dopeness is what i like the most

As a fan of music in general, and certain artists specifically, there are times when I wonder how these creatives have the time to actually create at the level they do. This is amplified when I have the pleasure of forming a personal relationship - friendship - with an artist. Between jobs, relationships, and life as a whole, it leaves me nothing short of inspired when I see these artists - who have the same number of hours in a day as anyone else - juggle all that their lives hold  and still manage to put the time, effort, work and energy into the whirlwind of a creative process that is blessing listeners with an album. Which brings us to RUDY and  BY MY LONESOME . ** GLASS SHATTERS ** On July 9, RUDY took a monumental step forward in his personal and artistic journey with the release of his very first solo project. Prior to this, the CT-native had been cooking up gems alongside Murf in ClaS!cK, and experimenting sonically with Detelj in their Tom Savages endeavor.  BY

My relationship with Great Dane's music started less than a year ago, well after the release of his most recent album, the self-titled  Great Dane . Fortunately, although late to the party, I have had ample opportunity to do my research and become familiar with the LA-based artist's catalogue of tunes. So, when  Gamma Ray dropped last week, I was excited to take the journey into the sonically multifarious world of Great Dane. While the 14-track  Gamma Ray serves as Dane's 4th official full-length project, the new project picks up where  Alpha Dog and  Beta Cat left off. For simplicity's sake, let's consider  Great Dane a momentary detour on the Greek alphabet-inspired saga. What appealed to me from my initial introduction to Dane's sound was the manner in which he seamlessly weaves his production in, out, over and between genres. There are many artists out there who could easily be slapped with a label - bass, trance, trap, dub, etc. Great Dane, how

After getting his buzz up with an official remix of AlunaGeorge's " Turn Up the Love " in late 2017, Jake Crocker has been keeping his growing fan base satisfied with a new tune here or there, putting his personal spin on previously released records. While Crocker's remixes always seem to hit the spot, long time listeners have been wondering when the Seattle-based musician would step away from the reworks and instead drop some original Crocker creations. It has been evident for a while that Crocker possessed the talent and ability to cook up some captivating sonic appetizers. Now, with the release of "Gone", we get our first taste of Jake Crocker's original work. "Gone" begins with a catchy, atmospheric - almost floaty or spacey - vibe, highlighted by the seductive vocals that come courtesy of Kellie Rose. Crocker masterfully crafts the production around Rose's crooning, with the tempo picking up before long, switching over from a

Raz Simone dropped off the visually enticing "When I Style on My Enemies" video back in June, shortly after the release of his latest project, the 8-track  Closer . Featuring production from Simone and Antwon Vinson, the video was shot and edited by Black Umbrella's Jacob Hill . If you've been following Simone or Black Umbrella for any amount of time now, you're familiar with the likes of Hill and Vinson. As has been proven time and time again over the last few years, the Black Umbrella family has assembled a top-shelf team of in-house artistry, the results of which manifest in layered visual stimulation and finely balanced blends of lyrical prowess and captivating production. "When I Style on My Enemies" continues a multi-year streak of fine tuned releases from Raz, once again offering up an aesthetically intriguing and sonically thought provoking piece of art. Throughout the video, Simone Ric Flair's his way around the streets of Korea,

After dropping off his highly anticipated  See Red  album back in March, Aaron Cohen wasted no time before blessing his fans with even more original content. Since the album's release, Cohen has liberated " Run This ", " Gang, Gang " and " Red New York " from the vault, continuing his characteristically consistent streak of raw, uninhibited and  dope music. See, that's the thing about Cohen any longtime listener unquestionably recognizes - you'll be hard pressed to find an artist today who is as consistent as the NY-based, Seattle-born Aaron Cohen. And, perhaps even more admirable, is the style and self-awareness in which each track appears to be crafted. At this point in his career, Cohen is aware of his talent and he's ready to take what's his, whether he gets an invite or has to kick the door down on his own. Depending on what track you listen to, you may bare witness to an aggressive Cohen, who maneuvers through his frustrat

On November 9, 2017, Joey Batts and Rudy debuted  ROY G. BV at the Wadsworth Athaneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT. The packed house in attendance that night witnessed an honest depiction of real people and their emotions, revealed via a beautifully balanced experience of colors, music and scenes capturing Autumn in Connecticut. The initial response to  ROY G. BV warranted follow up showings, which took place around the state in front of audiences both large and small. And now, thanks to the reception of the film and the creators' desire to continue using music, film and people's real life experiences, Joey, Rudy and Bklyn have traveled to Nova Scotia to begin acquiring content that will result in  ROY G. BV II .   Over the course of the 40 minute film, each color - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet - is used to represent a specific individual and their personal experiences and feelings. As different men and women answer Joey's questions, the viewer watc