Playlist: Bounce House
Uptempo mix featuring heavy bass, rhythmic beats, groovy horn sections, and DJ remixes. Prominently featured artists are Kaytranada, Toro y Moi, Channel Tres, and GoldLink. Continue reading Playlist: Bounce House
Author: freezepeachnow
Playlist: Soulwave
Eclectic and loose mix of nu soul blended with alternative hip hop. Focus on soulful R&B vocals with various experimental production styles. Artists featured include The Internet, D’Angelo, Phony Ppl, Thundercat, and Anderson .Paak. Continue reading Playlist: Soulwave
Playlist: Jazzy Hip Hop / R&B
3+ hours of great jazz-influenced hip hop. from Common to DOOM to Robert Glasper to J Dilla and a whole lot more. Listen & follow on Spotify. This playlist will be continually updated and refreshed with new content. Continue reading Playlist: Jazzy Hip Hop / R&B
The Gradually Increasing Significance of Kids See Ghosts
Creating one of the most innovative albums in a respective genre, as Cudi did with MOTM, comes with the burden of astronomical expectations and an elevated standard, which make it extremely challenging to follow up. With KSG, Cudi finds that elusive spark that made his albums from a decade earlier so visceral, evocative, and… alive. The key difference on KSG is that he’s shed his tendencies toward self-consciousness and insecurity, and replaced them with self-motivation and faith – culminating in his symbolic re-birth. Continue reading The Gradually Increasing Significance of Kids See Ghosts
REVIEW: Thundercat continues to invent his own brand of groovy and goofy soul
Thundercat is on a mission to build his own brand of funky neo soul music. On his new album, It Is What It Is, the talented bassist concocts another blend of avante garde jazz with funky bass lines and dopey humor. Thundercat throws the weirdness of an Adult Swim segment into the webs of contemporary jazz compositions to tell goofy love stories that bring his musical comics to life. Continue reading REVIEW: Thundercat continues to invent his own brand of groovy and goofy soul
REVIEW: Childish Gambino’s 3.15.20 is a sprawling example of anti-genre
Childish Gambino does a little bit of everything on his best album yet: 3.15.20. By drawing clear influence from the likes of Frank Ocean, Prince, Kanye West, Toro y Moi, and Andre 3000, Gambino creates an eclectic and sprawling work that’s been a decade in the making. On 3.15.20, Donald Glover shifts the paradigm of what anti-genre entails in contemporary music – but his newest experiment doesn’t come without a catch. Continue reading REVIEW: Childish Gambino’s 3.15.20 is a sprawling example of anti-genre
Here’s the best of what’s been livestreamed during the pandemic
Many artists have taken to live streaming their music while everyone is (ideally) staying home. Artists have been using the likes of Instagram, YouTube, and Twitch to share live dj sets, impromptu jam sessions, and full-blown concerts. As a result, … Continue reading Here’s the best of what’s been livestreamed during the pandemic
The Weeknd’s After Hours is a Tragedy
The king of nocturnal alternative r&b returns to dark themes, cloaked in various outfits. He transitions from intimate r&b to druggy and defiant soultrap to 80’s-esque dance floor anthems. Continue reading The Weeknd’s After Hours is a Tragedy
Top 10 Songs of 2019
We break down the 10 best songs from 2019, and include a playlist with the top 100 songs. Enjoy! Continue reading Top 10 Songs of 2019
In the Era of Unlimited Access to Music, Yasiin Bey’s Negus Exhibit is the Antithesis to Streaming Consumption
Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, is re-imagining what it means for fans to experience music. His new album Negus is exclusively available during ticketed listening sessions taking place at the Brooklyn Museum. The listening sessions will run through January 2020, and the album component will not be released on streaming services or hard copy – not any time soon at least. Continue reading In the Era of Unlimited Access to Music, Yasiin Bey’s Negus Exhibit is the Antithesis to Streaming Consumption
REVIEW: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Bandana
For all the debates ablaze in the hip hop community, the unanimous appreciation for Freddie Gibbs and Madlib’s music is a true testament to its quality. The duo has released two albums together, Piñata (2014) and Bandana (2019), and are planning on a third installment to complete the trilogy. The rapper-producer team up combines Madlib’s pristine jazz-fusion, soul-sampling production with rapper Freddie Gibbs’s knack for storytelling that is hardcore yet full of streetwise sensibilities. The result is a sort of hip hop purism reminiscent of the early 90’s. Continue reading REVIEW: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Bandana
REVIEW: The Black Keys Return Confidently on ‘Let’s Rock’
An invitation we can all enjoy, Let’s Rock is the Black Keys’ ninth studio album and a breath of smog-free air for rock listeners. After a 5-year hiatus, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are officially back. … Continue reading REVIEW: The Black Keys Return Confidently on ‘Let’s Rock’
REVIEW: Wilco’s ‘Ode to Joy’ Is the Band’s Best Album in Over a Decade
Last year, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy released his memoir, Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back), along with two 11-track solo albums, WARM and WARMER. It was an especially busy year for him, and fortunately this pace hasn’t slowed down in 2019. Tweedy reunited with his Wilco bandmates to release their 11th album, Ode to Joy, on October 4th, which they are following up with an accompanying tour through the rest of the year.
