Watch Valee's New Video for "Miami", Directed by Pusha T
Lot of Chicago cameos in this one... Things get pretty trippy for Valee in his new Hebru Brantley directed video for his "Miami" remix featuring Pusha T. I don't know if this is inspired by Hunter S. Thompson or not, but it definitely brings up similar vibes.
Watch the new clip below, and try to spot some familiar faces.
Sidenote - I definitely enjoy the Pusha T cameo, but still think Valee owns this track. Pusha is a nice add-on, but definitely not outshining Valee. Looking forward to see what's next.
Watch Evidence's New Video for "Powder Cocaine" featuring Slug
I'm still bumping Evidence's new LP, Weather Or Not. And while it released in January, I won't be surprised when it ends up on some year ends lists come December. After giving us videos for "Throw It All Away", "Jim Dean", and "10,000 Hours", Evidence now brings us a crispy clean video for "Powder Cocaine". Directed by Jason Goldwatch and shot by Stephan Vanasco, the video features Slug, a lot of bouncing medicine and an ill cameo from Ev's son, Enzo.
On the first few listens, I didn't really dig this record but it continues to grow on me. Maybe it's the same for you. Peep it below.
Peep our interview with Evidence Here.
Saba returns with "Busy" Video
"Tell me, how are you said? You got all of these friends, you got all of these fans."
Man, it feels good to write about Saba again. One of my favorite artists, and former students, Saba is back in 2018 with a new haircut, new music, and a new nationwide tour. While that's all cause of celebration, his first musical offering carries a melancholy vibe and speaks to being lonely in a room full of people. "Busy" is the name of the song and video that Saba teased on social media for about a week. He doesn't disappoint in its delivery, however, the young veteran seems to be a bit disappointed in the emptiness that can be a music career, as well as relationships and loved ones gone.
To fully understand "Busy" requires multiple listens. Get started right now with the video below.
Curren$y Does His Thing When It Comes To Rap
Curren$y has made a habit of releasing free projects on a moment's notice. And when it comes to giving fans a consistent product, he's one of the best. He's so good at that, the The Spring Collection isn't just new music, but also features Curren$y curating the listening experience. On the intro, he clearly states the purpose of the project and the best ways to enjoy it. He gives his fans a chance to get ready, grab their "supplies", and enjoy. He interjects through the project as well, coaching them along on where they should be in their consumption of said "supplies".
The theme of Curren$y being ill at this rap shit runs throughout the project, and perhaps is best illustrated on "4 Phantoms" a crash course in how Curren$y has maintained when several of his peers are no longer really doing it. He spits effortlessly, "I do my thing when it come to rap, I buy more jewelry because of that."
Well done, Spitta. Well done.
Stream TOWKIO's New LP, WWW
It's finally here. TOWKIO formerly Toyko Shawn fomerly Preston San has dropped his debut album, WWW. The LP is years in the making, and TOWKIO has grown tremendously since he started making music. Congrats are in order for the kid, for sure.
Earlier this week, DJBooth released a pretty in-depth interview with TOWKIO where he discussed the inspiration for the album, and the ties to space in theme and feeling. He took everything a step further, and actually went 92,000 feet in the air to get the full experience of his music. You can watch that unfold in the video below as well.
Vic Mensa, Sza, Carter Lang, Teddy Jackson, and others appear on the project. As I type this, I'm listening to "Forever" featuring Vic Mensa, and it's fucking awesome. Enjoy.
Watch Bishop Nehru's New Video for "Rooftops" (prod by DOOM)
Bishop Nehru is aiming high, and for very good reason. The young emcee with a strong resume is gearing up to release Elevators, a conceptual project that carries production exclusively handled by DOOM and Kaytranada. On paper, this is going to be fantastic. But, music is made on paper and eventually, every tracklist has to show and prove.
Nehru took a big step forward in that regard with his new video for "Rooftops", which premiered yesterday via Complex. The visuals don't disappoint, and the song is horn driven and very jazzy as Bishop tells the story of his life as an artist, where he is, where he's been, and where he wants to be. That's at the heart of Elevators as well. Bishop told Complex that it is feeling-based, and his attempt at something like Pet Sounds, by the Beach Boys.
Peep the video below.
Elevators releases 3/16.
Watch Caleborate's Excellent New Video for "Bank Robber"
"To make it big in this world, you can't be in your sorrow, fuck what happened yesterday, you could blow up tomorrow."
Before coming back to rubyhornet, I was kind of in a music bubble - only really listening to and aware of new sounds coming out of Closed Sessions. In the time since coming back to RH, I've gotten out of my tunnel-vision, and discovered a slew of new music from artists new and old that is quite fucking good.
In the "quite fucking good" category is the Bay Area's Caleborate. He released a project called Real Person last October, and as soon as I'm done here, that's what I'm about to go listen to. Yesterday, he released a video for the album cut, "Bank Robber". The video and the record showcase multiple perspectives, and the speak on the way we may want to live vs the way we are living. There is a lot of cleverness in the lyrics, but it's all super simple and super honest. I hate to use the cliche, "it's a real record", but that's the best way to describe. A perfect one to check out if you've never heard of Caleborate, which was me before this video, and look where I am now.
Peep the video below, and if you wan to learn more check out this interview he did with Pigeons and Planes, where he also premiered this clip.
Extra side-note, he is going to be at SPACE in Evanston on 3/28. I will be there.
DJ Luna's "Sunday Morning" EP Is Actually Good On Monday Too
After playing and replaying and replaying Chuck Strangers' new join, "Style Wars", I went to Spotify to listen to as much of Chuck's music as I could find. Spoiler alert, he doesn't have much. I'm thinking Chuck might work real well for our coming revive of Digital Freshness, but that's a post for another time.
Anyway, my search took me to DJ Luna's new EP, Sunday Morning. The sound is what you would expect from the title, hazy, laid back, and reflective in nature. Chuck Strangers appears on the first track, "Sunday", and each song carries the next day of the week for its title. Luna did not produce the music as much as curate and arrange it, more like DJ Khaled, Drama and other DJ constructed project. The vibes are good throughout and cohesive statement that showcases emerging artists. A job well-done.
This EP has a surprising lack of shine. I genuinely hope more people discover and listen to this project. Peep it below.