Joell Ortiz x L'Orange - "OG"

We tend to love everything Joell Ortiz and L'Orange put out, and now the two hip hop artists have a collaborative album coming out. The first single off that album, "OG," is out now, and you truly need to hear it. L'Orange's production style is usually a lush and full style, but "OG" is stripped down to the bare minimum. It has this foreboding bass hum pretty much all through the song along with a quiet beat. Just to keep it more foreboding, there is this occasional burst of guitar noise that just lingers... and lingers. The intensity of the song is mostly from Ortiz's vocals. This is an intense and compelling song that changes the game for two of our favorites.

You can watch the video for "OG" below. Signature is due out August 11 on Mello Music Group, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Joell Ortiz, check out his Instagram. L'Orange can be found on Instragram here.

Kool Keith featuring Marc Live & Ice-T - "The Formula"

In case you haven't gotten fully excited about Kool Keith's return to his Black Elvis persona, the latest single also features appearances from Marc Live and Ice-T. Last month we heard "Space Mountain" which also featured Marc Live, and back in March we brought you a collaborative single from Real Bad Man and Kool Keith that featured Ice-T, but there's just something about hearing all three on a Black Elvis song that hits different. "The Formula" has that space age sound that we need from Black Elvis, and I'm never going to say no to a verse from Ice-T. I'm less familiar with Marc Live, but he steps right up and nails his verse alongside the legends. More often than not when a hip hop artist goes back to a persona or character after decades away, the result ends up sounding like a quick cash grab going after our nostalgia. Kool Keith is clearly not doing that with Black Elvis 2.

You can listen to "The Formula" below. Black Elvis 2 is due out June 16 on Mello Music Group, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Kool Keith, check out the artist on Twitter and Instagram.

Kool Keith featuring Marc Live - "Space Mountain"

"Space Mountain," the latest single from Kool Keith's return to his Black Elvis persona, is pure vintage Kool Keith. This is the type of song that sounds like it could have been an outtake from the original 1999 Black Elvis/Lost in Space album. It has that minimalistic but future sounding hip hop sound that is what we all came to love about Kool Keith in the 90's, and what we still love about him now. When a legend like Kool Keith goes back to a previous persona for the first time in over two decades, fans can be both excited and apprehensive. A song like "Space Mountain" shows that we should be ecstatic for this new album.

You can listen to "Space Mountain" below. Black Elvis 2 is due out June 16 on Mello Music Group, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Kool Keith, check out the artist on Facebook and Twitter.

Kool Keith - "Black Elvis 2 (Intro)"

Way back in 1999, Kool Keith released one his most iconic albums Black Elvis/Lost in Space. Now, twenty-four years later, he's revisiting that persona with a new album. In true Kool Keith fashion, the first single is the minute long intro track for the album, "Black Elvis 2 (Intro)." Of course, Kool Keith is the rare artist that can make an intro song good enough to be a single. While most intro songs are throwaways, "Black Elvis 2 (Intro)" is great, just short. It certainly doesn't hurt that the song is produced by If It's Too Loud... favorite L'Orange who adds his trademark throwback to classic hip hop while still looking forward sound to the track. As with any of his releases, Black Elvis 2 is going to be high on everyone's must listen list this year.

You can listen to "Black Elvis 2 (Intro)" below. Black Elvis 2 is due out June 16 on Mello Music Group, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Kool Keith, check out the artist on Twitter and Instagram.

Apollo Brown & Philmore Greene - "Steep Life"

We've covered Apollo Brown quite a bit here at If It's Too Loud... The acclaimed producer has a sound that is modern but reminiscent of classic hip hop. His latest collaboration is with Chicago MC Philmore Greene. "Steep Life" mixes both standard, mainstream, classic hip hop with something completely new. Musically the song doesn't quite sound like what I normally associate with rap. There's an interesting quality to it that reminds me of that 60's lounge throwback sound that was being made in the 90's, which fits Greene's laid back flow perfectly. 

