The Knockturnal sat down with Sueco The Child, Post Performance, at Irving Plaza, to Discuss His New Album Attempted Lover, Tour, and Being an Independent Artist.
The 9AMBanger is an event series with multiple DJ sets and a surprise musical guest that begins bright and early at 9 o’clock in the morning!
Brooklyn-raised rapper Your Old Droog celebrated the release of his newest album, Movie, with a show featuring numerous guests down in Manhattan’s Bowery Ballroom.
LAGOS, NIGERIA – April 12, 2024 – Chocolate City Recording artist and producer, Young Jonn has released his debut album “Jiggy Forever,” available for streaming everywhere.
Every time you listen to a song, you’re hearing a carefully crafted conversation between the music and the lyrics. Rhymefest has taken that a step further in his latest masterpiece James & Nikki: A Conversation
photo credit: Tori “Torsion” Howard
Grammy winner, social activist, and University of Chicago professor Rhymefest‘s newest project remasters a conversation between black literary icons James Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni from 1971. The project features stories about black life in America, the struggle for racial justice, and evolving gender roles in this intelligent piece of art. The project includes soundbites from the original conversation, as well as Rhymefest’s artistic interpretations.
Rhymefest became inspired by the conversation after he heard it. Despite the differences between Baldwin and Giovanni, they came together and spoke about the world around them. They shared their stories and experiences with one another and Rhymefest wanted to create a project reflecting that.
There are nine tracks on the album, featuring artists Helixx C Armageddon, Infamous Teefa, Brittany Carter, Freddie Old Soul, E.P Da Hellcat, and Saba the Godis. The album is being released by the Golden State Entertainment (GSE), entertainment division of the Golden State Warriors. The team is the only team in the NBA to do something like this.
This is a piece of music the likes we’ve never really seen. Rhymefest’s vision is clear throughout the project. He combines classic sounds of rap and hip-hop with the masterful pieces of knowledge from Baldwin and Giovanni’s conversation. There’s such a beautiful and powerful story being told in each track, creating an engaging piece of music. He has created a piece of art that pulls you into the story and makes the listener part of the conversation.
Rhymefest has done a spectacular job creating a project that showcases decades of hip-hop influence. Tracks like “Triggered” and “Pop” feel reminiscent of early eras of rap, while “Elderberry” and “Deja Vu” feel more like the current direction of the genre. Many of the other tracks feature beats and lyrical flows from that of late 2000’s rap. Overall the album feels like a journey through the years of hip-hop and gives us a taste of many different influences.
You can’t talk about a music album without also talking about production and that is another place this album soars. The sound bites of Baldwin and Giovanni weave perfectly into every song and always catch your attention. They create a beautiful flow and conversation between them and the music. Every artist creates a perfect lyrical flow, working beautifully in tandem with the music. Each track features a beat that hits wonderfully with story and never feels dull or repeated. The genius producers on this project have crafted a beautiful piece of music that not only helps tell stories, but elevates them.
photo credit: Tori “Torsion” Howard
It’s a complex and intelligent body of art, one that tells of struggle, love, introspection, and growth. Throughout all of that, it is also a story of being unapologetically black and proud. Rhymefest invites listeners to try and see through all these many lenses and tells a powerful story while doing so. He’s reimagined this iconic, historic conversation and created a piece of music that feels completely new and inspiring.
The album is out now and you can listen to it here.
On November 15th, Miami turned up the heat as Spotify cranked the volume on its Most Necessary Live series! Picture this: palm trees swaying, beats booming, and the hottest emerging rappers igniting the stage.
Dubbed as the ultimate playlist come to life, Most Necessary Live took over Miami, transforming it into a haven for hip-hop enthusiasts. The lineup? Oh, just the next big wave of rap royalty, bringing the 305’s flavor to the forefront.
Miami’s Finest on the Mic:
The stage was on fire with high-energy performances from the likes of Luh Tyler, Real Boston Richey, Danny Towers, Wizz Havinn, Loe Shimmy, C-Stunna, Icandy, and Lil Crix. These rising stars didn’t just perform; they owned the night, turning the crowd into a sea of swaying bodies and bobbing heads.
Special Guests Turn Up the Heat:
And if that lineup wasn’t hot enough for you, brace yourself for the surprise of the night! Kodak Black and Nardo Wick crashed the party as special guests, sending the excitement levels through the roof. The crowd went wild as these heavy-hitters took the stage, proving that in Miami, the surprises were just as sizzling as the weather.
Most Necessary Live: Hitting the Road!
This isn’t just a onetime affair, folks. Most Necessary Live is on a mission to spread the love across the U.S., showcasing the hottest emerging talents in every nook and cranny. So, if you missed the Miami madness on November 15th, don’t worry. The party is hitting the road, bringing the beats to a city near you.
In the world of Most Necessary Live, the only rule is to expect the unexpected. So buckle up, music lovers, because Spotify’s bringing the heat, one city at a time!
