Aside from guest features such as his appearance in Dj Clen’s latest single, A-Reece has not released any new music as of late. However, his name is constantly mentioned in lists of hot emcees while his projects continue to rank high in music charts – mostly thanks to his loyal (and often ruthless) fan base, the Slimes.
As someone who regularly raps about indulging in cannabis, Reece celebrates the world-famous 4/20 and revisits his 2022 offering, The Burning Tree with a remix deluxe version. And keeping to the theme, the cover is changed from the original red hue to green.
In addition to the original songs, the project opens with First Time 4 Everything but instead of A-Reece and Boy Wonder from the original version, we’re welcomed by producer, Yolophonik who makes multiple appearances in this surprise project.
Having never smoked weed or had an edible before, Yolo talks about experiencing his first musical high (“not High School Musical”) from listening to Michael Jackson.
We move on to Bet On Myself, a new addition with production from Sundae Beats. Reece puts the cherry on top and details his experiences from being doubted to being unrivaled, as well as his impact in the game.
The mix master, Yolophonik makes three more appearances in Can’t Open My Eyes, Live Once, and Intentions Interlude; offering a variety of vibey mixes to the original songs and taking the listener on a trip. Happy 4/20.
It’s No Paperwork Thursdays and you know what time it is!
Seemingly bringing an end to the white t-shirt trend that the spitters before him (aMMo Kgoadi, Ginger Trill, and Tyson Sybateli) unknowingly followed in their No Paperwork freestyles, Touchline makes his debut donning a black t-shirt and spits fire all over the Stay Low studios.
He drops bars over Kanye West’s So Appalled instrumental and represents Tembisa. Throughout the freestyle, Touchline switches effortlessly between English and isiZulu, flexing his versatility as an emcee to be reckoned with.
In Squid Games, they kill whoever misses In this game, I take whoever’s missus
The Ghanaian rapper follows up his 2022 EP with a new one that stays in touch with his Kumasi roots, kick starting 2023 with components from his last project, strong storytelling marred by matching production from his camp. Kweku smoke has been keeping the trap alive since his breakthrough, building a chemistry with A-Town, Hordzi and JUICZXXX, three pillars that have helped mount his sounds to consumers.
The melodic rapper has been internalizing his craft since his breakthrough, getting better with time and upgrading his skills as an Asaaka rapper, who barely leans on the structure of Drill. “Old Compound” is sheer proof, most moments one the EP finds Smoke in a contemplative mood, still processing his daily movements, every step of the way. He sounds like an OG who has seen it all on “Hope”, he kicks the EP off with a heartfelt verse, still processing his good fortune whiles reminiscing on the hard days, with thick bass lines and steel drums from Juiczxx, Kweku coasts on the production with ease, doing justice on the intro with no sweat. Kweku’s ability to steer his will on a beat is what makes him one of well modernized rappers in the country, “Stay Alert” sounds like a fair warning, with production details that pay homage to hip hop’s trademark, booming speakers. He is trigger-finger ready, with cool headed flows that slides with easy fluidity, the production highlights his chemistry with Hordzi, making three records for the EP, a duo whose bonding is forever. His production functions as both a compliment and challenge , giving smoke’s unwavering chill a prestige rap and eliciting some of his best performances.
“Akatanii”is surprisingly, not a drill record as you’d expect, the song’s production bridges regional styles, with a flute that hails from the world of trap music, its presence sprinkles melodic vibes to the song, allowing him to simmer down and flow at his own pace, he sounds like street-wise preacher, walking the line between reporter, preacher, gangster and citizen. He’s a bit religious here, willing to embrace his vulnerable side, with how tough the Ghanaian economy is, but in the midst of alll this, he sounds positive. There’s just a slot for a feature, and it goes to Kuame Eugene, yes Kuame Eugene, the last name you’d expect on a Kweku Smoke project. He sounds unrecognizable as he brings his hiphop side to “Be Mine”, floating through the misty bounce of Hordzi’s craft-work. You’d expect more from Lynx crooner, who sounds a bit incessant here, but Kweku’s flow connects with him to serve as the missing piece for an almost emo-rap record.
As hard as Kweku Smoke sounds, with all the street philosophies and rules, some of his best moments are on his love songs, his crooning skills on “Meaa” is the perfect foil to tales of a ride-or-die girlfriend, he sounds so confident in his lover, calling bluffs about how she would never leave him no matter the situation he finds himself, his singsong lilt is almost perfect, singing in a slack, intrinsic tunefulness that suggests he could probably be a decent R&B/Trapsoul star, it’s easily the best song on the 6-track EP. But he doesn’t croon for long, on the final song, his delivery heightens on an already-sharp storytelling model, it’s the most vividly written song here, “Lamborghini” puts maximum spin on him and his engineer. Equipped with melancholy piano-backed instruments that bounces off his singing skills, his stories which are mostly centered around poverty-stricken upbringing that led to a life of hustle and bustle, he still finds harmony and peace in his victory lap, with a typical twi sense of humor that glows throughout the records, He aims higher and seems to have more tunes for us, especially with this bond with his right hand producers.