You can watch the video for "Steep Life" below. Cost of Living is due out November 15 on Mello Music Group. The album can be pre-ordered/pre-saved here. For more on Apollo Brown, check out the artist on Twitter. Philmore Greene can be found on Twitter here.

Marlowe - "Light Trip"

Photo by Kevin Titus

L'Orange can do no wrong here at If It's Too Loud..., especially when he's collaborating with Solemn Brigham in their project Marlowe. Their latest single, "Light Trip," has this unexpected futuristic sound. It's reminding me a lot of classic mid-90's hip hop before samples basically turned hip hop into cover songs. It's a weird combination of retro 60's space age cool and classic hip hop, but while still sounding completely modern. Plus, Brigham's flow is one of the most unique ones out in hip hop today. It's like the laid back feel of someone like Snoop Dogg but with the buttery feel of classic Motown singers. Marlowe is one of the more special projects in hip hop currently.

L'Orange says of the upcoming album:

“This album feels like a maturity to who we are as a group. We set out to make something that was big, energetic, fun and explosive and I feel like we did that without losing control. I feel like Solemn and I are the best we’ve ever been.”

You can listen to "Light Trip" below. Marlowe 3 is due out October 28 on Mello Music Group. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on L'Orange, check out the artist's Instagram. For Solemn Brigham, check him out on Twitter.

Marlowe featuring Blu and Joell Ortiz - "Royal"

For the latest single from Marlowe (the musical collaboration between producer L'Orange and rapper Solemn Brigham), the dup brought in Blu and Joell Ortiz fora couple of verses. "Royal" is the perfect showcase for all three MCs. Each one gets to shine on their verse with a perfect, high energy backing track from L'Orange. With a ton of sampled horns, "Royal" has all the energy of a brass band but more rooted in hip hop than those collaborations usually go. If you weren't already excited about an upcoming album from Marlowe, this one will win you over.

L'Orange says of the new song:

“This one I wanted to get out of the way of the rappers and let them do what they do best.”

You can listen to "Royal" below. Marlowe 3 is due out October 28 on Mello Music Group and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp. For more on L'Orange, check out the artist's website. You can find more on Solemn Brigham here.

Homeboy Sandman - "Satellite"

Photo by Misshattan

We've been fans of Homeboy Sandman for a while, and that's going to continue with his latest single. Back in 2021, the New York based MC teamed with producer Deca on "All Because of You (Infatuated Duke)" which had fans asking for more from the pair. Because of that, Homeboy Sandman and Deca have a full album coming out, and we can hear the first single from that collaboration. "Satellite" is just what we want from Sandman. It's a laid back hip hop song that has an old school feel without being a throwback. Plus, Deca adds a jazzy track giving "Satellite" some Guru vibes. This is one that's going to have some staying power for us.

Homeboy Sandman talks about his new single, which was inspired by his 2014 song "Stroll":

“I love it but I felt I could improve upon it. I felt I could write a song that had way more depth and way more commentary and insight rather than just things I see when I walk around. 'Satellite' is my definitive environment record but it’s not only what I see, it’s what I see means.”

You can listen to "Satellite" below. Still Champion is due out November 11 on Mello Music Group, and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp. For more on Homeboy Sandman, check out the artist's website.

Marlowe - "Past Life"

It feels like it's been a while since we've heard from L'Orange. Luckily, the North Carolina based producer is back with new music, and, even better, it's his project with Solemn Brigham! Marlowe's new single, "Past Life," is exactly what we want from the collaboration between L'Orange and Brigham. It's a very jazz based song, which is going to remind you of classic artists like Digable Planets and Guru. But, "Past Life" is hardly a 90's jazz meets rap throwback. Marlowe's new song sounds like a modern take on that sound. While a lot of classic jazz rap was laid back, this one is upbeat and even bouncy. We tend to get into everything L'Orange related, but this one is great even by that standard.

