Seba Kaapstad featuring Quelle Chris - "Our People"

Seba Kaapstad is a multi-national neo-soul/jazz group with set to release a new album in November. The first single off of that album also features rapper Quelle Chris. "Our People" is a laid back song, bathed in hip hop just as much as it is neo-soul and jazz. It's exceptionally rare for a group to not lean a little more heavily towards one of those three sounds, but Seba Kaapstad stands right in the center of those three genres with this song. It's truly hard to compare "Our People" to other songs or musicians, but if I had to make a comparison (and this is due to my own limited knowledge of jazz and soul) it would be Arrested Development meets Digable Planets.

You can listen to "Our People" below. Konke, the upcoming album from Seba Kaapstad, will be out November 13 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order a copy via Bandcamp. For more on Seba Kaapstad, check out their website.

Homeboy Sandman - "Extinction"

For his upcoming album, Homeboy Sandman paired with Quelle Chris for production. The second single released from the album proves this is even more of a dream pairing than we could have even hoped. "Extinction" isn't meant to be a top 40 hip hop hit. The new song is perfectly awkward. The production has an awkward and uncomfortable feel to it that you rarely get in modern hip hop. It's quite minimal, but in an almost hypnotic way. It's a mellow song, but this production keeps the tension up. For a genre that has been far too repetitive over the past two decades, "Extinction" is the rare song that breathes a freshness into it without trying to reinvent from scratch.

You can listen to "Extinction" below. Don't Feed the Monster, the upcoming album from Homeboy Sandman, will be out October 9 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album via Bandcamp. For more on Homeboy Sandman, check out his Facebook.

Homeboy Sandman - "Trauma"

The latest from Homeboy Sandman is far more confessional and raw than anything I've ever heard in hip hop before. "Trauma" is about exactly that. It details Homeboy Sandman's childhood of abuse and how it has impacted his entire life. While most rappers are focused on sounding tough and is filled with bragging, "Trauma" shows an intense vulnerability that gets deeper and deeper as the song goes on. The Quelle Chris produced song provides a perfect backing track, allowing the listening to focus on the lyrics while matching the tone of the song expertly.

You can listen to "Trauma" below. Don't Feed the Monster, the upcoming album from Homeboy Sandman, will be out October 9 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Homeboy Sandman, check out his website.

Namir Blade - "Stay"

Namir Blade is a Nashville based producer, instrumentalist, and emcee. He started experimenting with sounds at the age of six and kept at it at in high school at Nashville School of the Arts. His latest single, "Stay," brings a unique sound to the fringes of hip hop's mainstream. It has a laid back vibe that sounds like it could be at home on modern radio, but just unique enough to be its own thing. This is probably due to the sparse production, despite the song's fully formed sound.

Namir Blade says of "Stay": "'Stay' is a very poignant song that covers personal issues of abandonment, mental health, as well as the grim expectations thwarted on a young man growing up in and around impoverished communities. In this song, I reflect on past relationships, hardships, failures, while trying to maintain a grip on a thread of hope."

You can listen to "Stay" below. Aphelion's Traveling Circus, the new album from Namir Blade, will be out September 18 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order a copy via Bandcamp. For more on Namir Blade, check out his Twitter.

Marlowe - "Otherworld"

If you haven't been as excited as we've been for the upcoming album from Marlowe (the collaboration between L'Orange and Solemn Brigham), "Otherworld" will push you over the edge. "Otherworld" is perfect hip hop. Brigham's flow is effortlessly smooth, and has just enough of a unique delivery to set him apart from other rappers. And then there's L'Orange's production. I miss when hip hop had some discordant qualities, and L'Orange brings that back here. It has the noise of when early hip hop was bare bones and sounded like punk rock, but with a modern lush-ness to it. "Otherworld" does all of this while still being a banger (if the kids still say that.)

You can listen to "Otherworld" below. Marlowe 2, the upcoming collaborative album from L'Orange and Solemn Brigham, will be out August 7 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album here. For more on L'Orange, check him out on Twitter. For Solemn Brigham, check out his Twitter.

Marlowe featuring A-F-R-O - "OG Funk Rock"

The collaborative project between producer L'Orange and rapper Solemn Brigham is quickly becoming one of our most anticipated of the summer. Marlowe has teamed with A-F-R-O on their latest single, "OG Funk Rock." It's a just short of two and a half minute funky as all hell hip hop track with all of the edge we're starting to expect with anything involving L'Orange. But, still true to any music from Marlowe, it's still a surprisingly fun song. Their upcoming album is going to be a must listen.

