“A well-built and sophisticated production from three artistic names is already out to spread its pure energy in the Hip-Hop audience. Sencere lyrics and two separate voices, can cleverly draw our attention in the most effective manner.”
-Nagamag.com
“In the new HIP-Hop single-ALI Cashius JR-the whole emphasis on working with vocals. It is a pleasure to listen to him, the professionalism, talent and charisma of the performer immediately captured. The melody immersing in the atmosphere and the lyrical text even more make a real hit from this track!” (Automatically Translated with Google Translate)
“В новом Hip-Hop сингле -Ali Cashius Jr- весь акцент на работе с вокалом. Слушать его одно удовольствие, сразу улавливается профессионализм, талант и харизма исполнителя. Погружающая в атмосферу мелодия и лирический текст ещё больше делают из этого трека настоящий хит!”
-Nagamag.com
Bismillah, which translates to God, the merciful and compassionate, is an open prayer Ali dedicated to his father and community. The song, which features a snippet of Mohamed Ali speaking on people refusing to acknowledge his new name and change of faith, which is significant when you compare Cassius Clay who later became Mohamed Ali, with Ali Alghwaizy Jr who later became Ali Cashius Jr.
https://www.instagram.com/alicashiusjr
“Big city beats that light the sky up. Real world expressions of higher thought laced with a solid path forward. Fresh cuts looped and layered that build an instant east coast classic. ”
-Nagamag.com
After recently releasing the Ras Kass and Planet Asia assisted heater, “Chromed Out,” El Gant returns with, “Pageants,” which finds the NY lyricist reunited with his Jamo Gang brethren.
Produced by Marco Polo, the acclaimed beatsmith delicately blends an enthralling soul sample over hard drums as both emcees reflect on their early days of what drove them to become an emcee, and how to this day it’s the passion that fuels them and not the pageantry of the rap game.
“Pageants” is available now through all major DSPs and is taken from El Gant's forthcoming LP, O.S.L.O., due out September through Gant’s own Rule By Secrecy imprint.
https://lnk.to/pageants
“In the new HIP-Hop track -moema naedon & c.scott is a rather diverse bit that merges into a single palette of mix sounds. Pleasant by ear overflow of synthesizers, pulsations of deep bass and just chic work on vocals and text!” (Automatically Translated with Google Translate)
“В новым Hip-Hop треке -Moemaw Naedon & C.Scott- довольно разнообразный бит, который сливается в единую палитру звуков микса. Приятные на слух переливы синтезаторов, пульсации глубоких басов и просто шикарная работа над вокалом и текстом!”
-Nagamag.com
In their slick new video for “Awesome Environment,” Moemaw Naedon & C.Scott embrace the sunny, laidback summer vibes that inspired their collaborative album, River Rats, and provide a guided tour of some of Pittsburgh’s river banks.
What may not look like much to the every-day viewer was a true source of inspiration, meditation, and comfort for the duo, as explained by Moemaw himself. He and C.Scott would meet up during the summer of 2020 for riverside hangs that served as an escape from the harsh realities of the world.
“We were previewing each other’s new music from a Bluetooth speaker, sipping our favorite canned beverages, passing the smoke, and discussing the real-life situations that shaped the lyrical content on River Rats,” Moemaw said. “That’s what makes it an ‘Awesome Environment.’”
It was a bastion of both hope and creativity for the two artists, who found solace on the shores of rivers at a time when the country was consistently on fire. And it serves as a welcome reminder that sometimes, even when it seems counterintuitive, your best bet for sanity is to head outside and enjoy your surroundings. We all have our own awesome environment; it may just take some trial and error for you to find it.
Check out the visuals and head over to your preferred DSP to stream through your preferred platform. The album is also available on cassette in limited quantities via Soul Slime Records’ Bandcamp profile.
https://soulslimerecords.bandcamp.com/album/river-rats-2
https://www.instagram.com/moemawnaedon
“The lyrical text goes well with the minimalist and such rainy Bight HIP-Hop. The beautifully spelled out instrumental melody falls very well on the rhythm and gives even more the track of warmth, from which vocals are -lupe fiasco - you admire even more.” (Automatically Translated with Google Translate)
“Лирический текст отлично сочетается с минималистичным и таким дождливым битом Hip-Hop. Красиво прописанная инструментальная мелодия очень хорошо ложится на ритм и ещё больше придаёт треку теплоты, от чего вокалом -Lupe Fiasco- восторгаешься ещё больше.”
