Couldn't Be Forever

Continuing with the theme of underrated southern rappers, Big K.R.I.T can't go unmentioned. Hailing from Mississippi, this dude is the epitome of modern day southern rap, a genre that I believe is very undervalued now a days. Rap from the south and driving a car go together like peanut butter and jelly.  My favorite song by K.R.I.T just so happens to be a prime example of this connection. I love this song, I honestly don’t think I can stand still while listening to it, and when it’s played in the ride all bets are off. The track is off his mixtape “4EvaNaDay” and continues to be my favorite song. It starts out with him rapping over this soulful sample and as so as that hook comes in you know it’s about to go down. It pains me to know that people aren’t hip to this dude because he’s awesome. The reason why I respect him is because he literally does everything himself. He makes his own beats and writes own raps, something that some big name rappers now a days can’t do at all. Be on the look out for his upcoming album Cadillactica.

One Deep Ass Ocean

When I first heard “Ocean” I anticipated what I expect of most guitar solos: to be impressed by the mechanics and to appreciate the difficulty level; little else. Within ten seconds of  steel string bliss, though, I already felt transported. Yes, Butler did meet my standards--his hymn boasts complexity, technical finesse, and an epic finish-- but what really makes this instrumental standout is it’s euphoric storytelling. The tension-then-release pattern mimics the water itself, placing the listener at shore and letting him surrender to each wave’s hypnotic pull. Dubbed by Butler as a prayer, “Ocean” is an intense tribute to nature and a spiritual resignation to music. It’s beautiful, and engaging in a way only the best music can be, so I hope you're taken on the same journey I was. Although this tune is a definite favorite, you should check out jams like “I’d Do Anything” and “Johnny’s Gone” to get a taste of Butler’s Anthony Kiedis-like voice and his trio’s eclectic score of funk, reggae, and rock.

Yeah Yeah!!

     With pop hits like "Nothin' on You" and "Magic," B.O.B is a rapper you should know. However, the Georgia native is most famous for his collaborations with other artists, subsiding to the back burner when we list out our favorite rappers. Still, B.O.B deserves your attention; he has a knack for identifying when a song is going to be a big one. Despite his obvious talent and upbeat flow, no one seems to pay attention to his mix tape. I remember being surprised when “F*ck Em We Ball” came out a couple years ago and few people were hip to it.  This negligence seems to be continuing because I have yet to meet a person that knows about B.O.B's latest project. “No Genre 2” is a pretty good mixtape and will definitely be better then you'd expect. My favorite song off this project is “Drunk Af” ft Ty Dolla $ign. The song starts out with this orchestral arrangement that sounds like that strings loop in garage band that I could never figure out how to use. Seamlessly, the small start explodes into the club banger it truly is. Big ups to Ty Dolla $ign on the production side of this one. This track is awesome. 

Wait....Who Made It?

You may not know his name, but chances are Mike Will has worked with just about every rapper you've heard of.  If, when bumping, the thought “ Dang this joint hard” crosses your mind, chances are Mike Will had his hand in the tune. In fact, the producer has a long catalogue of bangers to boast. The legacy continues with “Buy the World," an ear worm that you'll be singing til day done. The song features Future on the hook with Lil Wayne and Kendrick coming through with some bars. I’m actually really impressed with Wayne’s verse on this song. In my opinion he hasn’t been doing well when it comes to guest verses, but he really turned it around on this one. Oh, and of course Kendrick spits flames. Check it out.

A Dope Vacation

"Vacationer" is a Philadelphia based group consisting of members Kenny Vasoli, Mathew Young, Ryan Zimmaro, Michael Mullin, and Greg Altman. In an interview with "The Spec" Lead singer Kenny Vasoli stated that...he enjoys music that reminds him to relax, which this track accomplishes perfectly."The Wild Life" of their new album "Relief" and it embodies the chill. I actually found this song yesterday while hanging out with a couple of friends, and as soon as it came on everyone started moving.  It's just one of those dope songs with an island vibe that makes it impossible to stand still. The song is literally about chilling out and not doing anything, a message conveyed lyrically but through the instrumentation as well. Everything from the drums to the guitar, and even the bells just seems to fit together. A lot of music doesn't posses unity between the instrumentation and vocals, for example, in a lot of songs might be a guitar part or some weird rhythm with the drums that doesn't seem to belong. On, "Relief though every track is perfectly sculpted to induce maximum chill upon listening. If you're still looking for that summer song to vibe out to, you can't go wrong with this one.

Picking Up The Blog Again

Today I decided to pick up the blog again. It has been on hiatus for a couple months now and that's my bad. I've been making excuses about being busy when honestly it was just me being lazy. I just wanted to write a post saying new posts are going to happen. I've been finding a lot of amazing music, new and old, that I would love to share with you guys. Just check in regularly, and don't be afraid to look at older posts as well. I'll be trying to write couple posts a day and post them over this week.

P.S I'm also going to Mad Decent this coming Friday, so I'll try and write a recap 

Wait...So he just plays the trumpet?

"Don't Leave" 

"Zion" 

Ever heard of Kids These Days? If not I suggest you look it up cause they were dope. Unfortunately the group went their separate ways a while ago, but the solo carriers of the members has created exceptionally awesome music. Nico Segal aka Donnie Trumpet has been doing doing big things since Kids These Days. Although his signature trademark is playing the trumpet for songs, he also does a lot of production work for artists on the rise including Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa. The two rappers also show up on his self titled EP that was released last year The two tracks I chose are very different and show his versatility as a producer. "Zion" is very instrumental and jazzy, while "Don't Leave" is more electronic. Both are great and you should definitely check them out.