TOWKIO has come a loooong way - drops new video for "Symphony"
I remember when TOWKIO was one of many jumping on stage during early Kids These Days and Chance The Rapper concerts, and dropping soundcloud tracks as Preston San (how many of you got that first Community Service EP?)
Since 2012, he changed his name to Tokyo Shawn, then finally settled on TOWKIO. It was through all the name changes that he also continued to find his voice, and style. He went from a member of the posse jumping around on-stage (that was an ill fucking posse though) to an artist with his own billing, to a headlining and touring artist that inked a deal with Rick Rubin. His visuals have been stellar and creative, and he added another one of those to his catalog today with "Symphony".
The track also comes with an official drop date for his proper debut LP, WWW, releasing on 2/16 via American Recordings/ Republic Records. The LP was executive produced by Lido and also carries production from homies Peter Cottontale and Knox Fortune, amongst others. "Symphony" is an upbeat track with more than a handful of quotable lines. The video shows TOWKIO getting a bit lost in the sauce, or you could say, drowning in the pool. Peep it below.
Na$im Williams + SiSi Dior -Highway (Feat. ShowYouSuck & K'Valentine)
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Back and rejuvenated for 2018, RH is proud to premiere the energetic single "Highway", Produced by Na$im Williams & Frtyz and performed by SiSi Dior, ShowYouSuck, & K'Valentine. Stream the song above and check out what Na$im and Sisi have in store for 2018 with our exclusive interview below:
Alexy: “Have you ever awoken from a nightmare to realize you are not awake” is a very gripping start to a song, what was the purpose behind that phrase?
SiSi: It’s a couple meanings behind that phrase. I’ve always been plagued by night terrors and sleep paralysis when i wake up from my nightmare I’m still frozen in fear though I’m in my room i can’t move I’m still not fully awake. The other meaning behind the phrase is it’s a part of my project Twighlight Zone I came up with Twighlight Zone because i feel like I’m living in another dimension it’s like my worlds been flipped upside down and I’m just living through it.
SiSi: I’m always listening to a variety of music I love this Band “Tycho” I ran into this one track and was like i need Na$im to sample this i hit him up and he & my other Producer Frytz worked together to make a masterpiece. Then i hit up a couple of my friends ShowYouSuck & K’valentine they completed the record and the rest is history.
Alexy: What are your plans following the single? Is there a project in the works?
Na$im: This is my first release since January 2017. I put out a track featuring my artists from Harlem and Cam'ron. During this past year, I have had the chance to work on so many more records and better understand what I am good at as a composer; my team and I did a lot of studying. SiSi and I are releasing a project in February called "Twlight Zone". We are also releasing the B side later this year. We landed some pretty cool features on these EPs. SiSi is really going to leave her mark this year. I'm better than ever too!
SiSi: I’m planning on dropping my Ep Twighlight Zone late February. I also have another project in the works with Showyousuck set to drop soon.
Alexy: What are you trying to get across with this new project?
Na$im: We just really want our supporters and the music world to know we are here to stay. SiSi and I have only advanced ever since we teamed up. We are confident in our abilities as musicians and our new marketing plans. We've been working with a small yet dedicated team. The work will definitely show.
SiSi: I just want people to understand who I am I want the audience to live in my shoes. Everything is not always as glamorous as I️t may seem. I want to be respected for my Craft and showcase my talent in another light. New sounds New wave.
KAMI- PAYLOAD
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KAMI rings in the new year with a jubilant new video for "PAYLOAD". With his excitable delivery and a synth heavy instrumental the track is a certified banger. Starting off with a grainy IPhone video the video morphs into a behind the scenes experience showcasing KAMI and the Savemoney crews carefree antics. The song is a celebration, toasting to coming from nothing, and making it in this cruel world.
A perfect mood for 2018. Listen above.
SHIRT drops "Flight Home" + Announces New LP with Third Man Records!
"I'm stronger than I thought I was... shit dawning on me."
Shouts to SHIRT, man. I've been saying for years how dope this dude is at rap music. You may recall I put the money where my mouth is in 2015 when Closed Sessions partnered with SHIRT to release the stellar EP, Rap Money. SHIRT also delivered stand out poetry on Rude One's ONEderful, via the song "1,000 Dutches".
Over the holiday break, Kris Ex relayed the news that Jack White's Third Man Records signed their first rapper. I, like, several other people guessed that the rapper was Black Milk - Black is a fellow Detroit native, and has worked with Third Man in the past. Kris coyly said that he knew for a fact that the mystery spitter was not Black Milk, and gave the hint - "it's how we met, dude."
Mind blown.
I met Kris through SHIRT while working on PR for Rap Money. Kris wrote a great piece on SHIRT in Feb 2015, I reached out to Kris about Rap Money... And now we're here.