-Nagamag.com
https://orcd.co/dmiz
The Chicago Native Draws Connections Between The Street-Level and Sublime in His First New Album Since 2018's DROGAS WAVE
Produced In Full By Lupe's Longtime Collaborator Soundtrakk, the New Album is Available Everywhere via 1st & 15th/Thirty Tigers
The Album:
Stylish and substantive, with a supernatural sense of metaphor and a massive vocabulary, Lupe Fiasco is one of his generation's finest rhymers. Returning with his first new album since 2018, Lupe sharesDRILL MUSIC IN ZION. The product of a burst of thoughtful spontaneity, Lupe created the new album over a short period, diving into a folder of beats sent by Soundtrakk and emerging with a fully-realized album in just three days (“Sometimes deadlines are lifelines,” says Lupe). The title juxtaposes the street music of his hometown of Chicago–music that emerged as a way of dealing with hellish living conditions–with the biblical promised land, positing that art created out of pain might not be worth the pain itself.
"I’m trying to find a balance between the whimsy and the profound," says Lupe.
Though it was created quickly, the album is packed with the twisty narratives and layered meanings that have become Lupe's trademark, spliced with incisive social commentary and winking observations about the way we live today. The new album is home to the recent single "AUTOBOTO," a mischievous, playful, and deceptively dense single that finds Lupe weaving his precise barbs around Soundtrakk's arpeggiating guitars, as well as the title track, a jazz-inflected track that slyly comments on how art created amidst strife becomes commodified entertainment for the masses.
Other highlights include "NAOMI," in which Lupe fuses playful political analysis with poignant emotional resonance, and "MS. MURAL," which continues a series of songs that started on 2014's Tetsuo & Youth ("Mural") and continued with his last album DROGAS WAVE ("Mural Jr."). As usual, Lupe stuns with his verbosity, but one of the album's most powerful moments occurs when he decides to hold back, on album closer, "ON FAUX NEM," Lupe spits: "Rappers die too much, that's it, that's the verse." He cedes the spotlight to his sister, the poet Ayesha Jaco on album intro "The Lion's Deen," allowing her to explore various interpretations of the album's title.
DRILL MUSIC IN ZION is Lupe's first new album since 2018's DROGAS WAVE, but the proud Chicago native has already had a busy 2022, marked with sold out shows, new music, and much more. Last week, Lupe shared "Galveston," an Apple Music-exclusive track that explores the origins of Juneteenth. Lupe recently closed out his "Food & Liquor Tour," a series of performances in which he plays his debut album in full. He paid tribute to his hometown in the reflective, self-produced "100 Chicagos," and dug into the archives to share "Hustlaz," a previously-unreleased song originally recorded before the release of the now-classic debut album Food & Liquor.
Lupe recently launched his "LFT" program, a new NFT program that allows fans to get closer than ever to Lupe. Unlike many NFTs, which solely exist in the digital space, the "LFT" program offers token-holders an array of online and offline benefits. The benefits start with a generative art profile pic–each LFT holder gets a unique digital artwork inspired by Lupe's album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, which celebrates its 15th birthday this year. Beyond music, Lupe continues to focus on the community organizations he founded, including We Are M.U.R.A.L, The Neighborhood Start-Up Fund, Society of Spoken Art, and his cross-cultural content venture, Studio SV.
With DRILL MUSIC IN ZION, Lupe starts another chapter in his illustrious career, but he's not done growing.
“Your whole life you’re physically growing, and as an artist, I feel like I’m taller now,” says Lupe. “Not that I’m at a higher place of morality, it’s that my vantage point and perspective is higher. I can see further.”
DRILL MUSIC IN ZION is available everywhere via 1st & 15th/Thirty Tigers.
