Here at UK Underground Rap, we're committed to connecting the scene in any way we can. That's why we've linked up with Posted UK to bring you a monthly round-up of underground music!
It’s been a crazy past couple of months for UK music! March brought us two phenomenal projects with “Forward” from p-rallel and “Off the Strength” from Cookin’ Soul and Lord Apex. In April, JVCK JAMES gifted us “ON THE ROCKS” and while I would love to talk about these projects, if you’ve been reading these articles since the start them you might be expecting that.
However, I realised that they (unfortunately) don’t meet the criteria for this month. I also realise that I’ve never explained the only condition that I have in place for these articles that I’ve been doing over the past couple of months, so my bad apologies xx.
I’m sure we can all agree that Spotify is a bit stinky, to say the least, so much so that in order to earn a living wage off of streams alone, an artist needs approximately 405,000 monthly listeners (and probably even more than that when taking into account the costs to get their music made).
A fairly disgustingly high number, so with all of these articles in the past, present and future, our aim is to shine a spotlight on those who fall under this threshold at the time of the article being written. So with that in mind, let’s dive right in and give some credit where it is well truly due.
Singles:
Akemi Fox - See You Soon
Tariq Disu - W.W.Y.B.
Blaze YL - Mysterious (prod. EL LONDO)
Jim Legxacy - eye tell (!)
David Armada + Offcut - Hart
Danny Sanchez - 17
Debbie - Stay
Jim Legxacy - eye tell (!)
Right off the bat, an artist who took 2021 by storm with the incredible and cohesive project “CITADEL”, Jim Legxacy returns with his truly unique sound on his first release of the year - “Eye Tell (!)”. Having first teased the track on his TikTok (@jimlegxacy_) in early January of this year, “Eye Tell (!)” has been highly anticipated, and I feel that the wait itself is something to be celebrated.
With the snippet having gained a massive audience, I can imagine this comes with a lot of pressure to get it done quickly and release it as soon as possible. But Jim Legxacy taking his time to really perfect the track, has definitely paid off and speaks highly to his integrity as an artist. The track itself is mesmerizing, from the intriguing soft guitar melody that drags you into the song, to the snappy percussion throughout “Eye Tell (!)” you can never tell what Jim Legxacy’s next move will be, and that’s part of the appeal. Musically speaking, Jim Legxacy is one of the most unpredictable and exciting artists out at the minute!
EP:
Ego Ella May - FIELDNOTES PT II
Xadi - Floating In Lilac
Deyah - HeART-Break NoTel (THE FREESTYLES)
Paul Stephan - Streetmisfit4eva
Yiiga - Soul Ties
Loraxx - When I Come Home
Yiiga - Soul Ties
April brought us a brand new project from South East London’s very own Yiiga, with her latest EP “Soul Ties”.
Yiiga’s last EP, “Inner Dawn” came to us in late 2020 and having released a string of singles between now and then, Yiiga has been slowly but surely building up anticipation for “Soul Ties”. Singles such as “Up” (featuring KiLLOWEN), “Good Enough”, “Edge” and “Nirvana” all find their way onto the project, with added contributions from new tracks ”Prove It” (featuring INFAMOUSIZAK who has also been in for a busy year) and “Golden” (featuring Piers James).
Yiigaa’s unique sound is something very appropriately described as “Soulentric Afro-Pop”. The best summary of this title, being on the final track “Golden”, infectiously fun and energetic. Other personal highlights pop up on tracks like “Edge” and “Prove It”, where there are these slick guitar melodies that I feel go so well together with Yiigaa0’s vocals and her swift style of delivery. With a duo of headline shows around the corner at the Servant Jazz Quarters on the 9th and 10th May, Yiigaa is certainly someone to keep tabs on!
Album/Tape:
Frenzy - Kareem Mclean 2
Clbrks + Kiina - HABITS 2
Len - Dead End
Frenzy - Kareem Mclean 2
March brought along a bitter sweet moment, with Frenzy releasing “Kareem McLean 2” his final mixtape, almost 9 years following the release of “Kareem McLean 1”. The tape was also released alongside a 46 minute podcast featuring Arz and Ramonie, explaining the reasoning as to why this is Frenzy’s last mixtape, and an important discussion about the pressures on artists today.
On the project itself, what stood out to me most is the impressive lyricism and personal touch that we’ve come to know and love from Frenzy’s music, which you can feel right from the jump on the opening track “Depend On You”. As “Kareem McLean 2” is almost like a documentary in the way it covers Frenzy’s journey. And while there is a particularly personal touch to the project, the features that appear on “Kareem McLean 2” are incredible! With the likes of Jaydonclover, Izco, Kadiata, El Londo, AyChibs and Ruben Joy all contributing.
The highlight for me on this project comes with the track “Tell Me Lies” (featuring AyChibs and Kadiata), lyrically speaking it’s one of the strongest and most enjoyable verses I’ve heard from both Kadiata and Frenzy and the production from AyChibs matches the energy brought forward perfectly. Overall, this tape has been a favourite of mine from releases I’ve heard so far this year and if you have not listened to it yet, I cannot recommend it enough.
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Words by: Jack Gibbs
Edited by: Jack Slade / @jsld_____
You guys should check out this uber new artist called Geki Kaneki, not many fans just started but too hard not to mention.