L'Orange says of Marlowe's upcoming album:

“This album feels like a maturity to who we are as a group. We set out to make something that was big, energetic, fun and explosive and I feel like we did that without losing control. I feel like Solemn and I are the best we’ve ever been.”

You can watch the video for "Past Life" below. Marlowe 3 is due out October 28 on Mello Music Group. The album can be pre-ordered/pre-saved here. For more on L'Orange, check out the artist's website. Solemn Brigham can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Quelle Chris featuring Pink Siifu and MoRuf - "The Sky is Blue Because the Sunset is Red"

Quelle Chris continues to be one of the most innovative rappers out today. His latest single is "The Sky is Blue Because the Sunset is Red" and it sounds like a hip hop song with a title like that. Unlike the vast majority of hip hop released in the past forty plus years, this new song keeps the beats way in the back. Instead, Quelle's vocals (along with Pink Siifu and MoRuf) are the main focus of the song. Most of the music seems to be a loop of a disjointed piano. It's quite trippy, especially for hip hop. It sounds kind of like a modern, less mainstream version of PM Dawn. It's great to see an artist pushing the boundaries of any genre, but particularly hip hop.

You can listen to "The Sky is Blue Because the Sunset is Red" below. DEATHFAME is due out May 13 on Mello Music Group, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Quelle Chris, check out the artist's Twitter and Instagram. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.

5-12-22- Antwerp (Het Bos)

5-13-22- Copenhagen (Forbraedingen)

5-14-22- Utrecht (Ekko)

5-15-22- London (Café Oto)

5-16-22- London (Café Oto)

5-18-22- Newcastle (The Cluny 2)

5-19-22- Glasgow (Broadcast)

5-20-22- Edinburgh (Voodoo Rooms)

5-22-22- Leeds (Belgrave)

5-23-22- Nottingham (Bodega)

5-24-22- Liverpool (Kitchen Street)

5-25-22- Birmingham (Rainbow)

5-26-22- Southampton (The Rainbow House)

5-27-22- Bristol (Dareshack)

5-28-22- Hebdon (Zwolle)

5-29-22- TBC

5-30-22- TBC

6-1-22- TBC

6-2-22- Bordeux (TBA)

6-3-22- Lyon (Periscope)

Quelle Chris - "Alive Ain't Always Living"

The latest from Quelle Chris doesn't sound quite like any hip hop we've heard lately. "Alive Ain't Always Living" doesn't have that heavy beat usually associated with hip hop. Chris' vocals are right up front, followed by the music which sounds like it was sampled right off of a Victrola. Plus, Chris isn't exactly rapping. His flow is more of a sing-song spoken word vibe. "Alive Ain't Always Living" is an incredibly chill and upbeat track. This might sound like an odd comparison, but it's making me think of a cross between Cliff Notez and Biz Markie. Hip hop is a genre that can be very narrowly defined. It's great to see an artist like Quelle Chris doing his own thing.

You can listen to "Alive Ain't Always Living" below. DEATHFAME is due out May 13 on Mello Music Group, and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp. For more on Quelle Chris, check out the artist's Twitter and Instagram.

Homeboy Sandman - "Keep That Same Energy"

Homeboy Sandman just released Anjelitu in August and already has a follow up EP to be released later this month. The first single off There In Spirit, "Keep That Same Energy," has a modern take on old school hip hop vibe. The song is propelled by a cinematic sample of strings. It reminds me of early Wu-Tang Clan, but uplifting instead of gritty and foreboding. The grit for "Keep That Same Energy" comes from Homeboy Sandman's vocals. It's a track where the listener is implored to just be yourself, which is much more in tune with the conscious hip hop of the early 90's.

You can listen to "Keep That Same Energy" below. There In Spirit is due out February 25 on Mello Music Group, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Homeboy Sandman, check out the artist's Facebook.