You can listen to "OG Funk Rock" below. Marlowe 2, the upcoming album from Marlowe (aka L'Orange and Solemn Brigham), will be out August 7 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order a copy on Bandcamp. For more on L'Orange, check out his Facebook. For Solemn Brigham, check him out on Twitter.

Marlowe - "Future Power Sources"

Last year, L'Orange and Jeremiah Jae's Complicate Your Life With Violence was my #2 album of the year. I'm obviously going to pay close attention to anything L'Orange is involved with from here on. Since he's just released a new single from his Marlowe project, I'm going to listen to that ASAP. Marlowe might come out of nowhere to land on my Top 10 this year, too.

Marlowe is L'Orange's project with Solemn Brigham. This is their second album under this project, the first being 2018's Marlowe. "Future Power Sources," their latest single, is incredible. Brigham's flow is somehow both completely unique and oddly familiar. The song is completely compelling. Both Brigham's rapping and L'Orange's production feels like a throwback that is pushing the genre to where it needs to be. You're going to want to listen to this one nonstop for the rest of the weekend.

You can watch the video for "Future Power Sources" below. Marlowe 2, the upcoming collaborative album from L'Orange and Solemn Brigham, will be out August 7 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album via Bandcamp. 

Iron Wigs featuring Roc Marciano - "Bally Animals & Rugbys"

Iron Wigs is the project featuring Chicago's Vic Spencer and Verbal Kent teaming up with the UK's Sonnyjim (who also produces the project). For their latest single, they bring in Roc Marciano for "Bally Animals & Rugbys." The new song is laid back but with a quiet intensity. Each MC takes their own turn with verses, none overshadowing the others. Musically the song heavily relies on slightly disturbing strings, giving it a jazzy early Wu-Tang Clan feeling.

You can listen to "Bally Animals & Rugbys" below. Your Birthday's Cancelled, the upcoming album from Iron Wigs, will be out June 26 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album via Bandcamp. For more on the project, check Mello Music Group on Facebook.

L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae - "After Alley Life"

The latest single from the collaboration between L'Orange and Jeremiah Jae looks at a returning veteran's post war flashbacks and every day life back as a civilian. It's a very little looked at subject in the music world. "After Alley Life" makes this dark subject matter into a fantastic hip hop track. Somehow the song reminds me if Puff Daddy and the world of Bad Boy made a completely serious and dark song, and somehow succeeded. It's a perfect blend of L'Orange's minimalist yet flush production and Jeremiah Jae's laid back but intense vocals.

You can watch the brilliantly animated video for "After Alley Life" below. The animation is done by Eric Power. Complicate Your Life With Violence, the upcoming album from L'Orange and Jeremiah Jae, will be out October 4 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album here. The album is divided into three parts: recruitment, war, and the dark effects this causes. For more on L'Orange check out his website. For Jeremiah Jae, check out his.

Skyzoo & Pete Rock featuring Westside Gunn, Conway, Benny The Butcher and Elzhi - "Eastern Conference All​-​Stars"

The latest single from the collaborative album from Skyzoo and Pete Rock might be the most satisfying throwback of all time. It's a brand new song, but it just feels like 1990. "Eastern Conference All-Stars" is the ultimate laid back posse cut. It obviously features Skyzoo, but also verses by Westside Gunn, Conway, Benny The Butcher, and Elzhi. These kind of songs dominated most of the hip hop I listened to in high school, and "Eastern Conference All-Stars" pushes my nostalgia button perfectly. Skyzoo says about the song:

“When putting together Retropolitan, one of the first ideas I had was to put together the ultimate posse cut, with everyone who’s on the record being who I always had in mind.  Something in the vein of DMX’s ‘Ni**az Done Started Something, JAY-Z’s Reservoir Dogs, LL's 4,3,2,1, etc.  I broke the idea down to Pete, and he immediately played this beat. Pete knew exactly what would work for us to go bar crazy. When you put five top-tier lyricists on the same team at the same time; a blowout game ensues. Glad to have my peoples, who happen to be some of the best in the biz’ penmanship wise all in the same starting lineup for this all-star game.” 

You can listen to "Eastern Conference All-Stars" below. Retropolitan, the new album from Skyzoo and Pete Rock, will be out September 20 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album here. For more on Skyzoo, check out his Facebook and Twitter.

