Tag Archives: rap

New Whip : The State Of Rap with Lane Allen

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I discovered Lane Allen via Instagram. It is a solid place to discover fascinating musicians. This includes artists who are new and are carving their niche in the world of Pop, Rap, Rock, or any genre you can imagine. So, after discovering Lane Allen via Instagram, I headed straight into his Spotify profile to listen to his tunes.

When I listen to hip hop, I pay heed to both the lyrics and the production quality. I see that Allen has put a great deal of finesse in his overall sound. I note the clean and slick bass and his emphasis on mid-tempo beats. The fashion he raps is original, with a sense of spontaneity and honesty. He is from Lexington Kentucky. The blend of local music culture coupled with his global music instinct is perfect. He has forged a distinct style that will gratify all rap music fans.

His popular single is New Whip with Steven Cannon. It is a frenzy salad of pure street attitude, slick verses, and pumping bass. These two artists are great together. It is a tune that will pump any crowd. Allen’s Instagram profile shows his day to day pursuits like recording, rapping, and even riding a helicopter. Lane is young, vibrant, talented, and he is heading for a life of a superstar.

He has released a few EPs and hopefully, we will get a taste of a full-length album.

Aero-Weekend Adventures in Rap Music and Cycling.

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I started this blog probably around 2009 or 10, not sure exactly when but I never imagined I would find Bikes and Music in the same title.  But when you go with the flow(or against it) strange things can happen. Yesterday, I found myself riding my fixed gear bike with other cyclists. We were serving as extras in a music video by Pinoy rapper Aero ( real name Albert Temporosa Peñafuerte).

He already released original songs and a number of music videos via YouTube. My favorite is Cold Beers because I love the vibe and it literally describes what it’s like to live in Bacolod city. We southerners do know how to chill. We may have personal problems but when it comes to entertaining friends and having a good time, man I tell you; we are sooo good at them! His common theme celebrates the local street culture and songs are worth checking out if you happen to live from outside of the country and you want to visit Bacolod. It is a good way to know the colorful culture of our city.

So how did the video shoot happen? The story goes like this. I met Newry a few weeks ago during a ride he organized. He meant to unite all types of riders in our city. Newry is a chill kind of guy. He wears his dreads proudly and listens to music-a lot. He always brings his style whenever he rides his bike and he is good in doing these creative things involving music and cycling.

I met Ivan the same time through our Facebook Fixed Gear community. He’s the site admin and he is also very passionate when it comes to track cycling. Ivan and Newry are mutual friends so that’s how we fixed riders ended up in the shoot. It was a cloudy day with bouts of rain but the shoot happened. Cyclists from different parts of the city joined. The word travels fast- especially when an event involves a hip hop artist and bikes. Check out the photos below.

 

 

 

 

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Imagine: Hip Hop and Space Travel, Why Not?

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Merging synthesizer sounds inspired by Astronomy and robust hip hop beats, The Liftoff is an album that is exciting and original. You can hear samples from NASA space travel,snippets of conversations, as well as captivating chords that will surely open your mind.

Who is Imagine? Well, for starters he’s an MC based out of Covina, CA; about 20 minutes east of Los Angeles. This past year, he released his most ambitious musical project to date, The Liftoff. It has twenty tracks:

The 4th mixtape sees Imagine scratching the surface of fine tuning his original approach to his music. Playing with the theme of space travel, he expands upon his interest of varying music styles, bringing them together only as he can- Band Camp.

By the third track “I Am’ I can say I am completely hooked. I think this is an exciting decade for hip hop. There are many interesting artists blooming out from all over the West Coast and he is one of the few who is able to craft a unique sound.

I guess the reason why I like his approach is because I also like Ambient and New Age music. And he sort of bridge that gab between that outer space feeling and robust beats grounded on urban soundscape.

The Liftoff contains explicit lyrics so I just want to warn those who might get offended by strong languages. I don’t mind. This is an awesome album!

Buy the album here: https://thatimagine.bandcamp.com/album/the-liftoff

 

Liquid Vibes: Interview with Rory K

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Yes, he’s one of the most exciting thing to come out of Hip Hop

Rory K works in front of the computer most of the day. But there is this side of him that is a natural entertainer. It’s in his genes. His father is no other than Larry Kirwan, the lead artist of the legendary Irish rock group Black 47. This is his first official interview. I am stoked to be part of his blooming career. But hey, I can say he made an awesome debut. His single “Miami” is available for download via iTunes. He’s one of the most exciting thing to come out of Hip Hop. Rants on Reckless Youth is also available via Soundcloud. He has a show today and that’s in NYC! Check out our conversation below:

Screen capture from Rory K's latest music video.