In all this, Smoke still lacks an original vision, he is skilled with parroting popular styles, which is okay, but seems to still be on a quest to land his trademark own, a feat he seems to be searching still.But this doesn’t discredit the fact that he is a good rapper, Smoke is forever inspired by the street’s ways, and once the streets are up, there’s always going to be a story to tell, from his POV, which is widely loved by all.
Anyone who is conversant with the 1/3 members of the DRB Lasgidi will agree that Fresh L has been the most absent from the music scene. While the duo of BOJ and Teezee are still much active in the industry Fresh L has taken his time to build his business.
However, it looks like that is about to change because the music star recently took to Twitter to announce that his Rap EP is ready to go. The music head further disclosed that the EP is executive produced by Odunsi (The Engine).
Odunsi and Fresh L have been spotted a few times working on the project at what looks like the former’s studio.
The clamour for a Fresh L rap project started sometime last year, just shortly after the rapper announced he was making an R&B album.
The rapper all through last year selected songs at random and made a freestyle verse to them, it was almost like the proof of a hit song. The rapper who is now a club owner freestyling to your song was a sign that you’ve got a hit.
READ ALSO: DREMO SET TO DEBUT AN AMAPIANO SONG Although there is only a little information available on this project, it is rumoured to be released this year as the rapper announced.
A project executive produced by Odunsi is definitely top-tier, especially because Odunsi himself never jokes about the production of his song. He always put in the best.
So an Odunsi+Fresh collaboration project is definitely going to be super graceful. We are ready to see what impact it will make. We should probably get ready to hear a lot of HotBox references as well.
A lot of hip-hop lovers have shared their excitement on Twitter, in fact, every Hip-hop lover should be excited. Fresh L is a boogie rapper, who always comes correct with his lyricism, flows and cadence are always insane. You can tell he is built for rap, and I believe he knows this too.
While we wait on this project to drop, you can enjoy his last album which he promises is nothing compared to what he is about to release now. But you should still get familiar, right?
On the brink of releasing his anticipated Note To Self EP, Flvme visited The Modern Man Podcast to talk about his trajectory in the music industry, how he started, and much more.
In the hour-long episode, the former Wrecking Crew member surprises the hosts with his wisdom and calm demeanor. He mentions his sturdy support system, his relationship with producer, Zoocci Coke Dope, as well as his musical influences, more so his top 5.
Over the years, Flvme has worked and gained a large following of loyal fans who consistently show him love and support his craft.
In a recent tweet, Ex Global expressed his excitement over Flvme’s forthcoming release after listening to it, labeling it as “explosive” and making mention of the rapper’s growth.
I’m currently in studio with Flvme , he just Played me his next drop , I’m afraid “ note to self “ will be explosive . He sounds so grown , my goodness . I’m so happy for him his so deserving . He still got so much more line up right after.
It’s no doubt that the Nigerian music industry is the biggest in Africa, by a majority this record and success are made possible by the popstars on the scene. However, the Nigerian hip-hop scene has continued to enjoy the support of some major powerhouses.
The sad truth, although the fact remains that Nigerian rap artists only enjoy a little number of dedicated fan support and only a few of these rappers, can boast of having a true or even recognizable fanbase.
However, there has been a few continuous powerhouses which to a long extent have continued to be dedicated to the course of pushing the Nigerian rap scene to a greater height.
THE HENNESSY ARTISTRY & MARTELL CYPHER.
The popular Hennessy artistry cypher has always been more than just a cypher, it has been the most talked about event in the Nigerian rap scene every year, for a very long time. The cypher which was first introduced in 2007 has now gone ahead to help countless Nigerians showcase their talent.
The cypher has served as a threshold for promoting underground stars for a long time and even now, the likes of Reminisce, Oladips, Vector Tha Viper, M.I, YCee, Falz, Dremo, Psycho YP and others have all participated in this popular cypher at various points in their career. Although the most regular stars on the show are M.I and Vector.
Martell Cypher is another big powerhouse that has continued to support the Nigerian rap scene for years. The Cypher just like the Hennessy cypher has helped uncover many talents and has also put a lot of talent in a better stage of their career.
The contributions of this two have been worth more than Gold to this genre of Music in Nigeria.
It is also important to stress that although this internationally recognized has been committed to putting Nigerian Hip-hop music on everyone’s face. It however still endorses the singers in Nigeria as its ambassador, a good business tactic it is. Why is that? It is due to the fact that Nigerian rappers do not possess as much influence as singers.
