For an artist like Meechy Darko, who has achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success as one-third of Brooklyn hip-hop group Flatbush Zombies, getting more personal was a fait accompli decided for him by external forces.
Gothic Luxury, is the rapper’s debut album after numerous LPs, EPs and mixtapes with his group. Meechy Darko is well aware that the “crazy shit, crazy-colored hair and psychedelics” of his group “are imprinted in the brains of many fans.” But on Gothic Luxury, drawn-out piano intros and laid-back funk meld with dark mini-symphonies that complement the album’s intensely candid themes; as a result, the album comes off as far more a solo album than an offshoot of the group.
Royal Republic are many things. Sweden’s foremost masters of addictive rock’n’roll. Trained musicians with a killer instinct for a great hook. Voracious music nerds with appetites that span pop, garage rock, heavy metal, americana, hip-hop and just about everything in between. Cheerful hedonists who’ll drink you under the table after shows and nail perfect four-part vocal harmonies on stage every night. The world’s most eclectic rock band? Quite possibly. Royal Republic have cultivated an ‘anything goes’ spirit that flies in the face of genre labels. No boundaries, no limitations. They’ll give you sugared up disco one minute, and tear your face off with a bludgeoning thrash assault the next.
Chance the Rapper is one of the biggest names in hip-hop, but even more impressive than that is the fact that he’s managed to achieve all of his massive mainstream success on his own terms. While refusing to sign a record deal, the musician has instead self-released five mixtapes, which have all been made available for free. Chance has taken home three Grammy Awards, including best rap album for 2016’s Coloring Book, and dropped his first official studio album, The Big Day, in July 2019.
Excluding his offering for the Space Jam Soundtrack, it’s been just over a year since we heard new music from Chance The Rapper. The Chicago rapper returns with the release of a new single. This one is called ‘Child Of God’ and features Naïla Opiangah and Moses Sumney.
Obongjayar is the moniker of Nigerian-born, London-based artist Steven Umoh. With afrobeat, soul and hip-hop influences, Umoh has created a bold, genre-defiant musicality. His debut full-length, Some Nights I Dream of Doors represents an exploration of everything from familial expectation to self-seeking politicians; there’s a boldness and a confidence to every track.
Now, Obongjayar has shared a brand new single, ‘Tinko Tinko (Don’t Play Me For A Fool)’. The track is taken from debut album ‘Some Nights I Dream Of Doors’, set for release on 13th May.
Mixing savage lyrics with a haunting, cinematic sound, this enigmatic duo deliver potent songs for surreal times. A heady air of dislocation envelops Drab City’s debut album, where songs of innocence and experience merge with dub, hip-hop, dream-pop and jazzy soundtrack vibes to intoxicating effect. Drab City are fixated on social alienation, violent revenge, and (perhaps) romantic love as salvation; topics not new in music, but listening to Drab City in 2020, one is struck by how uncommon they’ve become.
London-based artist and producer Subculture recently unveiled his mixtape I Dream of Everything via his own label Twisted Heart Records. The release is home to twelve mesmerising tracks that encapsulates his fascinating sound that delicately blends elements of electronic music, jazz, hip-hop and more. I Dream of Everything also sees Subculture pair up with Tertia May, Desta French, Hemi Moore, Louis VI, Rachel Chinourini, Grand Pax, Goya Gumbani, Cold Callers and Stella Talpo. He takes us through the influences behind the release below.
Nigeria’s Burna Boy who, unlike many of his peers, is a master at not only blending sounds of West Africa, but also incorporating elements of dancehall and hip-hop to create afro-fusion, a sub-genre that he’s found himself the face of. Though he’d been actively working at this meshing since his first mixtape, 2011’s Burn Notice, his work reached new heights with 2018’s Outside.
In the past few years, Afro-fusion singer Burna Boy has gone from Nigerian superstar to international sensation. With the recent release of his fourth studio album, African Giant, the Nigerian singer born Damini Ogulu has delivered a swaggering, electric, and passion-fueled statement that lives up to the towering persona being put forth at its outset.
Radio Magazine about Barcelona's indie and alternative music & culture scene. Live broadcast every Thursday from 10.00PM to 11.00PM and Saturdays from 1.00PM t0 2.00PM at Barcelona FM 100.5
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