It’s become more difficult than ever to find great music nowadays, especially with so much at our disposal. To combat the growing accessibility of streaming services and the over saturation of the market, I am starting a blog that pinpoints some of the better content out there, mainly within the hip hop genre. For this week, I looked at three new rap songs worth listening to from smaller, more underground artists. I based my list off of releases over the past two or three weeks. The goal is to shine a light on up-and-coming hip hop artists that have something unique to say. This will be a bi-weekly column that’s subjective (with different types of lists too); so feel free to comment down below if you have recommendations for me. There’s too much music out there, so it’s hard to keep up with it all. Here we go!
KC-Ruskii – “Ghetto Angels”
I don’t care what old hip hop heads are saying; I really love this auto crooning wave we’re entering amongst the newer generation of hip hop artists. Continuing that trend is Hamilton, OH native, KC-Ruskii, who comes through with “Ghetto Angels,” a heart-wrenching tale about the people he’s lost, and how that’s affected the way he presents himself to the public. He warbles through the a melodramatic piano riff and hard-hitting R&B drum with such ease (“Nobody really know how we feel/And we still rolling up that weed still”). The pain in his voice reminds me a lot of Calboy (who just recently hit the mainstream with his debut, Wildboy), just with more genuine emotion. We’ll see if he can expand his talents past the shadows of the auto-cronners like Young Thug and Kodak Black (more recently). In the meantime, keep an eye out for Ruskii.
Calboy (feat. Moneybagg Yo) – “Unjudge Me”
Speaking of the Chicago native; Calboy just released his debut EP Wildly this past week. Though uneven at times, the project does feature some notable bangers, namely its lead single, “Unjudge Me.”Yes I know, Calboy has already made waves (he has a Billboard story) through mainstream media. But there are listeners out there who may be unfamiliar with Calboy’s trap/R&B style. On “Unjudge Me,” he and Moneybagg Yo capture their past lifestyle through the lens of a struggling street boy, looking to find his one shining moment (“They judge me/But they don’t know that I’ve been broke”). There’s something fulfilling about Calboy’s catchy chorus and thoughtful wordplay, almost as if you’ve felt his pain before. Something tells me he’s here to stay.
$uicideBoys$ and Travis Barker (feat. Munky) – “Killing 2 Birds with 22 Stones”
Living in the deepest and darkest part of hip hop’s underground is the latest and greatest example of rap/metal music; $uicideBoy$. The hard-hitting duo of Ruby da Cherry and Scrim come through with a track that represents the title of their new EP (Live Fast Die Whenever) to the fullest.
“Killing 2 Birds with 22 Stones” is not easy listening, thanks to Travis Barker and Munky’s work on the killer guitar and drum solos. The track is like a combination of Rage Against the Machine and Denzel Curry…on steroids. It’s disgusting, beautiful, and compelling; all at the same time. It’s rap at its most ferocious. Go check out $uicideBoy$ music on Spotify and Apple Music. Trust me, it’s worth it.
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