Continue reading REVIEW: Wilco’s ‘Ode to Joy’ Is the Band’s Best Album in Over a Decade
REVIEW: Danny Brown – uknowhatimsayin¿
At no point during Danny Brown’s critically acclaimed Atrocity Exhibition could he reasonably ask: uknowwhatimsayin? That’s because, frankly, very few people (if any) could relate to the disturbing drug-filled and deranged sex-obsessed trip he shared via his last album. What might be reality for Danny Brown is merely vicarious fantasy for the vast majority of his listeners. Atrocity Exhibition was a cringeworthy wild ride that was simultaneously jarring and thrilling; it was like the musical equivalent of a haunted house. And that’s why people loved it. Continue reading REVIEW: Danny Brown – uknowhatimsayin¿
REVIEW: Sturgill Simpson – SOUND & FURY
The success of A Sailor’s Guide to Earth brought fame that Sturgill Simpson never wanted. The Kentuckian appreciates the simple, organic pleasures of life, as opposed to the hollywood charades. Surrounded by an unfamiliar world, he quickly sniffed out all the bullshit around him, and made the pessimistic SOUND & FURY as a cathartic middle finger to all the destructiveness he wanted to hop in a car and drive away from. In other words: he made art, not friends. Continue reading REVIEW: Sturgill Simpson – SOUND & FURY
REVIEW: Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell!
Lana Del Rey doesn’t share the idyllic, charming, uncomplicated view of America that Norman Rockwell’s paintings famously depicted. Her world, like many others’, is entangled with dizzying amounts of confusion, yearning, and fear. Her world is honest, revealing a stark contrast … Continue reading REVIEW: Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell!
ALBUM REVIEW: Chance the Rapper’s The Big Day is full of ecstasy, but lacks in consistency
Chance’s three mixtapes leading up to his debut album were impressive and impressionistic. Acid Rap introduced a trippy free spirited talent and Coloring Book found him refining his sound, and bringing gospel hip hop to the mainstream. With The Big Day, Chance further expands and experiments to make the ultimate musical toast to his newly wedded wife. While The Big Day’s toast finds beauty and bliss in alternative hip hop territories, it gets unpleasantly interrupted too frequently by bland and random moments. Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Chance the Rapper’s The Big Day is full of ecstasy, but lacks in consistency
Cardi B and Bernie Sanders Meet to Discuss the Future of America
Bronx-born female rapper Cardi B (26) and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders (77) sat down earlier this week in Detroit to talk politics. The two New York natives appear to share a lot of mutual opinions on topics like economic equality, … Continue reading Cardi B and Bernie Sanders Meet to Discuss the Future of America
‘Afilando Los Cuchillos’ Is the Soundtrack to Puerto Rico’s Political Victory
High profile Puerto Rican musicians, such as Ricky Martin, Residente, and Bad Bunny, stood in solidarity with the protesters, joining the rally as it flooded the streets of San Juan. The artists used their platform to protest and perform, to energize and unite, in a way that only music can. Continue reading ‘Afilando Los Cuchillos’ Is the Soundtrack to Puerto Rico’s Political Victory
The Artist’s Revolution: The Significance Behind Chance’s ‘The Big Day’ Release
Chance the Rapper’s hugely anticipated debut ‘owbum’, The Big Day, is coming out this Friday. His earlier projects 10 Day, Acid Rap, and Coloring Book were all mixtapes that were available for free online on sites like Soundcloud and DatPiff, technically making them different from official … Continue reading The Artist’s Revolution: The Significance Behind Chance’s ‘The Big Day’ Release
REVIEW: Tyler, the Creator – IGOR
If Flower Boy was Tyler, the Creator’s big musical pivot, IGOR is him hitting his post-rap stride. The album is decorated with soulful production built around centerpiece melodies, helium-voice crooning and sonic heartbreak & revenge. Like his past albums, IGOR is … Continue reading REVIEW: Tyler, the Creator – IGOR
Andre 3000’s Verse On ‘Come Home’ Is Best of 2019 so Far
SONG REVIEW Who are the top 5 hip hop emcees of all time? It’s hip hop’s Michael Jordan vs. Lebron debate. It gets brought up every time people talk about hip hop for more than 5-10 minutes. Most cite universal … Continue reading Andre 3000’s Verse On ‘Come Home’ Is Best of 2019 so Far
