Abstract Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop, Mixtapes | Don’t Sleep On McKinley Dixon’s Who Taught You To Hate Yourself? Mixtape
Posted by VMan on April 14, 2016
Annapolis, Maryland (or MD in general) isn’t too well known for it’s hip-hop scene or even music scene in general to be honest with you, but the other day I was put onto McKinley Dixon an upcoming rapper and musician who is slowly but surely making some waves. His most recent project was called Who Taught You To Hate Yourself and it’s clearly heavily influenced by the 90’s scene of hip-hop. Spiritual, lyrical, deep content that goes above and beyond most mainstream rap that is currently playing on the radio. I’m rooting for the underground and for McKinley Dixon to continue to make dope shit. Listen to his tape above and keep him on your map.
Abstract Hip-Hop, Artists, Chill, Freestyle, Indie, Pop | Leah Haxhi Remedies the Weekday Blues with her New Single “Okay” prod. IAmRizwan
Posted by BIGLIFE on January 26, 2016
Leah Haxhi is a singer songwriter currently working on her upcoming album in NYC. She paired with Bangladeshi producer IAmRizwan to create this atmospheric track that makes us feel like everything will be “Okay”. She free-styled the song in one take and then added harmonies to build out the song and create the organic feeling of the single. Leah is working with various producers and labels such as Afrojack, Armada Music, and MixMash Deep. We last gave you a taste of her EDM style with Armada’s record “When We Were Young” by Jaylex ft. Leah Haxhi, but here she shows us once again that her style cannot be put into any box.
https://soundcloud.com/leahhaxhi/okay-leah-haxhi-prod-by-iamrizwan
Abstract Hip-Hop | Up North ft. Cousin Stizz & Night Lovell by Nok from the Future
Posted by Juicebox on December 20, 2015
Nok from the Future may have just made his future with his latest track, Up North. The simple beat and heavy baseline are accompanied by clever verses that get you thinking. You’ll want to listen to the track all the way through as it has a unique changeup at the end. The song has been on Soundcloud for two days but is gaining traction incredibly quickly. Peep it and show your friends before it blows up.
Abstract Hip-Hop, Chill, Electro, Electronic, Hip-Hop | HiFadility Calls An Iso With Lauryn Hill On His Edit Of “Ready or Not”
Posted by BIGLIFE on June 26, 2015
[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=true”]https://soundcloud.com/iamhifadility/lauryn-hill-ready-or-not-hifadility-iso[/soundcloud]
HiFadility dropped another exciting edit, an isolation of Lauryn Hill’s vocals from The Fugee’s “Ready or Not” track with a very luxurious hip-hop/world instrument electronic sound. What really makes this track worth supporting is the thoughtfulness involved in the arrangement of quality sounds, and the attention used in choosing the vocal arrangement. HiFadility is part of a movement that is bringing consciousness back into popular culture.
HiFadility, whose tagline is “peace, love and prosperity”, seems to ask for intention and awareness out of life that he also likes to deliver within his music, allowing him to create really intricate and interesting pieces. Before releasing this track, he asked himself the question of why he decides to make, release and engage in the music industry. He replied with the idea of: “What does make creating music worth the while is the mystery.” Later that night, at the release of the Lauryn Hill track, he simply posted an infinity sign, “?”, indicating the infinite nature of our being and sound, the thrilling mystery of music, and how it magically touches our soul.
The ability to make chill bangers, songs that are laid back but still get you pumped up, is pretty unique, so make sure to check out this track, it’s just in time for the summer feels. HiFadility will be releasing more videos and tracks in relation to this concept project, The Queens EP, over the duration of the summer, so be sure to follow HiFadility on his social media, soundcloud, tumblr, twitter, for more gems.
Abstract Hip-Hop, Albums, Artists, Chill, Freestyle, Pop | Leah Haxhi Hits Hard with Summer Single- “Fade”
Posted by BIGLIFE on June 21, 2015
You’ve seen Leah’s unique covers here on Fresh New Tracks before, but this time NYC singer/songwriter Leah Haxhi drops her first single “Fade,” with music produced in Brooklyn by Mike Irish. The track mixes minimalistic piano with jam-sesh vibes to create a natural, catchy feel that blends pop, R&B, hip-hop, and even subtle jazz elements into a chilled groove, ready for the hot city summer. With a June 21st release date, “Fade” is the perfect summer anthem, setting the tone for “driving down the highway” and blasting music while “everybody sings along.” The single is paired with high quality visuals from the hands of Matt Phipps, filmmaker and creator of SkatersAtlas.com.
Leah says “I wrote this song last year on my birthday. I was in the studio free-styling and picturing myself flying down the highway with my boyfriend at the time just listening to music on the way to the beach, fading away into that moment of complete contentment and happiness. This song is an expression of that feeling, no matter what you’re doing in life.” Be on the lookout for more tunes from Leah, as she continues the countdown to her debut album release later this year. Be sure to follow her on Soundcloud as well as @LeahHaxhi on social media for info on her latest shows, music, and releases.
Abstract Hip-Hop | Chance the Rapper, Lido, and Towkio Join Forces to Drop One of the Best Songs of 2015
Posted by dshaq on April 8, 2015
The combination of the people on this track was a precursor to just how good this track was going to be. As much as I expected out of this song, it surpassed any and all expectations. The beginning with Lido’s chorus then slows down into a beautiful synthy piano to compliment Towkio’s flow then switching to the juke style beat to let you reminisce just how good Chance’s flow is over that type of beat. Bliss. A group of young individuals who are ahead of the artist curve, and all are paving the way for themselves to solidify their stay in the music industry. Look out for Towkio’s mixtape coming out soon, Lido’s LP, and Chance’s SURF project with the SOX. Good music is on the way so rejoice! In the mean time, let this hold you over.