DRILL MUSIC IN ZION tracklist:
1. THE LION’S DEEN ft. Ayesha Jaco
2. GHOTI
3. AUTOBOTO ft. Nayirah
4. PRECIOUS THINGS ft. Nayirah
5. KIOSK
6. MS. MURAL
7. NAOMI
8. DRILL MUSIC IN ZION
9. SEATTLE ft. Nayirah
10. ON FAUX NEM
The Background:
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is a Chicago-born, Grammy award-winning American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and community advocate. Rising to fame in 2006, following the success of his debut album, Food & Liquor, Lupe has released more than four acclaimed studio albums; his latest being Drogas Wave released fall 2018. His efforts to propagate conscious material helped solidify him as GQ’s Man of the Year in 2006, and garnered recognition as a Henry Crown Fellow. While musical genius and ingenuity are at the forefront of Lupe’s achievements, the artist extends his innovation to projects that aim to foster creative discourse and opportunities in underprivileged and impoverished communities.
Links:
DRILL MUSIC IN ZION: https://orcd.co/dmiz
"Drill Music In Zion": https://orcd.co/drillmusicinzion
"Galveston": https://orcd.co/galveston-lupe
"AUTOBOTO" ft. Nayirah: https://orcd.co/autoboto
"100 Chicagos": https://orcd.co/100chicagos
"Hustlaz": https://orcd.co/hustlaz
“This HIP-Hop track has all the necessary attributes to excite your consciousness and bring your sluggish body into feelings. Are you ready for a buzzing bass and a powerful rhythm? Then move away from your speakers at the distance of an outstretched arm. Now there will be an explosion!” (Automatically Translated with Google Translate)
“Этот hip-hop трек обладает всеми необходимыми атрибутами, чтобы взбудоражить ваше сознание и привести в чувства ваше вялое тело. Вы готовы к гудящему басу и мощному ритму? Тогда отойдите от ваших колонок на расстояние вытянутой руки. Сейчас будет взрыв!”
-Nagamag.com
https://www.instagram.com/shoeboxbenny/
“You simply have to take this track with you on the road so that it decorates your journey with your bright rhythm of HIP-hop, beautifully and professional selected seeds and, of course, the voice -ev Malone-. His manner of execution is worthy of a separate praise!” (Automatically Translated with Google Translate)
“Этот трек вы просто обязана взять с собой в дорогу, чтобы он украсил ваше путешествие своим ярким ритмом hip-hop, красиво и профессиональном подобранными семплами и, конечно же, голосом -Ev Malone-. Его манера исполнения достойна отдельной похвалы!”
-Nagamag.com
https://www.instagram.com/evmalone412
“Discover some clever rhymes followed by jazzy instrumentation in a track that reveals hidden truths. "Lupe Fiasco" sets fire in our sleeping brains and there's only one option available; Listen until the end!”
-Nagamag.com
Lupe Fiasco's verses use metaphor and tongue-twisting rhymes to paint a lyrical picture that's simultaneously vivid as a Goya and as abstract as a Picasso. Observing our modern culture's warped priorities from a birds-eye view, Lupe shares "DRILL MUSIC IN ZION," a jazz-inflected new single.
Produced by Lupe's longtime collaborator Soundtrakk, "DRILL MUSIC IN ZION" bears little resemblance to the genre in its title, blending crisp, East Coast-style drums with dreamy bebop horns and atmospheric piano. Creeping through the beat's negative spaces, Lupe Fiasco examines the way greed transforms each interaction into a transaction, and how the profit motive corrodes our collective humanity: "Position jostlers monitor hegemonics/Robots make the robots that solder electronics/Nostradamus couldn't bother to keep a promise/Logic's on a rocket, where profit defeats the conscience." Lupe ties together his anecdotes with his gently-crooned hook, which slyly comments on how art created amidst strife–such as the drill music that originated in Lupe's hometown of Chicago–becomes entertainment for the comfortable masses.
"DRILL MUSIC IN ZION" is the latest glimpse of Lupe's next album, also titled DRILL MUSIC IN ZION. The product of a burst of thoughtful spontaneity, Lupe created the new album over a short period, diving into a folder of beats sent by Soundtrakk and emerging with a fully-realized album in just three days. The album is home to "AUTOBOTO" ft. Nayirah, the mischievous, playful, and deceptively dense single that earned praise from Financial Times, Complex, and more. DRILL MUSIC IN ZION arrives on June 24th via 1st & 15th/Thirty Tigers.