Apollo Brown & Stalley - "No Monsters"

There has been a resurgence of classic sounding hip hop lately that avoids the modern sounds of R&B choruses and autotune. We're fully on board, and if you are you're going to love the latest from Apollo Brown & Stalley. The duo's latest collaborative single, "No Monsters," is both stripped down and fully fleshed out into an epic sound. The beats and music is very sparse, but the production uses what sounds like a choir to fill out the sound. "No Monsters" is a fairly laid back song with a simmering intensity that is going to suck you in.

Stalley says of the new song:

"When you grow up in poverty around hustlers, killers and junkies the boogie man isn’t scary to you at all."

You can watch the video for "No Monsters" below. Blacklight is due out November 19 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album here. For more on Apollo Brown, check out the artist on Twitter. You can find Stalley's Twitter here.

Joell Ortiz - "OG"

If you're going to be a rapper who calls a song "OG," it better be as old school as possible. Joell Ortiz delivers that. "OG" is pure hip hop. There are no R&B choruses and no auto-tune. It's more early 90's hip hop than 80's, but that's just the slicker production that wasn't available in the 80's. Plus, it's a song that talks about how wild and crazy life once was, but now Ortiz is in the suburbs with high cholesterol and shopping in Home Depot for a gazebo, but very happy with that since he's one of the ones that is still alive. It's one of the great songs about hip hop gracefully entering and thriving in middle age.

In a press release, Joell Ortiz says of the new song:

“I feel so lucky to be able to call myself an 'OG.'  Where I come from adulthood isn’t always a guarantee.  But here I am, alive, and well and still doing what I love to do.  Music.  As life changes, so does my story.  Just happy to still be able to share it with you all the best way I know how.  Over these beats! Yaowa”

You can listen to "OG" below. Autograph is due out November 12 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order/pre-save a copy here. For more on Joell Ortiz, check out the artist's Twitter.

Homeboy Sandman - "No Beef"

When you first see that Homeboy Sandman has a song called "No Beef," you would assume it's the Urban Dictionary definition of "To fight or Scrap with another person." Instead the song is about Homeboy Sandman being vegan. In fact, it may very well be the best song about being vegan ever recorded. "No Beef" is an off-kilter alt-hip hop jam. Musically it doesn't quite sound like any other hip hop out there despite being purely hip hop (even without the sample from "La Di Da Di"). It's an interesting song that branches hip hop off into a direction it doesn't normally go into.

Homeboy Sandman says of the new song:

"I had psoriasis all over my body. It was driving me crazy. I asked the doctor “could it be something I’m eating?” She looked me dead in the eye, straight faced, “food has nothing to do with it.” Thank God for the intuition to disregard her “treatment plan” intended to make me a lifetime customer of the medical industry. Year and a half after removing all meat and dairy from my diet my skin is completely clear. I met a dude who told me he cured his diabetes eating plants. I talked to a guy just the other day who told me he cured his mother’s cancer. It’s all in The China Study you should read that. I’m not saying every body is the same. I’m just saying my doctor straight lied to me. Now that’s true, that’s why I never have no beef." 

You can listen to "No Beef" below. Anjelitu is due out August 6 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Homeboy Sandman, check out the artist's Facebook.

L'Orange - "Durbin Was a Trap House"

L'Orange can do no wrong. The hip hop producer has been on fire the past few years, releasing amazing collaborative albums with Solemn Brigham, Jeremiah Jae, Namir Blade, and more. For his upcoming album, he's going solo and releasing instrumental tracks. The first single from the album is "Durbin Was a Trap House." There are some sampled vocals, so it's not 100% instrumental, but we won't hold it against him. The song is a laid back, jazzy, and funky hip hop track. Even if instrumental hip hop doesn't sound appealing to you, you're going to get into this. L'Orange has bought himself some leeway with his last few albums. He's earned for us to give anything he touches a shot, and he has yet to disappoint us.