Screen capture from Rory K’s latest music video.

1.  How are you ?

A: Very well, thank you for reaching out. This is my first official interview so help make me say some crazy shit that I’ll probably regret.

2. Are your songs autobiographical or are they inspired by people you meet every day?

A: My thoughts are my thoughts. It’s something I take pride in because it took me a while to feel fully comfortable in my own skin musically. I always thought there was a certain mold I had to fit.

I realized that it’s way cooler to be yourself and makes for much more entertaining and interesting music as well. If you live it own it, or get lost in the shuffle.

I really do live out my verses, like in “Liquor Store Girl” I really was making trips to visit the cashier daily, she was gorgeous and got me into IPAs and I never looked back.

In “Miami” I am really in Miami meeting girls and killing the whole baggie…and I can definitely name a handful of boyfriends out there that can’t stand me (laughs).

3. Who are your major musical influences?

My main musical influence is just being outside living my life to be honest. I love leaving my phone at home, channeling out everything, and just taking a walk with my headphones and a beat.

Scenery is big to me in developing a theme or associating a feeling with a song. Miami for example I wrote in my head during a 2 hour walk down a beach – people like being able to picture themselves in the scenario you create musically so I rarely sit down and write…

As far as musicians, obviously Drake. I think it’s awesome how he made it cool to showcase your insecurities. It definitely helped me explore themes on my album (“Rants On Reckless Youth” https://soundcloud.com/roryk212/sets/rory-rants-on-reckless-youth-rk ) like feeling alone in a new city, heartbreak, even a period of my life when I fell really ill and was stuck in the hospital for an entire summer  yada yada yada.

Other than that I love battle rap and I was raised on Southern Hip Hop.

4. Do you get reactions regarding the explicit and oftentimes sexual nature of your songs?

I’ve only gotten good reactions. My lyrics are what people are saying either in their head or in a private setting. I just created a platform for myself to say it publically and I put myself out there.

It’s important to not take yourself too seriously and if other people do, that’s their issue to deal with.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a comical dude and shock value is important. I play all my songs to women first, because they’ll let me know if I’m going too far. My mom is a big fan of my lyrics…for the most part (laughs)

5. Can you tell us about your new single which is out in iTunes?

Hell yeah.  “Miami” is one of my favorite tracks. The beat is fire, I linked up with a producer down in Houston, Kade Fresco, after we reposted a few of each other’s tracks on Soundcloud. He sent me the beat and I knew I had to have it.

Miami is dope because it’s completely narrative. I love story-telling and you basically get the walk through of a weekend I had down there with a girl this Winter. I blinked my eyes and I was back in the office with a wicked hangover, dude hitting my cell like he’s going to kill me, and a dope ass concept for a song.

6. Is there a Music Video? 

Yes! I shot it back in August in Brooklyn – and it’s great because at my next show during CMJ Festival – Friday October 16th 8:00 at the Drom (85 Avenue A) down in LES – I’m going to premiere it on a big projector screen before the performance. I don’t wanna give away too much because I want you to come to the show. Dress nicely because it’s classy and I’m about to fuck shit up haha.

7. How do you balance your day job and music?

It’s easy. I rarely sit down and write anymore just out of time constraints. Music is my life so there’s never a moment in my life I’m not working on it, whether that be recording, writing, or just going through the everyday grind.

I work in Sales , which requires a lot of quick thinking on the phone. You have to display a good amount of personality and trustworthiness in my job and I think overall it’s helped me get my lyrics across in a more efficient believable way too.

8. Where can listeners download or buy your songs apart from iTunes?

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/roryk212

You can download my whole album there for free

9. So what’s coming next for Rory K?

The “Miami” music video premiere party Friday October 16th! Also looking to put out a new EP sometime before the end of year….

 Thanks for your time Rory!

It was my pleasure, I appreciate you having me.

Fresh Music Video – Justin Griffith(GOAT) “Hands Around My Throat”

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Stand up against the struggle , Time to make a few changes.

These are the lines that are repeated throughout the song. For Justin Griffin a.k.a Grades of Absolute Truth, the message is important as the music. The aggressive sound is more Nine Inch Nails than say, Bone Thugs and Harmony. A new video debuted just a couple of hours ago and is now available via YouTube. An interview with this groovy alternative rock artist will be out soon. So watch out for that one. For now enjoy this wonderful song. And drop him a line when you can!

www.GradesOfAbsoluteTruth.com