Today, Third Man formally revealed SHIRT to be the first rapper to join their label, and partnered the announcement with SHIRT's new song/video, "Flight Home".
The song carries SHIRT's signature bravado. SHIRT has an unmistakeable voice and way of spacing his words that is truly unique and raw. Every bar has a tinge of something like "I don't give a fuck. I did contemplate it in earnest, but I don't give a fuck." Like he's thoughtful with the dismisses.
"Flight Home" is filled with raps about immaculately embroidered Gucci belts, museum visits in doo-rags, and the imagery of Sheek Louch copping Picasso's, while the video sees him ride around NYC atop a truck painted with his Nike Adidas design, "Nike cease & desist, but they still ain't stop me," he raps in the first verse. Apparently, this is something SHIRT has done many times before it was captured for this video.
That aside, it's not all boasting and bragging on "Flight Home", as SHIRT sends his praise and respect to Colin Kaepernick, points out the whiteness of domestic terrorism, and touches on the job market effects of uber and AirBnb expansions. He begins the third verse by illustrating the huge bummer that is daily news, well, on the daily.
In the chorus, SHIRT raps that he's traded his desire for copping shoes to airplane tickets, "used to want kicks, now it's flights home." For SHIRT, and billions around the world, Home is indeed a place that might not be perfect, but it's still home. For everybody.
Shouts to SHIRT for finding a new home at Third Man Records. His debut LP, Pure Beauty, is dropping digitally February 9th, with limited edition physical copies on February 23rd.
Raekwon returns with two records for your eardrums. Hear "The Biz" & "The Sky"
With Black Thought leading the charge in recent weeks, the 90's era of Hip Hop has bounced back into the public consciousness with a vengeance. The early and mid-90's is called the Golden Era for a reason and a handful of the time period's best emcees are still active and asserting their relevance. Raekwon belongs in that category, as the Chef has aged more than gracefully over the years. He released The Wild in 2017 to strong reviews, continued to tour and enters 2018 with two brand new freestyles in "The Biz" and "The Sky".
Rae kicks off "The Biz" with "Watch the God get ridiculous," and that is what he proceeds to do over a sample taken from "Nobody Beats The Biz". Rae has not been shy about rocking over older instrumentals going back to a couple years ago when was rapping over old soul tracks. Where "The Biz" is high energy, "The Sky" provides a little contrast and is more reflective and mellow in nature, appearing like a diary entry from The Chef.
Peep both below.
New Year, New Name, Same Kills. Watch Navarro's New Video For "Sin Sangre En Las Vinas"
"Son of a mother and a father who done did themselves, them dollars calling cause them pesos never added up well."
"Sin Sangre En Las Venas" is the newest single from longtime friend of the program, Navarro - who many rubyhornet readers will know very well as Scheme. For good measure, peep our video from 2010 of Scheme cooking up "Lose Your Soul" with Mikkey Halsted.
While the name has changed, the skills have not diminished in the slightest. Perhaps you could say the lyrical sword is as sharp as ever on "Sin Sangre En Las Venas", which translates to "No Blood In The Veins". As the title can suggest, this is not necessarily a happy track you dance to. It is a pointed narration of an immigrant's experience, and starts fitting with a news report about life in the barrio and songs of the street. Navarro picks up where the newscaster left off, giving the listener a visitor's pass.
The song begins in Spanish, with mentions of Cadillacs and Cervezas, before Navarro switches seamlessly to English for a proper introduction - "manifesting ghetto glory, tell'em this that boy, Scheme," he raps.
The single is the first from Modern Mexican Art: Radio Sonido, his first proper LP since he started the Beats and Bars program, where he mentors CPS students through the creation of new music and videos.
Frequent collaborator, Nascent is supplies the production and Gerardo Duran provides the visuals for "Sin Sangre En Las Vinas". There is something both triumph and haunting about the song and the story that Navarro tells. There is plenty of hope amongst the despair and struggle, and there plenty of quotables to keep the rewind button busy. Navarro saves one of his most potent bars for last, as he ends with "It's all power, I'm just trying to make it further, But Rahm could try to hide my murder."
Enjoy.
10 Best Beat Tapes Of 2017
The modern BeatTape has evolved quite a bit since its earliest ancestors. Legendary underground works like Kanyes early BeatTape were meant to attract the ears of rappers, not to be stand alone projects. J. Dilla's "Donuts" album came around and crushed that expectation, with an instrumental album so ahead of its time it liberated the modern Hip-Hop producer, allowing the beat maker to become the star of the show.
