that no doubt reflects the inner agility of young artists with the tenacity and arsenal of 808 drums to fund a war team.
Listen To Die Lit Here!!! – Youtube/Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
STREAMING // (Track) Linus – “Mariah Carey”
Listen Here – Soundcloud
STREAMING // (Video) Jayy Braxx – “Aye Oh”
Listen/Watch Here – Youtube
New Music – Bilingual Radio
France has always been the language of absolute beauty and love, coming from the fine porcelain voice of Lolo Zouaï, love has never been closer. She works within her own vocal abilities and the use of reverberation and repetition to create lines and hooks on High Highs to Low Lows that reflect the bittersweet emotional attachment of audiophile heartbreak.
From the first glance that appears as the self-titled track, “High Highs to Low Lows” is vague, but capturing installment that feels shadowed by the dreamscape vocal performances and rattling hi-hats. The snare that knocks along does not reflect a boom-bap style, but instead a modern twist on this melancholy reflection. High Highs To Low Lows is essentially a mirror where Lolo Zouaï can manufacture a cracked outlook on the surrounding world that engulfs her. She is clever in her delivery that depicts “Yeah fake gold on my hoops real rips on my pants, they think it’s all Gucci but it’s 99 cents,” she explains with an instrumental that is minimalistic, but somehow layered in design.
As Zouaï continues on, she starts to use small vocal inflections that push her French dialect to the forefront. Then moving into “Moi”, she begins to use this sound of silk that is almost a siren song. The instrumentation starts to take shape through a danceable, more club-esque flair. High Highs to Low Lows is surprisingly approachable as a record that deals with such a wide range of emotional distress and victory.
When reaching into the pocket of “Caffeine”, Lolo Zouaï is a fascinating voice behind this catchy 808 and cascading string ensemble that resembles an auditory dessert. She describes, “I turn you up, caffeine. Walking with a lean? I got what you need, you need a pick-me-up? No slow down, French Vanilla drippin’ in your cup,” before reaching this first verse that thrives through sexualization and desire. As she moves through the city under nightfall, “Caffeine” acts as a Cadillac of a catalyst where Zouaï can transition and deliberately stretch her style.
Finesse is an important method that comes from High Highs to Low Lows and Lolo Zouaï is a master of the craft. Her voice can lure the listener in and then she becomes this anthem that is traceable and easily followed. She is progressive in the way that the tracks are laid out through these dynamic changes from each track, but still, have this underlying structure that makes everything compatible with the ear. Zouaï sounds gorgeous but works as a living art behind the stress of surviving.
With a final wrap on the shooting, editing, and directing of her own 38-minute short story played through the speakers; Zouaï can conquer a sound and reach outside this boundary without destroying the original image. As she finally sings the last notes, it is clear that she will disappear into the shadowed walls of the large, populated city where the listener will no doubt be leading an endless chase toward her next display of work.
Listen To High Highs To Low Lows Here!!! – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
STREAMING // (Video) Injury Reserve – “Koruna & Lime”
Listen/Watch Here – Youtube
Directed By: Parker Corey
Cinematography By: Christopher Ripley
Produced By: Will Hasty
Management: Nick Herbert
Grips: Tyree Evans + Melik Richard
BTS Filming By: Leo Lovely
Shot at Pollution Studios in Los Angeles, CA
Classic Day – The Stash Box
Somewhere between the glory of the three rivers, the stretching hills, the sprawling Strip, or the Yinzer mentality; Strict Flow preserved a triple threat of beats, rhymes, and steel city heat that could only be connected by a city of bridges. On their 1997 release Homegrown, the ability to flow over a record that is now slowly hitting the peak of 25 years old reflects on the Shadow Lounge back alley’s where versatility was key.
Subtly behind hip-hop may seem like a technique of the past with a new formation of 808’s that strike over often bombastic beat, Strict Flow did it differently. The instrumentation became present through Pittsburgh legend E. Dan who people know as one of the masterminds behind ID Labs. This sense of immaculate and detailed roots below the music displays a sense of pride behind the city’s rich history. With references to The O, North Side, Oakland, and the 412 mantra that became creation beyond boundaries.
Homegrown appears as one of the best-kept secrets of Pittsburgh’s hip-hop life as the rhymers and producers known as Strict Flow begin to make their rounds as individuals. With Masai Turner, Sled Chahrour, Chad L. Glick, and Eric Dan as the four horsemen of the musical slaughtering that pounds as Pittsburgh’s closest thing to A Tribe Called Quest. The production is often a soft, boom bap style that collects in such a way that each track feels as another step in the long-winded journey to Pittsburgh’s musical impact.
The record aged fantastically however and has some tracks that still hold a core momentum behind them. As Homegrown continues, the tracks have these spoken word interludes that feature what appear to be interview segments from past recordings that are woven into these transitions. As a whole, the record feels familiar and fits almost perfectly into the palm of the listener’s hand. Just like the Fort Pitt tunnels that provides an entryway into Pittsburgh, Strict Flow uses “Somethin’ Like This” as one of the final dap-ups to the record.
With the images of Homegrown starting to crawl into the rearview mirror, Strict Flow is a fascinating look into the roots of hip-hop in Pittsburgh. Before the pillars of Omega, there was the Alpha that became sculpted by Strict Flow.
Listen/Download Homegrown Here!!! – Strict Flow – Homwgrown Zip
LIVE SHOW – Matt’s Music Mine’s 3rd Birthday
Link to official event page – Facebook
THIS IS A LIST OF THE MOST RECENT STREAMS...
The complete list of all past streams can be accessed here as well
(Click Here)
MATT'S MUSIC MINE - MERCH FOR SALE
VIDEO REEL 2
LIVE PHOTOGRAPHY – JESUS PIECE AT BABY’S ALL RIGHT, DECEMBER 6TH, 2022
SUNDAY SAMPLER // (Playlist) “12/04/2022″
(Track) Jake Mason Trio – “Rib Eye”
(Video) Lightning Bolt – “Dead Cowboy @ TAICOCLUB 2014”
(Video) The Velvet Underground – “After Hours”
(Video) Mac Miller – “10 Years Of You”
(Video) A$AP Rocky – “Same Problems”
The complete list of all past streams can be accessed here as well
(Click Here)