REVIEW: Justin Townes Earle – Saint of Lost Causes
REVIEW Justin Townes Earle’s breakout hit song ‘Harlem River Blues‘ came out in 2010. But as the son of Americana rocker Steve Earle, he was already known in the Southern music scene long before. His newest album, The Saint of … Continue reading REVIEW: Justin Townes Earle – Saint of Lost Causes
Predictions for Chance & Kanye’s Good Ass Job
*UPDATE: Chance is releasing his debut album, The Big Day, in July. There has been no word on the teased Good Ass Job album. Also, it was clearly NOT released around Thanksgiving 2018* Kanye West and Chance the Rapper are working on a … Continue reading Predictions for Chance & Kanye’s Good Ass Job
REVIEW: Kanye acknowledges and embraces his alter ego on ‘ye’
REVIEW Kanye West is positioned to have a huge summer. He’s already released his 8th solo studio album ye, and handled all the production for Pusha T’s Daytona. Now, we’re waiting for a summer release from him and Kid Cudi, in addition … Continue reading REVIEW: Kanye acknowledges and embraces his alter ego on ‘ye’
Frozen: Das Racist’s mixtapes
Das Racist might be the best joke/art hiphop ever. And it’s because their Hindi-influenced electronic production is actually really dope, and the things they say are hilariously articulate and subtly political. Heems and Kool A.D. don’t actually make music together … Continue reading Frozen: Das Racist’s mixtapes
12 Reasons to be excited for the new Kanye West & Kid Cudi album
Listening to these collabs is almost nostalgic, despite how recent they are. Their music speaks for itself – both artists played a HUGE role in influencing today’s self-reflective, somber, and vulnerable hip hop/R&B scene. Cudi’s Man on the Moon exists because of … Continue reading 12 Reasons to be excited for the new Kanye West & Kid Cudi album
Give the drummer some: Introduction to Anderson .Paak
Anderson .Paak’s breakout album, Malibu, brought his avante guard brand of hip hop to a national audience – and a grammy nomination. Most people were introduced to him through hearing his feature verses (6 features!) on Dr. Dre’s hugely anticipated Compton album. … Continue reading Give the drummer some: Introduction to Anderson .Paak
Playlist: Freezing #freezepeach
Stay up-to-date on the best songs of 2018. An eclectic playlist of everything you need to hear: Continue reading Playlist: Freezing #freezepeach
Childish Gambino’s ‘This is America’ video is great protest art
Just after his stint on SNL last weekend (‘The Other Cavaliers’), Donald Glover released a new music video for a song that will presumably be on his upcoming album. It’s protest art at its best; we see a shirtless Gambino … Continue reading Childish Gambino’s ‘This is America’ video is great protest art
REVIEW: In a year dominated by hip hop, Noname’s Telefone emerges as one of the best
REVIEW Telefone is a profoundly optimistic album filled with organic rhythms and cohesive storytelling. Noname, formerly known as Noname Gypsy, delivers her music through a monotonous but silky smooth voice that is unequivocally confident. On Telefone, She describes her universe with … Continue reading REVIEW: In a year dominated by hip hop, Noname’s Telefone emerges as one of the best
REVIEW: Frank Ocean’s Blonde is a Subdued Search for Reconciliation with his Past
REVIEW After a 4-year hiatus since his debut album, Channel Orange, hip hop crooner Frank Ocean has released his sophomore effort entitled Blonde. The album can be streamed on Apple music right now; meanwhile everyone else will have to buy it on iTunes … Continue reading REVIEW: Frank Ocean’s Blonde is a Subdued Search for Reconciliation with his Past
Spoken word will emerge as hip hop’s newest sub-genre
Spoken word refers to any kind of poetry that is performed orally. It can be in the form of comedy, hip hop, poetry slams, jazz poetry or anything in between. Most spoken word is in freestyle form and even spontaneous … Continue reading Spoken word will emerge as hip hop’s newest sub-genre
Frank Ocean Doesn’t Owe Us Anything
Frank Ocean’s album Boys Don’t Cry was rumored to be released back in 2014 (key word: rumored) – just 2 years after his mainstream debut Channel Orange blurred the lines between hiphop and r&b once and for all. As we all eagerly anticipate his sophomore album, is it fair to say the process is just as liberating as it is frustrating? Continue reading Frank Ocean Doesn’t Owe Us Anything