6LACK Premieres Single “Switch” Today
"Switch," a single dropped by 6LACK today, expands on a similar moody R&B/hip-hop vibe, much like his debut record FREE 6LACK. Complimented by the smooth beat, 6LACK delivers another strong vocal performance.
According to his press team, a new album is on the way. They stated, "6LACK is now at work on the follow-up to FREE 6LACK, his full-length debut. Arriving in fall 2016,FREE 6LACK scored a Grammy Award nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album, with its double-platinum lead single “Prblms” amassing more than 99 million Spotify streams to date."
RH First Look: Sovren
Sovren has made a lot of noise in the underground over the past few years. For anyone unaware, Sovren is a Pittsburgh born rapper living in Chicago. He attended Columbia College studying music/music business before dropping out to focus on his own music. If you saw him around campus, you might recognize him for his unique style in fashion. Similar to the lack of name brands covering his chest, his music is low key, yet the sonic experience each track carries demands attention.
Check out our full interview below:
rubyhornet: Where did you grow up?
Sovren: I’m from Homewood/Point Breeze (Pittsburgh).
rubyhornet: What were some influences that led you to make music while growing up in Pittsburgh?
Sovren: A lot of influence came from Kanye West and Drake at a younger age. I went to the same high school as Mac Miller. Seeing someone you know follow their dream is inspiring. Wiz Khalifa was also going crazy. Both guys were putting the city on, so to be growing up at that time made me feel like I could really do this shit too.
rubyhornet: Who were you recording with while living in Pittsburgh?
Sovren: Big Jerm. Fucking love Big Jerm. Anything I record in Pittsburgh is with him. “Dance”, my latest track, was engineered by him. He was the first person to help take my sound to the next level.
rubyhornet: What led you to Chicago?
Sovren: I didn’t want to go to college. I wanted to take a year off, but I knew I wanted to leave Pittsburgh. It’s hard to obtain the platform I was looking for in Pittsburgh. Chicago was a good mix since the city isn’t as big as NYC or LA but they had artists such as Chief Keef, Bibby, King Louie. When I came to visit, I checked out some art schools, and decided to attended Columbia because I wanted to be in Chicago.
rubyhornet: Creatives you’ve met at Columbia?
Sovren: Jack Larsen was a homie I met early on at Columbia. He actually just signed to Closed Sessions. I also met Lil Jake before Lyrical Lemonade. In regards to producers/engineers I didn’t have that network built yet in Chicago, so I would create material all semester while at school, and record back in Pittsburgh during Christmas break or summer break.
rubyhornet: What are your fashion influences? You have a clearly distinct style that is evident on social media.
Sovren: A lot of my more unique pieces come from thrift shops. I have been getting more brand name shit lately, but more of the low key pieces. You can best describe it as ‘if you know you know’ brand name shit. I love fashion. I love style. My view is clothing is a form of expression, much like music. I have found myself putting together an outfit and changing it because it doesn’t match how I feel. It’s all about the energy.
rubyhornet: What are your goals for 2018 and beyond?
Sovren: Short term goal is to put out these two EP’s. The first is called Driving Music Volume 1. It’s the lane I’m creating with jams to ride too. The second EP is called Confessions, which is more R&B and love influenced. A music video for a single off the Confessions EP will be coming out soon. I also have a few random singles, and have a show at the end of this week (pictured above).
Hopefully by 2019 I’m on a tour. Definitely not pressed or want to rush anything.
rubyhornet: What does hip-hop mean to you?
Sovren: It’s funny you ask that. I often talk to my friends about the difference between hip-hop and rap. I feel like everything from the past 5-10 years is more considered rap. The elements that technically fall into hip-hop like, graffiti, b-boy, and emceeing are more prevalent in the 90’s era. There are so many sub-genres in rap. Very similar to rock with the amount of sub-genres.
[Review] Kendrick Lamar: The Championship Tour
Top Dawg Entertainment: The Championship Tour was an epic experience this weekend. I found out last minute that we had tickets available for us. After picking up tickets at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in Tinley Park, we made our way to our seats right in time for Kendrick Lamar's performance.
The huge dual illuminated screen, combined with the light show, and fire show displayed how well put together the tour was. I shouldn't be surprised by this, since the members of the tour are some of the largest in hip-hop currently. The stage setup was really something else, compared to the dozens of underground shows with little to no budget I have lately been attending.
A highlight of the performance was when Kendrick brought out Jay Rock for "Money Trees". Another highlight occurred when KDot started playing the intro to "Humble". The crowd rapped the entire song acapella with minor assistance from the MC. This was impressive to say the least. Around 20,000 people, young and old, shouting the words to this hit. Ironic is an understatement, with the crowd shouting, "Sit down be humble" with Kendrick listening to them.
Overall its crazy to see Kendrick, and all of TDE, progress the way they have. The last time I saw Kendrick was in 2012 and he opened up for Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa. If you haven't checked out the new Jay Rock album, you should, it's the next great project in their collection.
[RH Premiere] Lifeafteryouth - Emptied Out
Lifeafteryouth connects with Lil Ill on his new single "Emptied Out". The New England natives, who actually met via SoundCloud, have been working on some jams.