Instrumental albums have long been a part of music history but not until the last decade or so with the popularization of Soundcloud, Bandcamp, & Youtube have instrumental Hip-Hop albums begun to gain traction and popularity. While producers still have a long way to go before fans and artists alike start giving them their due, the snowball has been set into motion. Innovators like Chillhop Music and SteezyAsFuck and Ambition have given beat tapes a platform for fans to find quality instrumental content. As part of our own contribution to the culture we wanted to highlight our 10 favorite BeatTapes and producers that came out this year. So without further adieu I present to you the RH Top 10 BeatTapes of 2017:
10. Tomppabeats - Arcade
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Tomppabeats is arguably the king of Lofi Hip-Hop at the moment. Amassing a cult following the Helsinki based producer turns everything he touches into gold. "Arcade" is filled with soulful flips, choppy drums, and clever effects that showcase the brilliance of the Finnish producer. His Bandcamp is filled with gold and his catalogue can stand up to damn near anyone.
9. Bassti - Girl
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I first heard of German producer Bassti through his collaborative "Moonlight" EP with singer Melanie Rose. When I came across his "Girl" BeatTape I was amazed. The project embodies the euphoric depth of emotions one feels when they are in love (or at least thinks they are). Serene and calm this project is the definition of Chillhop. The keys on "Vinyl Drop" take the listener to cloud 9, the calm drums pace gently, head nodding music at its finest.
8. Keem The Cipher - Exploration
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Keem The Cipher was seemingly everywhere this year. I heard his beats jacked by wack and talented rappers alike, nor can I blame them, as the funk and groove in his drums is undeniable. "Exploration" is a journey into the wide sonic palette of the Chattanooga producer. The melodies vary, never settling on one sound, from the experimental soundscape of "Like You Mean It." right into the boom bap-esque keys and organ on "Thinkin' Bout//Franks Theme" to the rumbling bass line and hard hitting drums on "Dizzy!". The project ebbs and flows into a sonic gumbo.
7. Knight Ali - I Think It's Raining
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An aptly titled project "I Think It's Raining" is my favorite thing to put on repeat during a chill day spent indoors. The Aussie producer Knight Ali reps the rising Foreknowledge crew and wields an understanding of flipping samples that is second to none. The smooth guitar on "Fireworks" evokes a certain nostalgia not felt enough in modern music. His Soundcloud is filled with gems and is updated on a such a consistent basis one has to wonder where Knight finds the time to make all these high quality tracks.
6. Jinsang - Confessions
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Right from the opening strings you know you're in for a treat with "Confessions". While a little lengthier than the average BeatTape; the project is perfect for putting on your headphones and focusing on homework or other monotonous tasks. The sound selection in Jinsang's melodies embody the beauty of life and give the listener a renewed sense of meaning. Other essential listening from Jinsang should include his phenomenal "Solitude" tape.
5. Idealism - Hiraeth
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The minimalist aesthetic of Idealism production is perfect for a walk on a cloudy evening or a train ride through the countryside. The Finland based producer embodies the Chillhop/Lofi aesthetic with simple but profound drums, more being done with less, sitting with your own thoughts can be hard with a wall of sound in your ears. "Hiraeth" gives you the opportunity to step back and view the world from a simpler perspective.
4. Odyssee - Mezzanine
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A master of the craft Odyssee keeps things moving beautifully on "Mezzanine". The opening piano on the tape evolves in a complex progression not often heard in Hip-Hop. Not lacking in simplicity though the next track "Those Things" leads with a smooth Jazz guitar that would make George Benson proud. No track sounds alike, the monotony of a loop based genre not felt in "Mezzanine", an ever colorful kaleidoscope of sound.
3. Mt. Marcy - Sorry
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The detuned glory of the intro to "Sorry" shows Mt. Marcy means business. The sparse simplicity of the loops flows one into another like the river to the ocean. The New York producer never sticks on one topic for too long, brushing seemingly insignificant strokes across the canvas, until you step back and see the masterpiece.
2. Mujo - Reincarnation
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An absolutely hypnotic Lofi experience Mujo makes hazy early morning/late night music meant for drowsy eyed dreamers. The hi-hats pace the beats giving the mind something to focus on while the kicks pump in to give you that bit of life needed to get through the day. The Hungarian producer knows how to balance the classic Hip-Hop ethos with scratches and chopping while maintaining a contemporary sound.
1. Chillhop Music - Raw Cuts 2
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As mentioned before Chillhop Music and their roster of artists is moving producer culture forward one song at a time. The fantastic and eclectic "Raw Cuts 2" is a collection of beats pieced together with the singular theme of head knocking. Some cuts are choppy and experimental, others straightforward and classical, combined you see the vast array of talent united on one project.
Kendrick Lamar Drops Another Great Video For "Love"
Kendrick Lamar ends 2017 properly with his new video for "LOVE". The clip is directed by Dave Myers and contains both the straight-forward and metaphorically brilliant imagery. Anyone who is married or in a serious relationship can relate to all those dinner scenes. Props to Kung-Fu Kenny on this one.