Its not everyday as an emcee and recording artist that you just randomly connect with an artist who is just as oriented into music industry community building as I am. I mean that quite literally, artists such as Dutch 3 Times are far and few between. He's been super active in these multiple IG group chats where he connects artists together, adds them to already built out playlists, and voila... Dutch 3 Times is doing more than like 99% of artists I come across. On Aug 21st,

So an artist and indie label owner brought this point up on Threads as a sort of a gotcha moment because many people in the comments were obviously stating why that couldn’t work and then he responded with, “tells me everything I need to know, just watch me because I’m about to do just that”. He also mentioned people having a lack of music industry knowledge. Threads is sensationalist on purpose, we need engagement and views. The point he was making was that this structure an

Machines is a long overdue record that was bound to happen; given both Novatore and Merkules have collaborations with C-Lance! When this dropped I immediately thought to myself this record deserves an article, and here we are! C-Lance has an impeccable track record and catalog featuring the biggest emcees and lyricists of modern hip hop. C-Lance has the mainstream and underground emcees all over his work, I recommend doing a deep dive after reading this. Novatore's raw ru

Jovan Landry and D2G are two of my favorite emcees I’ve had the pleasure of following since we collaborated on Project Soul (2013-2014) at Columbia College Chicago. “Changes are hard, sometimes its never easy, relax your mind, its time to take a vacay, its for the better its not the end of world, so open your eyes and let your future unfurl!” The hook immediately puts you in a more hopeful state of mind, the way they flow over the instrumental makes you think of times you h

A one page article that highlights the bizarre attraction to GenAI for vocals when their biggest records needed human artists and vocalists.

An artist I recently connected with on IG sent me this new record he dropped which has his own interpolation of the famous Ann Peebles sample flipped in Missy Elliot’s Supa Dupa Fly. Rocky2Grimey brings his own flavor to this classic melody. What's crazy about his choice to rap over this beat is that I had to do a deep dive for the version of “I can’t stand the rain.” and let me tell you, there're MANY versions that utilize this sample or interpolation. Props to Rocky2Grime

One of my favorite chopper records of recent years which doesn’t get nearly enough shine is easily "Pump Up" by DaWreck of Triple Darkness, Never of Crucial Conflict, and the legendary arguably inventor of the rapid fire midwest style, Twista. Produced by XCELENCE, Pump Up is a joint that's perfect for riding down LSD in the summer while bumping out of your speakers. All three emcees hit flows and lyrics that are just mind blowingly DOPE. “Shaken the ground breaking the sou

I found Bridget Lockley through an artist group chat on IG! I always love connecting with new artists and offering an article. Lockley's sound captivated me immediately because her style reminded me of a late 90s/early 2000s British punk band that was circulating heavily on MySpace. Bridget Lockley, being Australian, has a refreshing accent on the record. I think that helps separate her as an artist, and she leans into her authenticity. Vocally really strong, its the type of

I’ve been familiar with Syl Messi for a few years now but this is the first record of his that I’ve covered! Star Freestyle is an introspective record that has a dope flow and a refined rap style from Syl; thought provoking while still being something fun to bump! That's the best combination; Syl Messi feels like an artist TDE would co-sign and put him on a Black Hippies project. A dope emcee and artist all around! Shot by Chicago staple of videography Ryder Visuals, Syl Mes

Bate$ has been juggling hip hop, modeling, father hood, and family like nobody else could! Fresh off the release of a new single, Bate$ channels positivity and manifestation in "Free". "Staying out the way, bout to own some property, learning new skills behind the scenes profiting, blossoming; controlling what I can, its how it oughta be" as a father and family man myself this line is so relatable... acquiring new skills, home ownership, and not worrying about what I can't c

Earworm after earworm after…Charlie Clips has another one; got damn. Fast Car contains catchy melodies and sleek retro vibes, putting you back into that nostalgic late 80s early 90s era. His music and this record need to be soundtracked to a film immediately, until then you still have the well styled, super cool, on location performances from Charles Infamous. The amber shades, the turquoise jackets, staples of 90s era fashion, Charles Infamous delivers another nostalgic clas

As an exercise in artist discovery and giving back to my artist community; I decided to go though my Spotify profile to look at the other artists that my fans [Also Like]. One of these artists that immediately stood out due to the catalog and monthly listeners was Kid Coffin. I decided to go search up his most recent release. I was pleasantly and insanely surprised. It never ceases to baffle me how so much amazing art and music remains obscure when the quality could topple re

Hip hop is built on authenticity. MOECYRUS (Aight Bet frontman if you weren’t aware) isn’t interested in chasing trends or waiting for someone else’s approval. This summer, he’s preparing to release his newest LP, I Wasn’t On The Bill. I Ain’t Comin. The vibes I get from the title infer a chip on your shoulder attitude which is known to bring out the fiercest of emcees. Intriguing, I'm here for it all! MOECYRUS latest LP arrives this summer 2026. I Wasn’t On The Bill. I

Lemon Pepper is the latest song and visual from Chicago’s rising star Howie Stackz featuring hip hop's savant in CantBuyDeem! The track Lemon Pepper is from Howie’s Fried Hard project; a 12 record album that dropped on March 25th of this year. The video hits that authentic Chicago feeling immediately with Howie and Deem performing inside and outside of the infamous Rothschild Liqours; the southside one off Pershing not the now defunct location that used to be off Chicago str

Would you take a ride tonight going 95 on 55? Maybe on Lake Shore Drive? The infectious hook that J Reaper rage sings is quite catchy and enjoyable. Self described as being influenced by Lil Peep and Juice WRLD, I can definitely hear it! I’d also add Nirvana as a possible influence. J Reaper’s Black Widow Love Bite is an emo rage core melodic rap track; the most precise way I could genre-fy it. But beyond labels, categories, and descriptions; it’s a hype song, whose melody w

Tarantino. Legendary. Universally lauded. He’s given us quite a few film classics. And yet his latest opinions on cinema, specifically Paul Dano’s acting; and his incredibly odd list of the top films since 2000 warrant my stark criticism. Black Hawk Down is an American war film. And historically, those do not inspire me much. Things like Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, Zero Dark Thirty, Dunkirk, American Sniper, and more just don’t do much for me in terms of inspir

Defined by spacy trippy beats, melodic flows, a raw style and attitude + extraterrestrial branding; A$tro $taxx drops a record that puts you in the mind of the biggest, the HUGEST, the bosses, the movers, the shakers, and go getters. The song lyrics are relatable as many of us have similarly large ambitions, home ownership, more money and income, financial freedom, truly living LIFE. Possibly at the expense of having some haters here and there, yet we swerve them like a UFO

Chicago’s D’So Nyce is on a run lately with his releases including the roll out of an album fit for the finest of hip hop pleasures and indulgences. “Keep it classy, like marble floors and china dishes, I need it fastly, like high speeds on the road to riches” “It’s astonishing actually more money more problems coming with it, we should be past it, lesson learned…” The lines kept echoing in my head as we shot footage for D’So and a gorgeous model named An’Gel on a white stu

Serving looks, attitude, unparalleled charisma, and cleverly catchy bars. Tay Exotic is the new female phenomenon making waves in the Chicago scene with her cutthroat bad woman mentality, video vixen presentation, and sharp lyrics that would leave any weak minded man beyond pressed. Strong women aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the tastes they do appeal to aren’t worried or insecure about their feelings towards a woman elevating in the music business. A principle of why I’m

This album is a must listen for any hip hop fan of West Coast beats.