If It's Too Loud...

Some nights music can transcend the space you're in. This is especially true for shows that you don't have high expectations for. You go kind of on a whim, and end up being blown away by every artist you see. That was the case Saturday night at The Cantab Lounge with the triple bill of Ghais Guevara, student 1, and Cavalier. Cavalier opened the night. As with most indie hip hop shows, he played his backing music on a laptop. Usually that's not the best option, but Cavalier made it work. He has this ultra laid back flow that immediately engaged the audience. His style was very lo-fi in a way that only added to his sound. This was my first experience even hearing Cavalier, and I was a fan by the time he left the stage. Up next was student 1. Much like Cavalier, he had an incredibly laid back style. With someone manning his laptop, he came on stage almost immediately after Cavalier and kept the music going. Even the songs he introduced by saying they were aggressive or dance s...

Photo by Natalia Vachisvili billy woods' new album is due out tomorrow, but we're so excited we can't wait the extra day, so here's a new single until then! "Lead Paint Test" has that sound that only billy woods can. Without being a throwback, its roots are in the golden age of hip hop while looking far down the road into the future of the genre. This is the anti-modern mainstream hip hop style. There aren't any samples of iconic songs, and not a shred of an R&B hook. For those of us that grew up with rap before 1995, "Lead Paint Test" is going to sound exactly what it should sound like in 2025. Plus, adding ELUCID and Cavalier is certainly not a negative thing. You can listen to "Lead Paint Test" below. Golliwog is due out May 9. For more on billy woods, check out the artist on Instagram and Twitter . Upcoming tour dates are below and include a September 17 date at Brighton Music Hall in Boston. 5/28 - Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5 5/29 -...

The latest single from Quelle Chris is a rare gorgeous hip hop song without any R&B involved. It involves guest rappers Cavalier and Bilal Salaam, but also has Grammy nominated pianist Eldar Djangirov and comedian James Acaster. Just to show how different "Straight Shot" is from the vast majority of hip hop out there today, here is what Quelle Chris has to say about the song:  Straight Shot is one of those ideas that reached out to me, we got along and I simply showed it around town. The chorus, poem at the end and basic piano progression literally came to me in two separate dreams. My first thoughts were “I gotta introduce you to Bilal Salaam and James Acaster. Though I’m not sure just how to yet.” Then as we hung out I knew I needed to first introduce the idea to Chris Keys. Now initially I thought it was an interlude but quickly realized while hanging with Chris it was a song. After writing the first verse I knew I needed to invite Cavalier over to meet our new fri...