If It's Too Loud...

2025 seemed to be a year that hip hop stepped up, and multiple albums were released that moved the genre forward in unique ways. My personal favorite hip hop album of the year is McKinley Dixon's Magic, Alive! There's nothing out there today that sounds anything like this album. It's a mix of hip hop and jazz, with elements of noise rock, choral groups, and maybe a dozen other styles. Hip hop this experimental and creative doesn't usually have mainstream appeal, but I truly think most hip hop fans could fine something to like about Magic, Alive! if it reached them. The songs swing from laid back and chill to more intense bangers, and sometimes are both at the same time. It's like a modern equilvelent of artists like Gang Starr or A Tribe Called Quest. Plus, the album features appearances from Anjimile, Quelle Chris, Ghais Guevera, and more. McKinley Dixon gave us one of those albums that keeps blowing minds more with each and every listen, and gets better every time...

I've been absolutely crushed with real world stuff, so here are some of my favorite listens of the last few weeks. A playlist on the bottom made for the shuffle for other highlights. Artist : Aesop Rock Album : Black Hole Superette Quick Thoughts : There were a ton of great rap albums out the last few weeks, but this one in particular stuck with me and not only because I'm an Aesop Rock fanboy who grades everything he does on a curve. The album's cohesive structure feels a little more the lostwave extension of Integrated Tech Solutions which is absolutely something I'm here for. No skips found. Songs of Note : "Secret Knock," "Checkers," "Movie Night," "1010WINS," "Send Help," "John Something," "Ice Sold Here," "Bird School," "Steel Wool," "Charlie Horse," "The Red Phone" Artist : The Minus 5 Album : Oar On, Penelope! Quick Thoughts : The proli...

Photo by Dennis Larance We've been going pretty nuts about the singles for McKinley Dixon's upcoming album due out tomorrow (June 6). We didn't think we could get more excited for it, and then Dixon went out and released the title track, and we're completely blown away. "Magic, Alive!" is one of the most exciting tracks of the year. It's a pure hip hop track, but it doesn't sound like any hip hop song I've heard before. It's a high energy song based in jazz, but with an attitude more like indie rock and punk. "Magic, Alive!" shows Dixon moving the genre forward, whether or not the mainstream wants it to. This is a giant hip hop track, and I can almost guarantee that even those that refuse to enjoy hip hop are going to like this one. Buckle up, because you're about to hear a strong song of the year contender from an album of the year favorite. McKinley Dixon says of his latest single and video: "‘Magic, Alive!’ is me telling t...

Photo by Dennis Larance McKinley Dixon is one of the most creative rappers out there today. The Richmond-born, Chicago-based MC has released "Recitatif," which is a song that flows through multiple styles throughout its four minute length. It starts off more chill and almost orchestral, and then evolves into a more intense hip hop track that sounds kind of space age-esque. From there it becomes almost a horror rock song to close out. The song doesn't sound like anyone else in modern hip hop, and each section sounds and feels completely unique while flowing together as a cohesive artwork. Dixon is an artist that simply must be heard. McKinley Dixon says of his new single: “‘Recitatif’ is a song in three parts! The story is told through a dream sequence, a boy woken up by his destination, and a feeling personified. One of my favorite songs from the album, and a pivotal moment in the sequencing of the record.” You can watch the video for "Recitatif" below. Magic, A...

Photo by Dennis Larance The connection between punk and rap is evident in the latest single from McKinley Dixon. "Sugar Water" is a two minute burst of hip hop that is a huge and emotional journey for the listener. The track bursts right out of the gate and changes up its sound a few times without losing a step. It includes a chorus that is more gospel choir than R&B, along with some of the coolest hand claps in music. "Sugar Water" is the kind of track that will unite old school hip hop fans along with modern ones, with each side being able to claim an equal stake in the song. And if the song couldn't possibly get better, it also features Quelle Chris and Anjimile. McKinley Dixon says of his new single: "'Sugar Water' is a discussion on how to make fleeting moments last forever, and how to carry those not here with you through time and space. It raises the question 'what’s the price to pay for an eternal life lived through others memories?’...

