With the internet and social media having such a big impact on what (and who) people are paying attention to, we often tend to see a lot of the same content.
There are so many new products, trends and public figures at the tips of our fingers for our immediate consumption, that it is easy for them to get overlooked because everyone is so busy moving on to the next big thing. This is how I feel about music. There are so many new artists and music to that it’s pretty much impossible to hear it all, though we may try. So, these are a few of my favorite songs of the week by up and coming artists:
Cuban Doll
Cuban Doll, who also goes by Cuban Da Savage, hasn’t been rapping for that long but the 19-year-old Dallas native has managed to create her own lane in Hip-Hop in just a short amount time. Her career grew quickly after the success of her latest project entitled Aaliyah Keef. “Bankrupt”, her most popular song off the project, has quickly spread on social media and even scored her a record deal with Capitol Records recently. Cuban flawlessly executes her signature southern flair on the self-made anthem, where she raps about hopping out of her feelings and in to her bag. Listen to “Bankrupt” below:
Juice WRLD
Juice WRLD makes the type of music that will resurrect your past teenage angst and emo phase that you buried after high school, once it stopped being cool. With his start on SoundCloud leading to a $3 million joint venture with Interscope, the Chicago rapper’s music is different from most of the music that is out now. Some may dismiss him as just another “SoundCloud rapper” in a genre that is already saturated with similar artists who also started on the music platform, and his sound is similar to the ‘emo lyrics over trap beats’ trend that has become popular in Hip-Hop. But Juice WRLD nurses his own personal style, layering dark yet catchy lyrics over hypnotic trap beats. Listen to his song “Autograph” below:
Juice WRLD – Autograph (on my line) [prod. nick mira Klimax] from Illuminate Productions on Vimeo.
Doja Cat
Although Doja Cat is still on the rise, she isn’t new to making music. Her 2014 hit “So High” generating more than 14 million views on YouTube and more than 3 million plays on SoundCloud. Doja went MIA for a while, only releasing a handful of songs within the past two years, but thankfully she’s back and here to stay. Her debut album “Amala” dropped on March 30th, and one of the single’s off the project entitled “Roll with Us” has over 1 million streams on Spotify. What I love most about Doja is that, musically, there is no one else out there like her. The singer has stayed true to her unique sound which is a combination of Rap, R&B and Pop. Her voice is distinctive yet dynamic, skillfully flowing between playful raps and fun melodies on heavy bass beats to smooth and soulful vocals on her more slow and seductive beats. Her overall style is fresh and bold, and it’s only a matter of time before she makes her mark in the music industry. Listen to “Roll With Us” below:
AllBlack
Bay Area rapper AllBlack has created a lot of buzz in Cali’s underground rap scene for a while now. He dropped his EP “KimSon” in the fall of last year and recently opened up for SOBxRBE on their tour. AllBlack’s style is the epitome of Oakland’s “hyphy” culture and his music is a reflectiong of their up-tempo beats popularized by artists like E-40, Mac Dre and DJ Mustard. Listen to “Canadian Goose” below:
Tommy Hittz x Billionell
Kehlani, Chris Brown and CeeLo Green are amongst the many big names that Tommy Hittz has written and produced music for. The Grammy nominated producer is back again, and this time he has teamed up with Virginia artist Billionell. Their new song “FUN” sounds just like its name, an energetic feel-good record that gets better with every play. Listen to “FUN” below:
