#UKrap – CHUNES

By 25782697 on Submissions tagged #Music, #Mxlode, #Newsingle, #submission, #UKMusic, #UKrap- Leave a comment

Melodic rap single ‘War and Dior’ shows real promise

The new track is short but very sweet with rich vocals being paired with smooth sound production to create a high-quality rap tune.

For this record, the South-west London based rapper and songwriter Mxlode (pronounced ‘Melody’) collaborated with Teeqro, his life-long friend, fellow artist and producer. The duo’s vocals compliment each other well to create a more complex sound.

The lyrics of ‘War and Dior’ reflect Mxlode‘s dreams as an artist as he manifests a successful future “see I never did a show but when I blow I’ll tour arenas with millions”. The chorus also highlights the hate Mxlode received about his music in the early stages. He goes on to suggests that some of those around him switched up after his music career began taking off.

Due to the eclectic mix of sub-genres on this track, there are a number of artists that come to mind who I think will have influenced Mxlode‘s music style. Personally, I hear similarities with UK rap trio D-Block Europe as well as America’s 6LACK. This was echoed by Mxlode himself as he said he looked up to a wide range of artists including Akon, XXXTentacion as well as the king of pop – Michael Jackson.

Mxlode kindly allowed me to listen to the unreleased EP that will be out later this year and it’s definitely a project to get excited about! It’s multi-layered, honest, strongly-produced and flows cohesively, so be ready for the release!

“This EP is 100% my best work yet. It’s the most honest I’ve been about my experiences. I really leaned into a strength of mine which is my vulnerability on this project and I hope it’s able to resonate with people the same way it does when I listen to it”
– Mxlode

Let me know what you think of the tune and please suggest other similar underrated artists in the comments below!

Listen on Spotify here:

By 25782697 on Recommendations tagged #AltRap, #Bakar, #LoyleCarner, #Music, #UKrapwith 1 Comment

The Rise of the Alternative British Rap Scene – Why you should be listening!

The alternative UK rap scene is booming as artists such as Loyle Carner, Bakar and Slowthai are reinventing UK rap.

Often called ‘chill’, ‘jazz’ or ‘lo-fi’ rap, the sub-genre feels refreshing as it moves away from the well-known UK Hip-Hop Drill and Grime scene pioneered by Heavy weights such as Stormzy, Skepta and Giggs. Instead, the aggressive beats and fast lyrics are swapped for easy-going jazz-inspired beats paired with a conversational tone and often London accent.

In the last 5 years, the genre has taken off, I believe it’s because each artist has individual creativity, and because they focus less on charting and marketability. I think this music category will continue to thrive due to the relatability of the storytelling as it strays away from gang culture and violence found in grime that not many can relate to. This new wave of rappers use everyday life experiences and personal anecdotes to speak to an impressionable young generation.

Many start off on the platform SoundCloud, the interactivity features are why I think it’s so widely loved, artists can communicate with fans on each individual track. Also, artists can upload music without help, allowing them to be completely experimental and free of restrictions. Lausse The Cat first grew on this platform and despite not releasing music since 2018, he remains influential as he is one of the best storytellers. His ability to create vivid imagery through natural sound bites of real life coupled with his very real but poetic lyrics, allows listeners to go on a journey through his projects.

Another way songs take off is through the power of TikTok for example SL’s ‘Tropical’ and Bakar’s ‘Hell N Back’ that both ended up charting. This is not surprising as the songs are both aesthetic and catchy, making them perfect for short TikTok clips, allowing the artists to gain free recognition.

Although this genre is relatively new, I would suggest it has taken inspiration from old classic British artists from the early 2010’s. I strongly believe that Rizzle Kicks walked so that Loyle Carner could run, as they share a similar conversational tone and jazzy samples despite the difference in maturity of lyrics.

Here is my list of underrated alternative UK rappers that you need to check out and put on your playlist:

Knucks
Bennadict
Spencer Elmer
Collistar
Sainte
Ashbeck
Ayrtn

Check out this playlist to explore the genre more: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7mWA6GhmwAHJypuSnc5mWS?si=1a6d11e7ed3941ef