hip hop

Cory Gunz: Datz WTF I’m Talkin ‘Bout

‘Mixtapes’ are blessings for hip-hop fans, always. Son of rapper Peter Gunz, Cory Gunz is one hell of an act who should breaking into everyone’s urban playlists in a few years’ time. Bold prediction, yes, but amateur he is not. Datz WTF I’m Talkin Bout, his second mixtape, is full of straight-up, no-apology tunes that “keep things real” (in the truest sense of the genre) and might just be his potential ticket to the limelight.

Zaimah: The Collective Mixtape EP

You have your soul albums, and then you have your neo-soul ones. On the upper echelon of the latter (in our opinion, ‘course) is Zaimah‘s latest release, The Collective, a mixtape EP which serves as her return to form after a two-year hiatus. Well, it was worth the wait!

Poison IV: Fly Society

In this day and age where the feminine figure is starting to establish its roots on various branches of this male-fueled world, it’s refreshing to hear them flip conventions too; that, as beautifully executed by Poison IV. Megan Hamilton, who prefers to be called ‘Poison IV’, is not to one to get stuck on one genre. Despite a predominantly “hip-hop-ish” packaging, she transitions from one style to another as she pleases, not minding that she’s dipping into alternative pop, rap, and R&B as well.

Delaca: Delaca

Fusion is the game, and Delaca plays it smoothly [even literally]. Skirting along the neo-soul genre, the quartet — composed of Austin Antoine (vocals), Devon Taylor (bass), Justin Jackson (vocals and keys), and Amir Oosman (production) — is bringing a more laid-back brand of R&B to the table, kind of like the loungey type that dominated the 90′s.

Balance and the Travelling Sounds: Departure

Here’s one ‘departure’ from the usual R&B and soul you’re exposed to: Balance and the Travelling Sounds. Calling their funky music as “neo-soul” (remember Lili K?), the group meshes musical tropes from the jazz, R&B, and hip-hop genres to create a type of music that’s both nostalgic and unmistakably modern at the same time.

Lili K: My Favorite Things

Want us to name some of our favourite things? Well, we got one: it’s Lili K.’s newest EP – My Favorite Things. 22-year-old Lili K. has been making waves in the Chicago music scene with her unique flair of music, which she wittily dubs as ‘neo-soul’. True to her word, her smooth vocals hearken to the days of Ashanti’s “Unfoolish”, fusing them with catchy hip-hop beats.

Micah Freeman: The Timepiece

A hip hop concept album, The Timepiece by Micah Freeman takes you on a musical journey through several different decades of music. You'll hear a bit of 80s funk and the more raw 90s hip hop sound in here. This is the first album for the Baltimore native. It's done in collaboration with The DJBooth and is a solid hip hop/pop record that honestly brings to mind swagger similar to that of Pharrell and his time in N.E.R.D as well as Kid Cudi. The Timepiece is offered as a free digital album in exchange for your email. It's a great bargain, considering you're getting so much in the deal.