Skyzoo & Pete Rock - "It's All Good"

While younger artists working with their musical heroes has been common in the past decade or so for rock and folk artists, there hasn't been much in the world of hip hop. Skyzoo is changing that by working with the legendary Pete Rock on a collaborative album. I'm not that familiar with Skyzoo, but Pete Rock's work with C.L. Smooth helped soundtrack my teenage years. Their first single together is out, and "It's All Good" is, quite simply, great. It doesn't hurt that the beat for "It's All Good" comes from Rock's secret stash and is from around the time (1994) that Rock was working on Nas's beyond classic Illmatic. 

Skyzoo has this to say about the album:

“The idea for Retropolitan came from a feeling of necessity. The album is both a love letter and a wake up call to the city of New York. In an age where hype dominates reality, FOMO supersedes integrity and gentrification has supplanted tradition, this album is screaming for NYC to wake TF up – even as Pete & myself thank the city for all it’s done for us at the same time. Wake up from accepting your culture being stripped away from you. Wake up from believing that the people who aren’t cut from the cloth you created know your fabric better than you. Wake up from denying the change that’s taken place within you, told to be for your betterment, when it’s solely for theirs, and at your expense and detriment. Wake up from ignoring the identity you once had, the community you once built, the strength you once manifested, all to take on that of one you assumed would expand your reach, when all it’s doing is spreading you comically thin. Dear New York, all five boroughs of you, thank you for all you’ve done. You’re the greatest. Now sit back, listen, and wake TF up."

You can listen to "It's All Good" below. Retropolitan, the upcoming album from Skyzoo and Pete Rock, will be out September 20 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order it at Skyzoo's Bandcamp. 

Homeboy Sandman - "West Coast"

New York's Homeboy Sandman is back with a new single, "West Coast." "West Coast" is a perfect summertime song. It's fun and laid back, even though it has a surprising edge for a laid back song. Plus it's a pure hip hop song. There's no R&B chorus. In fact, there's virtually no chorus at all. For nearly the entire 2:38 length of the song it's just Homeboy Sandman rapping in an almost stream of conscious way. Plus, there are a few shout outs to hip hop classics sprinkled in.

You can listen to "West Coast" below. The song is currently available as a single from Mello Music Group via Bandcamp. For more on Homeboy Sandman, be sure to check out his Twitter and Facebook.

Kool Keith featuring B-Real - "Zero Fux"

Kool Keith and Cypress Hill are artists I will always check out their new output. Some of it is hit or miss, but it's always worth a shot. So when I see that Kool Keith has a new song out featuring B-Real? Obviously a must listen.

"Zero Fux" is a great song. It sounds very familiar. It might share a sample with a previous song from Deltron 3030, but maybe I'm just hearing things. Both are complete legends, so even if it is a shared sample, we can cut them a bit of slack. "Zero Fux" is pure old school hip hop, and exactly what you want to hear from a Kool Keith/B-Real collaboration.

You can listen to "Zero Fux" below. KEITH, the new album from Kool Keith, will be out July 12 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album here. For more on Kool Keith, check out his Facebook and Twitter.

Quelle Chris - "Obamacare"

Now this is what I want from hip hop. "Obamacare," the latest track from Quelle Chris's upcoming album Guns, starts off with a burst of bizarre almost industrial sounding noise that would sound more at home in a Sonic Youth song than your average hip hop song. From there the song gets a bit more tuneful, but there is this odd quality to the beat that isn't completely comfortable. As someone who's favorite rap group is Public Enemy, this is a type of sound I've missed for far too long.

You can watch the video for "Obamacare" below. And you really should watch it. Chris says about the video: 

“Like most of my visuals I try to find the place where proper pairing and a good excuse to try my hand at something I always loved as a kid meet. The video for Obamacare is an homage to many of my favorite PBS, Sesame Street shorts with a touch of Terry Gilliam (and I mean a drip. Trust me I know my place. Lol). It’s one of my favorite songs on the album so I figured doing collage work in the style of my favorite era of animation was fitting. About 95% of the video was taken from the pages of archived magazines. Next video will likely be animatronics if this trend continues.” 

Guns, the new album from Quelle Chris, will be out March 29 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Quelle Chris, check out his Twitter.

Nolan the Ninja featuring Jaye Prime - "Oranges"

Nolan the Ninja is one of the perfect rappers for those of us that miss old school hip hop. He drops the whole R&B chorus blueprint that has dominated hip hop for the past twenty five years. "Oranges" has a wonderfully sparse production. I would compare it to early Wu-Tang Clan, but it lacks that menace and sense of danger you heard in Enter the 36 Chambers. The music has an upbeat, nearly bouncy feel to it, so maybe we can go with Wu-Tang meets De La Soul? There are those of us that will think that sounds like perfection. Trust me, it is.