The recently finished 2023 Hennessy cypher marked a historical turn in the history of the cypher, not only did the cypher feature some of the biggest names in the Nigerian rap scene, but it also featured M.anifest from Ghana, Areece from South Africa and Octopizzoo from Kenya. Nigeria was well respected by two of the legends, Vector and M.I.
The cypher was talked about all over social media and enjoyed a remarkable level of acceptance by Nigerians and the Hip-hop community as well.
More stakeholder investors like these two will definitely help promote the hip-hop culture in Nigeria even further. While we look forward to what the future of the industry is, we also hope that more stakeholder investors come along.
Still taking in the reception of her hit single, Gwan featuring MagleraDoeBoy, Dee Koala has no plans of stopping and continues to keep the ball rolling.
The Cape Town rapper is currently enjoying a marvelous time in her career, performing all around the country and working with distinguished brands although it may not have always been rosy for her.
In a recent announcement, Koala previewed a single to be dropped next month that chronicles the darkness she had to endure in recent years.
A song expressing my vulnerability and the hardships I experienced over the past 2 years.
Dee Koala
In the preview, Dee Koala is seen visibly emotional while reciting the song, detailing past occurrences and giving us a peek into her life.
Titled Anazinto, the song is set for release on Friday, 12 May, a day after her birthday when she hopes to leave the past behind her as she looks forward to a brighter future.
Taken of his ground-breaking hip hop project The4Mula, RONDA is a standout single which fully shows off Blxckie’s rap ability through his gifted rhymes and ingenious flows. Produced by Swervo and written by Blxckie, RONDA is an intelligent sports reference that Blxckie bodies in the rap form, where he boldly proclaims his undeniable place as the greatest in the game.
Directed by Jasyn Howes and Produced by The Feels, RONDA visuals take a super high-definition motion and showcases a next level Blxckie through the multiverse. Using technology seen in action movies and sci-fi films like Star Wars and John Wick 4; director Jasyn Howes together with production company The Feels effortlessly built a futuristic story with Blxckie whilst keeping him present day relevant in this extraordinary music visualization that takes on a movie persona in concept, production and final edit.
Diving in the concept behind the RONDA visuals, Jason Howes shared this on how it all came together “The concept for the video was inspired by a desire to shoot in a virtual production studio space with large format LED panels as a backdrop for a wide variety of settings, textures, and landscapes. It was also a chance to experiment with Unreal Engine technology. In the end the idea of “same song different channel” emerged and thus why we moved through TV sets as we change scenes in a seamless way.
Blxckie had this to say on the experience and his excitement on the release of the visuals for RONDA, “Creating this visual was new and very elevated from anything we have ever done before. It was incredible to see how creativity and technology can be manipulated to create a multi-dimensional narrative. I loved creating this video – in fact its more than a music video and it was dope to be fully integrated in the process of creating it. I’m really proud of what we did as a team. I’m proud of myself and yeah – you’re about to watch the video of the year!”.
Nigerian rapper DREMO, in the early hours of yesterday, took to his Instagram page to share what is believed to be one of the songs he has been working on.
The rapper most revered for his bespoke punchlines and rap capabilities shared the post online.
Although this will be the first time he delves into Amapiano, it is not the first time he will do other sounds apart from rap.
Over the years, the landscape in the Nigerian music industry has continued to change. The introduction of the Amapiano sound into Afrobeat has been one of the longest runs so far in Nigeria.
Will Dremo scale on this? Well, we can only keep our hands crossed, although the snippet and his lyricism were on point, we can not wait to listen to the entire song and watch how his fans respond to it.
Former Ambitiouz Entertainment signee, Malome Vector has just released his first song for the year titled Ya Costa under The Whole Time Entertainment, an independent record label.
The newly freed Lesotho rapper called upon Lizwi Wokuqala as well as Pheli emcee, 25K to flex their hard-earned money and remind us that designer threads don’t come cheap, di a costa.
Listen to the song below:
An Ambitiouz Battle
While in the middle of a legal brawl with Ambitiouz Entertainment over their refusal to terminate his contract, Vector maintains that he is not worried and has moved on.
In an interview, the rapper stated that he has, on multiple occasions, gone back and forth with the label requesting to be let go thus accumulating countless lawyer fees.
A snippet of Malome Vector briefly describing the situation with Ambitious Ent.
The record label does not want to let him go even after he asked for termination of contract. pic.twitter.com/jUz3eW9W6a
In various Facebook posts, the label revealed details about their relationship with Malome Vector, from his initial signing to their current squabble; “Pay us the money for accommodating you for months in Midrand.”
Ambitiouz, while currently promoting a different version of Vector’s new song, states that the Lesotho rapper owes them 5 albums and will only be let go once he pays his dues, “Ho sa bale di contract ha costa.”
