With all the buzz surrounding Superbowl XLVIII aka The Cannibus Cup building now, we wanted to make sure you don’t lose sight of the talented artists making their own waves. They may have the confidence of Richard Sherman, but they’ll let the music speak for it instead. And just like last week, we got more than one project out of one region (East) and this time none out of the Midwest.
In case anyone has this column’s aim twisted, consider being featured on SYLR as the official first step to your endless path to getting to the top of the chain and staying there. Notice how we said, “staying there.” Some artists have been putting in work and have seen relatively minimal hype. This platform was created to spotlight those deserving the attention of industry folk, fans, and everyone in between. Be sure to stay up to date on what’s legit by checking out the four projects below. If you feel differently, we welcome you to prove us otherwise.
Attention all rappers: This weekly post is a call to arms-lyrical arms. If you do this thing called rap, these four projects are four slaps in the face punches to the throat. And no one just takes a punch to the throat without retaliation. Let’s see yours. And for those who were selected already, let’s see where you go from here. The Source is watching…
West: Dag Savage (Exile& Johaz) – The Warning Tape
Before the California duo of producer Exile and emcee Johaz is getting ready to drop their debut album on Dirty Science next month, they wanted to give you a polite irreverent “warning.” Their “tribe called invincible” aka usual collaborators contribute to Johaz’s matter-of-fact verses and Exile’s rich and varied production. And if you want more, you can get their first project right HERE.
South: 0017th (Nesby Phips & Reem) – Wrappin’
Nesby Phips and Reems decided to start their own label, 0017th, in Hollygrove, New Orleans. And this compilation tape, which also features Mack Maine, Curren$y, and others, is the quality product. Let this be the representation of what tomorrow’s South could sound like-a healthy balance of re-imagining the old with mixing in the new.
East: Ryshon Jones – Hope Is A Dangerous Thing
While being inspired by an episode of Orange Is The New Black for the title of this project, Philly’s Ryshon Jones took a step in the right creative direction to create more than just music. When you download the project you also get digital look/poetry book. The music may sound a bit darker than your usual Hip-Hop project but the emotions are just as real as ever. Look out for Track Fifteen later this year as well.
East: Dom McLennon – Thesis
This “multimedia endeavor” is much more than your straightforward project. It’s meant to be an interactive experience with the product. ASF (Alive Since Forever)’s Dom created a website that explains all of it with videos, lyrics, and more. The crazy thing is that I spoke with Dom about this months before Childish Gambino’s because the internet. And don’t think that the website is a gimmick to distract you from the music. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Trust me, I listen to every submission. To get your project considered for SYLR, please email the following information to SYLR@thesource.com:
Name
Where you’re representing
Short bio
Link to your project (do not attach any music)
Bryan Hahn (@notupstate)