You can listen to "Oranges" below. SPORTEE, the new album from Nolan the Ninja, will be out April 19 on Mello Music Group. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on Nolan the Ninja, check him out on Facebook and Twitter.

Quelle Chris feat Cavalier, Bilal Salaam, Eldar Djangirov, & James Acaster - "Straight Shot"

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 friend and felt it was time to also introduce it to Bilaal and James. And, just as I’d imagined, everyone got along with the song swimmingly. Finally Chris called on his friend, Eldar Djangirov, who tied everything together with a piano solo that seemed to effortlessly say as much as, if not more, than I can put into words about the entire song and our time together. The rest, as they say, is today.

Not too many rappers refer to their songs as separate identities that they interact with. That's what Tori Amos does, which gives you an idea of how great "Straight Shot" is. Quelle Chris is a unique voice in modern hip hop, throwing back to the feel of classic rap but still moving forward in the genre.

You can listen to "Straight Shot" below. Guns, the new album from Quelle Chris, will be out March 29 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album here. For more on Quelle Chris, check out his Bandcamp.

Nolan the Ninja - "IMG"

Photo by Andre Moore

Detroit's Nolan the Ninja has just signed with Mello Music Group, one of the few hip hop labels that puts out music we consistently like. His first single on the label, "IMG," has just been released, and it's exactly what we want with hip hop. It could be called a throwback, but mostly because it lacks any autotune or an R&B chorus: It's just straight out hip hop. Nolan the Ninja has this odd flow that's equal parts laid back and intense. This is the kind of hip hop we wished was made more.

You can listen to "IMG" below. You can download the single for free now via Bandcamp. For more on Nolan the Ninja, check out his Facebook and Twitter.

MC Paul Barman featuring Masta Ace - "((((((antennas))))))"

Photo by Sasha Lytvyn

May is shaping up to be an amazing month for new music, and part of that is the long awaited new album (by me, at least) from MC Paul Barman. "((((((antennas))))))," the latest single, keeps up Barman's slow move from novelty songs like "Cock Mobster" to more serious songs. That's not to say there's no humor in the new material. "((((((antennas))))))" includes the line "Don’t hyperfocus on your diaper crocus. Just change your drawers and wipe your tochus," but it's a more mature humor. Plus, he is joined by hip hop legend Masta Ace for the song, which automatically gives it an insane amount of cred. The two styles of rappers gives the song this chill but still intense feeling.

You can listen to "((((((antennas))))))" below. (((echo chamber))), the upcoming album from MC Paul Barman, will be out May 18 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album here. For more on MC Paul Barman, check out his website.

MC Paul Barman - "(((commandments)))"

Photo by Sasha Lytvyn

Just in time for Easter, Passover, the Spring Equinox, and a full moon, MC Paul Barman has released the new single from his upcoming album (((echo chamber))). "(((commandments)))" is MC Paul Barman's take on The Ten Commandments. I can't quite tell if it's pro- or anti-religion (I have a feeling it's both maybe?) so let's just focus on the music. The track is produced by Memory Man with drums by ?uestlove, the music is reminiscent of the old Sesame Street "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9," which is hammered home by the singing of the Sesame Street song at the beginning and end of the song. Once again, not sure if it's planned or realized after the fact. It's a great song that straddles the line between classic hip hop and classic MC Paul Barman.

You can listen to "(((commandments)))" below. (((echo chamber))), the new album from MC Paul Barman, will be out May 18 on Mello Music Group. It can be pre-ordered here. For more on MC Paul Barman, check out his Twitter and Facebook.

MC Paul Barman featuring Open Mike Eagle - "(((echo chamber)))"

Photo by Sasha Lytvyn

For an MC Paul Barman fan who had lost track of what he had been up to, the past four months have been a cornucopia. We finally have word of a new MC Paul Barman album, and with it, the ?uestlove produced title track. "(((echo chamber)))" seems more like a traditional MC Paul Barman song than "(((leapfrog)))" did. It starts off incredibly quietly. The first few seconds have literally no sound, and it starts off so gradually that you might not realize it at first. Barman's first verse is more spoken word than rap. It bleeds into Open Mike Eagle's verse, which bleeds back into MC Paul Barman. There is no real traditional verse/chorus/verse structure and is one of the most refreshingly unique hip hop songs in years.

You can listen to "(((echo chamber)))" below. The new MC Paul Barman album, (((echo chamber))), will be out May 18 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order you copy on Bandcamp. For more on MC Paul Barman, check out his Twitter and Facebook.