Photo via Facebook Since we last heard from McKinley Dixon, the rapper has relocated from Richmond, VA to Chicago. The move also signals a change in sound with his latest single "Sun, I Rise." The new song is much more orchestral and cinematic than we're used to, with live drums and keys throughout. Despite the live drums and keys, "Sun, I Rise" isn't a jazz based hip hop song. This is pure hip hop, just not with the typical musical backdrop. Plus, it features vocals by Angelica Garcia not just for the chorus but throughout the verses more as a backing instrument. Hip hop can be a fairly stagnant genre, and it's great to see an artist like McKinley Dixon expanding the genre's sound. You can watch the video for "Sun, I Rise" below. The single is available now via City Slang, and can be purchased/streamed here . For more on McKinley Dixon, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Tonje Thilesen JayWood is Winnipeg based musician and songwriter Jeremy Haywood-Smith. His latest single, "Shine," is a blend of hip hop and R&B that has a terrific classic hip hop summertime feel. The song also features Richmond, VA's McKinley Dixon and is oddly positive despite the track's inspiration. While all of the song's on JayWood's upcoming album take place in the same day, "Shine" was written on the night of George Floyd's murder.  Jeremy Haywood-Smith says of his new song: “ I don’t think I’ve ever really felt activated or militant as much as I did the summer of 2020 .  It was an exhausting time but I wanted to try to do something to commentate on everything that was happening. As soon as the idea came to make a hip hop song I knew I had to get McKinley on it. The way he writes is so wild, I felt inspired to do something on that level as well. "  You can watch the video for "Shine" below. Slingshot is due ou...

Photo by David Muessig The most intriguing thing about all the singles from McKinley Dixon's upcoming album is how different they all are. Each song sounds virtually nothing like the one before it. A song like "make a poet Black" is more free jazz than pure hip hop while "Swangin'" is a modern, mainstream hip hop song. His latest, "Bless the Child," is on the more mainstream side of hip hop, but still sounds nothing like "Swangin'" does. It's the kind of track that builds and builds in tension, and while it ends abruptly at one minute fifteen seconds, that short length ends up just adding to the song's intensity. It's like mainstream hip hop meets early 80's hardcore.  In a press release, McKinley Dixon says of the song: " Loosely named after Toni Morrison’s novel 'God Help The Child' this song is probably a direct relay of me trying to do time travel through processing outloud .  Broken up into three sect...

Photo by David Muessig The most intriguing things about the three singles we've heard from McKinley Dixon's upcoming album is how varied they've all been. The latest, "Chain Sooo Heavy," goes even deeper into free jazz than the previous two. On this track, the Richmond, VA hip hop artist destroys everything you expect with a hip hop song. From his flow, to his use of jazz, to the entire structure of the song... "Chain Sooo Heavy" is wildly unique and innovative. At times it sounds like fairly standard modern hip hop, and at other times it sounds like a stream of consciousness free jazz freak out. And others? I can't even describe it. His upcoming album is becoming a stronger and stronger candidate for album of the year with every song we hear from it. You can listen to "Chain Sooo Heavy" below. For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her is due out May 7 on Spacebomb. You can pre-order/pre-save the album here . For more on McKinley Dixon, chec...

Photo by David Muessig It's been a while since I've been this excited for an upcoming hip hop release, but the latest from McKinley Dixon is hardly your typical hip hop album. His latest single, "Swangin'," runs a little more mainstream hip hop than "make a poet Black" was. In some bizarro world, "Swangin'" could be a huge top 40 hit, and it very well could end up there. Dixon's flow is laid back to being almost Snoop Dogg level, although it does slowly build in intensity as the song goes on. This is the kind of song that begs for driving around with your windows down in the warm weather. It could very well end up being the summer song of 2021. McKinley Dixon says of the new song:  "I usually don’t have one person produce all the instrumentals on songs of mine but Letjoux isn’t just anybody. Living in Richmond, this beat Josh (Letjoux) made just sounded so Virginia, I had to rap over it.  It sort of fills the void of wanting to mak...

Photo by David Muessig Every now and then, the universe works out. Over the weekend, I was listening to a podcast interviewing Lucy Dacus, and she mentioned how when she was starting out in Richmond, VA, she was playing multi-genre DIY shows. One of the artists she would play with was rapper McKinley Dixon. I mentally filed this name away to check out later, which means I immediately forgot it. Yesterday, we received an email alerting us to a new song from Dixon.  Apparently, us bringing you "make a poet Black" is kismet. McKinley Dixon isn't going to sound like anyone you have heard before. Sure, free jazz and hip hop have been blended for decades, but not like in "make a poet Black." Dixon's flow is intense. It sounds almost like a freestyle or a stream of conscious. The start of the song is going to sound like early Wu-Tang Clan, but it quickly branches out into a sound all its own. The music is simplistic while having a huge cinematic sound. The song jus...