Airplane James – Still Hurt
South Central’s own returns with the followup to 2022’s Lowkey Hurt. The beats are bouncy and go back and forth between upbeat and dark. He also goes back and forth between straight rapping and melodic rapping with autotune. Standouts for me were “Take It Easy” and “75 Degrees in Venice.”
Kayo –
Chicago has always been a factory for pumping out top tier MCs. Some of the hardest rappers ever and most conscious rappers have come from the city. Kayo falls more on the Common side of things as he delivers introspective bars over incredibly smooth production. He is extremely honest and vulnerable throughout the tape, but he is a skilled enough writer to still include clever punchlines as he paints his picture. Standouts for me were “Running” and “Grandma’s Boy.”
Dreamer Isioma – “F**k Tha World”
Chicago’s Dreamer Isioma is back with their new hypnotic single. I don’t know what genre I would classify this as, but it’s a vibe. The singing is laid back but passionate and the instrumentation is as spacey as the album cover depicts. The verses, which are a mixture of rapping and singing, remind me of the rap/rock group Paris Texas.
SHRETA – “did you think of us?”
This beat will have you bouncing from the minute you press play. SHRETA’s beautiful vocals will make you stick around for the rest. This song gives me SZA vibes with its excellent writing and infectious chorus. It’s short and sweet, and I loved the second verse on it.
Mills Supreme – “Double Breasted Suits”
Brooklyn’s Mills Supreme rides this impeccable beat like his life depends on it. The sample right from the beginning is so gorgeous yet menacing. You can hear the New York in his voice. This track is short, but Mills makes sure to use almost all of it to get his bars off.
JeRonelle – “Stuck”
Omaha artist JeRonelle is back with an extremely smooth r&b track. I love the strings and the little vocals going on in the background of the beat. JeRonelle’s vocal performance, especially on the chorus, is incredibly impressive. This sounds like a classic 90s/early 2000s r&b song.
Isaac Zale & Maadrhino – “Annabelle”
This beat is crazy. Zale flows well will with his chill tone and witty punchlines. The instrumental and chorus are trippy like a Travis Scott song. This song would be perfect in the car on a night time drive.
Cable – “22”
I love Cable’s voice. This song is extremely laid back and the chorus is currently stuck in my head. The production on this is crazy. I really enjoyed the melodic rapping on this one.
Michael Million – “Scars”
Richmond’s Michael Williams is a poetic artist with an extremely captivating voice. He kind of reminds me of TDE rapper REASON. I really like the background singing during the chorus towards the end as he discusses the importance of time in healing.