His first new album since 2018's Drogas Wave, DRILL MUSIC IN ZION marks the start of another chapter in Lupe's illustrious career. The proud Chicago native has already had a busy 2022, marked with sold out shows, new music, and much more. Last week, Lupe shared "Galveston," an Apple Music-exclusive track that explores the origins of Juneteenth. Lupe recently closed out his "Food & Liquor Tour," a series of performances in which he plays his debut album in full. He paid tribute to his hometown in the reflective, self-produced "100 Chicagos," and dug into the archives to share "Hustlaz," a previously-unreleased song originally recorded before the release of the now-classic debut album Food & Liquor. Beyond music, Lupe continues to focus on the community organizations he founded, including We Are M.U.R.A.L, The Neighborhood Start-Up Fund, Society of Spoken Art, and his cross-cultural content venture, Studio SV. Earlier this year, Lupe accepted a professorship at MIT, where he will teach a special subjects course on rap in spring 2023.
Lupe recently launched his "LFT" program, a new NFT program that allows fans to get closer than ever to Lupe. Unlike many NFTs, which solely exist in the digital space, the "LFT" program offers token-holders an array of online and offline benefits. The benefits start with a generative art profile pic–each LFT holder gets a unique digital artwork inspired by Lupe's album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, which celebrates its 15th birthday this year.
With DRILL MUSIC IN ZION on deck, an invigorated Lupe Fiasco seeks to prove once again that few rappers in history can rhyme like him. Stay tuned for much more from the legendary artist in the coming weeks.
Buy/Stream "DRILL MUSIC IN ZION": https://orcd.co/drillmusicinzion
Pre-order DRILL MUSIC IN ZION: https://orcd.co/dmiz
Check out full details about "LFT" at Henka.io: http://henka.io/aboutlupe
The Background:
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is a Chicago-born, Grammy award-winning American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and community advocate. Rising to fame in 2006, following the success of his debut album, Food & Liquor, Lupe has released more than four acclaimed studio albums; his latest being Drogas Wave released fall 2018. His efforts to propagate conscious material helped solidify him as GQ’s Man of the Year in 2006, and garnered recognition as a Henry Crown Fellow. While musical genius and ingenuity are at the forefront of Lupe’s achievements, the artist extends his innovation to projects that aim to foster creative discourse and opportunities in underprivileged and impoverished communities.
https://www.lupefiasco.com/
“The new track -big Gee- sounds very experimentally and unusual within the framework of genres such as Trap and HIP-Hop. You can hear the author paid great attention to the rhythm sections and the study of the lyrical component. It's nice to listen and immerse yourself in the history of an interesting narrative.” (Automatically Translated with Google Translate)
“Новый трек -Big gee- звучит очень экспериментально и необычно в рамках таких жанров, как trap и hip-hop. Слышно, как автор уделил огромное внимание ритм-секции и проработке лирической составляющей. Приятно слушать и погружаться в историю интересного повествования.”
-Nagamag.com
https://instagram.com/biggee313
“The melody and rhythm affect the mood and worldview enormously. Many believe that movement is life, and a stop is death. The new single -navitas- will make you move under the rhythms of HIP-hop and read the main lines of the track without stopping and pauses! (Automatically Translated with Google Translate)”
“Мелодия и ритм воздействуют колоссальным образом на настроение и мировосприятие. Многие полагают, что движение – это жизнь, а остановка – смерть. Новый сингл -Navitas- заставит вас двигаться под ритмы hip-hop и зачитывать главные строчки трека без остановки и пауз!”
-Nagamag.com
The instrumental evokes a lot of melancholic reflection. The concept of the lyrics is feeling exhausted & broken from betrayal, lying & cheating. Hence the title 'Dead Inside' denotes feeling burnt out from untrustworthy people. This is incredibly relatable for many worldwide. Although detailing this in the first 2 verses, I chose to end with an upswing of hope in the final verse, to show that it's possible to learn to identify red flags and protect oneself from this. Bittersweet but helpful!
https://www.instagram.com/navitas.music/