rap
TRACK: Chris Orrick – Funny Things
“… spiteful chants for the permanently scarred, death letters for the forgotten, surly hymns for charcoal lungs” Mello Music explain with regards to Michigan rapper Chris Orrick, whose latest single “Funny Things” dropped this week – the latest from his forthcoming album Out To Sea. Akin to the socially conscious hip-hop that came out during the …
Album Review: Thievery Corporation ‘Treasures from the Temple’
Thievery Corporation Treasures from the Temple (ESL Recordings) released on April 20, 2018 Rating: 7.5 Washington DC based electronic duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton known as Thievery Corporation’s latest release of Treasures from the Temple is a companion to their chart-topping 2017 Temple of I & I album release. The 12-track compendium includes a trove of original recordings …
Premiere: Reindeer – Field Reports from the Western Lands EP
Taken from his debut album of the same , out now on cult Berlin label Anette Recordings, Reindeer – aka Croydon’s James Reindeer has revealed ‘Field Reports from the Western Lands remix EP’ and we are delighted to premiere it here on Backseat Mafia. The track itself is this dizzying piece of experimental hip-hop, Field …
Track: Sweyn Jupiter – ‘Not One Of Us’ ft. DJ NA & J Black
Taken from his debut EP Sweyn Flu, which is coming out via the brilliant Night Slugs label, Sweyn Jupiter has revealed a new track – Not one of us. Swathed in wind pipes and bass, giving it this almost oriental feel, it features enigmatic rapper J Black, and has been co-produced by DJ NA of …
Track: River Nelson – Glow
Taken from his new EP Navigation, Glow is the new single from US hip-hop artist River Nelson. Of the track he says “Glow is a song about resilience, bravery and love. It’s a story about a single father who tells his little girl that even though things may be difficult at times, there’s a protective …
Track: Taiyamo Denku – Gutter Noise
With the recently announced news that New York emcee L. Majestic and fellow Wisco artist Rambunxious have signed to the Cypha Den Music imprint, the crew wastes no time releasing a joint effort alongside frontman Taiyamo Denku titled “Gutter Noise”. As you may have guessed, the song focuses around the underground roots that molded the …
Soundtrack of our lives: River Nelson picks his all time favourite hip-hop playlist
Hot on the back of his third album, US hip-hop artist River Nelson has picked out some of his favourite hip-hop records into a playlist for us here at Backseat Mafia. ‘How to dream’ is the follow up to his acclaimed albums The Rise and Fall of River Nelson and The Shape of the …
Les Ardentes Festival, Liege, Belgium. 2016 Edition
Belgium’s Les Ardentes Festival is now over ten years old, so this year it added an extra day, making it a five-day extravaganza. I’ve been to every one, and my role for most of them as onstage announcer has given me fly-on-the-wall access to it and how it operates. Unlike in the U.K., where the …
Track: Swa Playmaker – Only One (produced by TOPE)
Miami MC Swa Playmaker has teamed up with Oakland/Portland producer TOPE for an EP, titled (if you will) No Title. Having already released a couple of tracks off the record, the pair have now released a third slice of the action in the shape of Only One. Over this breezy soul/funk backing, tightened up with …
See: Jovel releases new emotionally charged video for ‘The Heroine’
Taken from London RnB rapper Jovel’s debut EP The Void, The Heroine (in this case, the spelling hides the dual meaning) is the powerful tale of someone suffering with drug addiction, from the point of view of a close friend, although it turns out to be a comment on society itself. It sounds autobiographical and …