L'Orange says of the new song:

"When you're growing up depressed, the world can feel like chaos. Then, sometimes you feel better and the world still feels like chaos. But you feel better. And, one day, you realize that the world is the same as it always is but sometimes you feel better."

You can watch the video for "Durbin Was a Trap House" below. The World is Still Chaos, But I Feel Better is due out September 3 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order/pre-save a copy here. For more on L'Orange, check out the artist's website.

Skyzoo featuring Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - "Bed-Stuy is Burning"

There has been an uptick in hip hop artists teaming with brass bands lately, and we're all in for it. The latest is Skyzoo who brought in Hypnotic Brass Ensemble for his latest single, "Bed-Stuy is Burning." The song is a lament about the gentrification of the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn. It's a mournful song that also implores other cities to fight gentrification. The horns of Hypnotic Brass Ensemble add just the right feeling of loss and sadness. It's an interesting technique since brass bands are usually used for a celebratory feeling. "Bed-Stuy is Burning" captures what the neighborhood truly lost as it became just another corporate American neighborhood.

You can watch the video for "Bed-Stuy is Burning" below. All the Brilliant Things is due out June 11 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album via Bandcamp. For more on Skyzoo, check out the artist's website.

L'Orange & Namir Blade - "Corner Store Scandal"

After his recent string of fantastic collaborative albums, we're going to pay attention to anything L'Orange is involved with. His latest is with Namir Blade, and the first single from the pair's collaboration sure sounds like this will be another must listen album. "Corner Store Scandal" sounds like the 90's peak of hip hop. It's impossibly funky, and is an absolute jam despite being a little laid back. Plus, there's some killer guitar soloing in the song, which you rarely hear in hip hop these days, even if there is a live band. It does avoid the R&B chorus taken from the sample, so it hits literally all of my personal hip hop buttons. L'Orange has done it again, and I'll be falling deeply into a Namir Blade musical wormhole for the rest of the week.

Namir Blade says of the new song: “I wrote this song after making an exuberant purchase at a corner store, sometimes you just have to allow the mundane to be extravagant.”

You can watch the video for "Corner Store Scandal" below. Imaginary Everything is due out May 7 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order the album via Bandcamp. For more on L'Orange, check out his website. For more on Namir Blade, check him out on Twitter.

Seba Kaapstad featuring Oddisee - "I'm Scared"

Seba Kaapstad, our favorite multi-national jazz/hip hop/R&B collective, have a new album out this Friday, and a new single to check out today. "I'm Scared" showcases the R&B side of the group, with the jazz side providing incredibly smooth instrumentation to suck the listener in. It's a powerful, uplifting track that blends all three genres seemlessly into one compelling sound. Plus, the addition of Oddisee providing a rap verse in the middle of the song is the perfect 90's throwback for many of us.

Singer Zoe Modiga says that "I'm Scared" is “a record that looks into the vulnerability of sharing the things we most fear. It is a song that humanizes us and though fear is a low frequency emotion, it can be acknowledged for one to work towards a better emotion.” 

You can listen to "I'm Scared" below. Konke, the upcoming album from Seba Kaapstad, will be out on November 13 via Mello Music Group. You can pre-order a copy on Bandcamp. For more on Seba Kaapstad, check our the group's Twitter and Facebook.

Seba Kaapstad - "Konke"

Multi-national neo-soul/jazz collective Seba Kaapstad are back with a new single off their upcoming album. "Konke" translates to "everything," and the song "Konke" is a celebration of everything. It features Zoe Modiga and Ndumiso Manana singing about the simple and not-so-simple things they want, which hits harder in the time of COVID. It's this incredible blend of soul, R&B, hip hop, and jazz that truly shows off every style and every genre. Just when you think the song is leaning more towards any style, it shifts ever so slightly into another while staying the course of the song.

You can watch the video for "Konke" below. Konke, the upcoming album from Seba Kaapstad, will be out November 13 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Seba Kaapstad, check out the band's website.