By now, I’m sure just about everybody knows the 2016, off-kilter hit “Caroline,” and it’s homely, yellow-dipped music video with masterfully ham-fisted Tarantino references which compliment the lyrics. Obviously, from the jump, the rapper behind this piece of work is very polarizing. Love him or hate him, however, Aminé burst into the spotlight with a sly tenacity and refreshingly creative positivity. I will admit that while I enjoyed “Caroline” when I first heard it, I was able to recognize how radio-friendly it’s sound truly was, and I knew almost instantly just how overplayed it would be in the near future - yes this is my self-righteous way of proclaiming how much deeper my appreciation of music is than you by saying I found a track that blew up before it was big; and yes this makes me a better person than you.
Read MoreThe differentiation has inspired many artists in the city to go above and beyond the stereotypes that have plagued for quite some time but with the large number of artists who are looking to break the mold, the Southwest area of Houston has become a field of growing crop of artists who are making major headway in the hip-hop industry outside the points of Alief.
Read MoreToday, we kick off the series with budding Missouri City-based rapper, Burger Man. One of the members of the trendsetting group, FOE G4NG, Burger Man has been ruling the in and outskirts of Houston for quite some time and now he's looking to take on the rest of nation with his new music. Coming off the heels of his two successful releases, "Fuck College" and "Hunt", he's been receiving much love form labels, outlets, and social media personalities.
Read MoreToday we focus on the talented Tyler Benz, a videographer/photographer from the depths of Bainbridge Island who's been delivering some of your favorite flicks from Noisey/VICE in recent years. We chose Tyler because of the way he resonates with the younger artists in today's music scene and how establishes long-lasting relationships with them. Being early to the party with artists such as Lil Pump, Smokepurpp, Lil Gnar, Lil Xan, Lil Skies, Lil Peep, Yoppa Bam, Richy Samo, and many artists who solidified a space in today's music soundscape. Having the ability to work for such a credited source while also being able to deliver raw and edgy content has given Benz the platform to go above and beyond to tell his story with heavy doses of reality and the truth.
Read MoreGoodbye and Good Riddance, the first album from 20-year-old Jarod Higgins, better known as Juice WRLD comes after bursting onto the scene behind two solid single releases. The album shows Juice struggling with both relationship and substance abuse issues in an extremely personal way.
Read MoreAs we may know, Atlanta has become the haven for where hip-hop is today. In the process of bringing us different stars with the likes of Migos, Lil Yatchy, Young Thug, Future, Yung Bans, Gunna, and more, it's easy to say that the scene there has been quite versatile for quite some time. In the midst of these stars growing and building their mold, artists such as Slime Sito have been continuing to keep it 10 toes down and laying down a solid for the underground scene in Atlanta.
Read MoreThe king of adlibs and prince of leaked music, Playboi Carti has released his second full-length album as of May 11. “Made a mil of that mumbling shit...” pretty much sums up the self-awareness of said album. Where some artists would try to distance themselves from the thematic elements that make up the inappropriately named “mumble rap” sub-genre, Carti doubles down and proves the artistic merit to any “old-heads” or doubters of the aforementioned sub-genre.
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