When asking Lifeafteryouth about his new single he stated, "It's just a casual summertime punk rock joint about how hard it is to try to put your life together while you've got all these issues on your plate."
Fans should be expecting a new single from Lifeafteryouth each month until he finishes an EP.
[RH Interview] TreeJay Speaks On Music & Growing Up With Mac Miller
TreeJay, a well known associate of Mac Miller, who runs his YouTube channel, produces beats, and hosts an annual 4/20 project, chopped it up with us. The Pittsburgh born stoner has hosted projects with the likes of, Dave East, Juicy J, and of course Mac Miller appearing on them. Check out our full interview with TreeJay below.
rubyhornet: Before we dive in, what are your thoughts on the XXL lineup that came out the other day?
TreeJay: I really like JID, I think he’s very talented. Also some homies from Pittsburgh (Zeke & Barry) help him out so I gotta support the hometown homies. Besides JID, I honestly haven’t listened to much of the other artists music, but congratulations to everyone that made the list.
rubyhornet: For any of our readers who aren’t familiar with TreeJay, who is TreeJay?
TreeJay: I’d like to say I’m a productive stoner ha. I got the nickname TreeJay from a kid in high school (Obviously because I smoke a lot). I made videos called “High Eyes” on YouTube back in the day of me smoking.
rubyhornet: How did you and Mac Miller first meet?
TreeJay: In grade school, I was a couple grades above him but we went to the same elementary school. Really started kicking it I’d say my junior / his freshman year.
rubyhornet: The amount of attention that you and your friends started receiving dramatically took off 8/9 years ago. Was there a “tipping point” or a special moment that you realized what was about to happen?
TreeJay: I remember Mac coming back to the homies crib from the studio back in the day. He had just recorded a jam and the verses and the hook were super fire for back then. That’s just when I knew it was all going to workout. I’ve always had faith, but that was the moment I was like yeah this is definitely happening.
rubyhornet: Your Sound Cloud has been pretty quiet for the past 2 years. Do you still produce beats/plan on releasing more in the future?
TreeJay: Funny you ask that, I’ve been working and trying to get better at making beats. I’m actually about to start uploading new content either today or the next few days. Really excited to get back to putting beats out. I still want to drop a little beat tape at some point.
rubyhornet: Most memorable experience while on tour?
TreeJay: I really can’t pin-point just one thing. There’s been a ton of cool moments. From hanging out with Juicy J, seeing Mac in the studio with Bun B. Watching Ja Rule come out and perform a couple hits, it’s been a fun adventure.
rubyhornet: Do you have anything planned for the 10th anniversary of your 4/20 tape series?
TreeJay: I have a few ideas, I’d love to do some type of Apple Music release. Would also love to have a listening party in Pittsburgh or LA. I’d rather do it in Pittsburgh, but with these new weed lounges coming to LA that sounds like the move.
rubyhornet: If you could have a conversation with yourself 10 years ago from today, what would you say?
TreeJay: To soak up all the knowledge that I can. Keep my ears and eyes open. Make sure I network a lot better. And to just enjoy life.
rubyhornet: Anyone you'd like to shoutout?
TreeJay: Shoutout Ruby Hornet! Also check out this artist from Pittsburgh her name is Sierra Sellers. She’s gonna be the next wave I’m calling it now!
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Kanye West Mario Game "Lil Ye Land"
The demo version of "Lil Ye Land", a 2D Mario like game starring Kanye West has been released this week. The 'lil pixelated rapper travels through a dark dungeon fighting ghosts trying to escape. As funny as this game sounds, the artwork posted on the "Lil Ye" Instagram account is very well done. The amount of creativity Ye fans have with incorporating their favorite rapper into a video game is impressive. You can even hear the melody of "Amazing" playing in the background of the trailer video.
Play the game here.
Why XXL Freshman List Has Lost Support
XXL used to be something that hip-hop fans looked forward to every year. Over the past few years, the freshman list has fell off due to a few different factors. Allowing sponsorships and investors to have an opinion on the lineup has effected the quality of the list.
Artists left off the list in 2018: 6ix9ine, Rich the Kid, Lil Skies, Famous Dex, Lil Xan, Joyner Lucas, Tee Grizzley, Nav, Moneybagg Yo, Lil Baby, CDot, and many others.
Lil Skies & Rich the Kid declined to be a part of XXL. Skies went on social media and said that he could not be part of a rigged list. Rich the Kid declined after being given Skies spot.
Famous Dex was not on the list because of the assault video that came out in 2016. A similar reason was given for 6ix9ine, but later DJ Akademiks confirmed the true reason was a sponsorship issue.
With this all being said, the artists that made the list are dope. They have all worked very hard for their spot, yet the lineup doesn't have the same authority as in the past, especially when 5 or 6 of the artists who were left off the list, have made a much larger impact on the culture.
Phonte Shows Off His Crib in New Video
Phonte takes us on a tour of his enormous home in the video for his song, "So Help Me God". The one-take, "MTV Cribs" style visual captures Phonte walking around his home in a bathrobe.
The Marco Polo produced track hits hard with bars such as, "That will shit to happen like he Tio Salamanca. Bogart ya whole shit like we in Casablanca." Phonte name drops on the Mexican drug kingpin from the show Breaking Bad.
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