Hip-Hop

Lose Sight of the Shore

Artist: 
New Track City
Label: 
New Track City

At a first glance, the album cover says a lot about this trio of rappers based out of Federal Way, Washington, as Lose Sight of the Shore is “shore”-ly a sound that captivates what seemingly is fleeting in this day and age with rap and hip-hop. For one, I saw this album in our hip-hop collection and, needless to say, I have been bumping this 9-track album for about the last two weeks I’ve had it on my person (sorry Mr. Trujillo). New Track City is comprised of the brother-rapper duo of Bem and Chi.

Sounds Like: 
Wale (rapper Chi. Stone sounds like Wale and he works it)
Sounds Like: 
Curren$y (like Weekend at Burnie's Curren$y met up with Kanye's College Dropout and bada bing bada boom --> New Track City)
Name: 
Maximilian Serventi
Date Reviewed: 
02/19/2018

Marbled

Artist: 
Abhi the Nomad
Label: 
Tommy Boy Entertainment, LLC

Where to even begin? This is just GOOD stuff man. This album is a certified jam factory; watch out Smuckers. The opening track, “Mama Bling,” features a ridiculously catchy synth beat that sounds like it could be on a Chance the Rapper project.

Sounds Like: 
Chance the Rapper
Sounds Like: 
Aminé
Sounds Like: 
Anderson .Paak
Name: 
Taylor Griffith
Date Reviewed: 
02/16/2018

EP2

Artist: 
Yaeji
Label: 
GODMODE
Sounds Like: 
Joji - chill-hop vibe
Sounds Like: 
The Black Skirts - indie alternative beats vibe
Sounds Like: 
DAZE - rpm low key vibe
Name: 
Jaclyn Kelly
Date Reviewed: 
02/14/2018

Terminally Ill- Single

Artist: 
Forever M.C. ft. Tech N9ne, Chino XL, Rittz, DJ Statik Selektah
Label: 
MC7, LLC/RBC

            “Terminally Ill” featuring Tech N9ne, Chino XL, KXNG Crooked, Rittz, and DJ Statik Selektal is not my favorite. The rapping was decent, and super fast-paced. I really have no idea what they are saying, but energy is present. The producer mixes the track too, so half the time the track is EDM. While the EDM parts are probably meant for dancing, I honestly could not dance to this beat. Not to mention this track 6:37, which is really long since the song is so repetitive.

Sounds Like: 
Leo Black
Sounds Like: 
Jabbar Hakeem
Sounds Like: 
Ty Law
Name: 
Grace Penry
Date Reviewed: 
02/10/2018

King's Dead - Single

Artist: 
Jay Rock (ft. Kendrick Lamar, Future, James Blake
Label: 
Aftermath Records

After coming off an amazing year in 2017, Kendrick Lamar along with Jay Rock, Future, and James Blake put out the new hip-hop single King's Dead. This song is a pre-release to the star packed Black Panther movie soundtrack coming out February 16, 2018. The song is fast pace and up-beat with a very sharp lyrical delivery by Kendrick. Future's verse in the song is not as good as some of other feature track versus' he has done in the past, but the song over has a good flow to it.

Sounds Like: 
Kendrick Lamar
Sounds Like: 
Future
Name: 
Jaclyn Kelly
Date Reviewed: 
02/06/2018

Fckd it Up

Artist: 
Langston Francis
Label: 
Sony Music Entertainment

“Fckd it Up” is a pretty typical, sad R&B song. I like it. Langston Francis, the artist, is 16 and from Toronto. Hip hop, electronica and jazz all influenced his music. The beat is pretty simple, and the vocals are heavy, but Langston Francis has a pretty alright voice. Also, I think he has a lot of potential. Although some of his lyrics are cliché, he does a good job making fitting them to the rhythm, and they care creative in parts. It’s a pretty chill, slow song.

Sounds Like: 
Corbin
Sounds Like: 
Bryce Vine
Sounds Like: 
GOLDN
Name: 
Grace Penry
Date Reviewed: 
02/06/2018

Drip (Single)

Artist: 
Luke James
Label: 
Island Records

Luke James's single "Drip" is another part of the funk/R&B revival we've been seeing at the end of 2017 and the start of 2018. My immediate thought when I started playing "Drip" was Childish Gambino's "Awaken, My Love!" because of the high-pitched singing, the funky bassline, and the slow beat. The song is chill, without many moments where the song picks up. This makes the song easy to play when you're studying or just hanging out, letting it play in the background.

Sounds Like: 
Childish Gambino - "Awaken, My Love!" is incredibly similar to "Drip"
Sounds Like: 
Funkadelic - Maybe not as funky, more chill than Funkadelic
Name: 
Alli Gilbreath
Date Reviewed: 
01/30/2018

Shape the Future

Artist: 
Nightmares on Wax
Label: 
Warp Records

Sounds Like: 
Mount Kimbie
Sounds Like: 
Thievery Corporation
Sounds Like: 
Apollo Brown
Name: 
Ellery Page
Date Reviewed: 
01/29/2018

EP2

Artist: 
yaeji
Label: 
GODMODE

Yaeji is a Korean-American producer who defies the stereotypical sound of korean pop. Her music is a mix of house and hip hop, and this album has consistent beats in the background as she raps or sings along. The vocals are in both korean and english, however the two languages transition seamlessly. The deep bass and her lower voice makes each track easy to listen to while maintaining the feeling of dance music/hip hop. This album also includes a remix/cover of passionfruit by Drake, maintaining the famous beat but adding her own muted vocals.

Sounds Like: 
dj seinfeld
Name: 
Nicole Kim
Date Reviewed: 
01/29/2018

Hola - Single

Artist: 
Flo Rida (feat. Maluma)
Label: 
Atlantic

¡Hola! After kicking off 2017 with the release of “Cake” (then becoming the first American rapper to own a juice company) Flo Rida is back with a new single, teasing the release of his forthcoming, currently-untitled fifth album with “Hola”.

Sounds Like: 
Radio pop
Name: 
Andrew Boring
Date Reviewed: 
12/11/2017
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