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Hi-Rez: Product of My Environment

If you’re hoping to kick off 2014 with attitude, a fresh rap record might just do the trick. Of course, we already have a collection in mind. That would be Hi-Rez‘s fifth and latest mixtape, Product of My Environment, which brims with a bravado and authenticity that we rarely see from urban releases nowadays. What gives?

Hi-Rez: Lost Time [Mixtape]

Hi-Rez propels a new breed of hip-hop experience in Lost Time. In this 13-track mixtape, the 18-year old artist caters to a variety of musical palette as he blazes his notes in all the right places. Hailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, what makes Rez different from the large population of Southern swag rappers is his focus on smooth hip-hop rhymes that do not bombard the ears, but simply sails in a gentle cooing manner. This unique approach in rap music proves successful as he currently holds the record for the most downloaded mixtape by any unsigned artist out of South Florida.

Swear and Shake: Maple Ridge

If Bon Iver and The Carpenters had a love child, then it will definitely be Swear and Shake. Their new musical venture, Maple Ridge, paints a fresh new color to the somehow predictable indie folk landscape. Hailing from New York, the band is composed of Kari Spieler, Adam McHeffey, Shaun Savage, and Thomas Elefante. The quartet was formed last 2010 upon an encounter between Kari and Adam who then recruited two of his long-time friends Shaun and Tom. After that, the rest is history filled with live performances, tours across the US, and opening acts for big musicians like Alison Krauss and Ray LaMontagne.