Sixteen freestyle rappers battled it out in Miami this past weekend for the Red Bull Batalla Regional Qualifier, testing their quick wits and killer lines for a chance to make it to the world stage and take home the title of best freestyler in the Spanish rap world.
Sixteen freestyle rappers battled it out in Miami this past weekend for the Red Bull Batalla Regional Qualifier, testing their quick wits and killer lines for a chance to make it to the world stage and take home the title of best freestyler in the Spanish rap world.
Attendees during Red Bull Batalla Miami Qualifiers at Skatebird in Miami, Florida on 26 of August, 2023 // Ian Witlen / Red Bull Content Pool
We all know Red Bull gives you wings, but did you know that it can also help people spit out fire?
That was the case in Miami this weekend when the top Spanish-language lyricists from all over the country delivered some brutal and precise lines at the Red Bull Batalla Regional Qualifier.
Now celebrating its 16th year, the Red Bull Batalla boasts the largest freestyle competition in the world, and the talent that flocked to Miami for the Regional Qualifier had The Knockturnal questioning if we were at the National Final instead.
Sixteen rappers, freestylers, dancers, and artists all around compete in three different regional qualifiers–with the previous qualifiers taking place in Los Angeles in July and Houston in August–to test their quick-witted rhyming strengths and prove why they should advance to the National Final in Dallas in November. The winner of the National Final will test their chops with top MCs from all over the world in the Red Bull Batalla World Final, taking place in Bogotá, Colombia, on December 2.
Sara Socas performs during Red Bull Batalla Miami Qualifiers at Skatebird in Miami, Florida on 26 of August, 2023 // Ian Witlen / Red Bull Content Pool
Ahead of the Miami Qualifier, Red Bull welcomed several journalists from across the country to stay in the art mecca neighborhood of Wynwood in Miami. This year’s contestants stayed at the Arlo Wynwood, a hotel with killer views of Wynwood Walls murals, and a gorgeous rooftop pool complete with occasional guest DJ parties. With the surrounding area of Wynwood full of art, culture, and great food, and with the influx of murals, graffiti, dancing, and Spanish-speaking hip-hop heavyweights intersecting at every corner, the stage was certainly set for the world’s largest freestyle competition.
In between graffiti workshop classes and Asian-Latin fusion dinners, the stage was also certainly set at an unsurprising venue where often these subcultures intersect: a skatepark. That’s right: the Red Bull Batalla Miami Regional Qualifier was set right in the middle of a half-pipe ramp, letting the crowd there certainly match the energy of the contestants freestyling for the Red Bull red, yellow, and blue-colored Batalla trophy, featuring a recording mic.
Apache performs during Red Bull Batalla Miami Qualifiers at Skatebird in Miami, Florida on 26 of August, 2023 // Ian Witlen / Red Bull Content Pool
The weekend started with a graffiti workshop class at the Miami Art Society, which detailed how the Wynwood neighborhood came to be, artists works in the gallery, and how graffiti often intertwined with hip-hop and freestyling. This was then followed by a graffiti lesson by Entes, a Peruvian-born graffiti artist who not only enlisted in the help of Red Bull staff and reporters to ultimately make a freestyling avian he cheekily called “Rooster,” but also created a spot-on Red Bull logo just by using his naked eye.
The night concluded with an Asian-Latin fusion dinner at El Chinito, just down the block from both Arlo Wynwood and the Miami Art Society. The dinner consisted of mixed fusion dishes such as carnitas shumai and watermelon “tuna” pizza; and Red Bull-inspired drinks such as the Chinito Summer (Red Bull Red Edition– watermelon – Tanqueray Gin, Peach Schnapps, lime juice, and simple syrup) and Buru Loko (Red Bull Coconut Berry, Tequila Blanco, Peychaud’s Bitters), as well as the standard Red Bull Vodka.
Before the show started on Saturday evening, several emcees chatted about their upbringings and how they got into freestyle, as well as what they had on their minds ahead of the competition. The scene was set once the show began: Red Bull brought out the Secret Walls crew to enter a real-time live painting battle during the qualifier. Artists Ruth Burotte Tamfee (@rutamfi) and Marlon Pruz (@marlonpruz) battled it out against artists @chnkfondue and @zoegen, unveiling an emcee-inspired work of art.
Judges for the qualifier included MC Snow, Chester, and Sara Socas, with co-hosts Racso White Lion and Sonja La Makina
Sourius competes against VNZ during Red Bull Batalla Miami Qualifiers at Skatebird in Miami, Florida on 26 of August, 2023 // Ian Witlen / Red Bull Content Pool
Leading the show and accompanied by DJ Cesar’s mixing abilities at the turntable. After the emcee was crowned the winner of the Miami Regional Qualifier–with a special guest appearance by El Misionero right before the final round–a Venezuelan rapper Apache gave the crowd a closing performance.
The fantastic weekend truly showcased the opportunity for young emcees to hone in their craft at the Red Bull Batalla and unite emcees from not only all over the country but around the world as young emcees in the United States make their way to the global stage.
Read our interviews with AdonysX, JD, and Crown here.
And our interview with Jay_Co “El Leon” and linked here.
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