My name is Evan Vogel. I'm a 22 year old College student attending UW-Milwaukee. I am majoring in Journalism but my passion is Hip-Hop. I write my own songs and poems and just genuinely love the art form. Contact me on Facebook, Twitter or my blog if you want to get to know me or just want to find some new music! Peace and Love.
Wow…I’m at a loss for words with the most recent release off of Logic’s upcoming mixtape, ‘Welcome To Forever’ entitled ‘Nasty’. This song is impossible not to immediately put under the category of “Best Songs of 2013” already. The beat is a banger, incorporating a 1970’s like chant of the word “Nasty!” in the background. Produced by the legendary Don Cannon, the beat has a hard hitting snare drum and bass that complements the entire track. The piano medley adds an entire new element to the song when you hear it behind the lyrical talent of the Maryland MC. There is a point when the beat drops out near the end and is replaced by a heartbeat, over which Logic implements spine-chilling lyrics.
Logic – ‘Welcome To Forever’ Artwork
Just recently Logic signed to Def Jam Records and assured his fans that, “Ain’t nothing change but the bank account.” Which is welcomed with open arms by any hip-hop fan, as we have all seen mainstream industry reflect poorly on artists and completely diminish what they once were. Especially when Hip-hop artist ‘Wax’, who was signed by Def Jam, recently disbanded from the label partially because he wasn’t happy with the amount of freedom they allowed him with his music. Let’s all just hope he’s not lying and will stick to the strong hip-hop roots that we’ve come to know and love him for. Being a lifetime fan of his music myself, it is honestly amazing to finally see him get signed and get the recognition he’s always deserved. Check out the new song and definitely get the new mixtape, ‘Welcome to Forever’ on May 7th.
This is a brand new song released just minutes ago. There is no knowing as of yet if it will appear on his new album, ‘Born Sinner’ which has been moved to an early Summer release. I sure hope it finds a spot on there though. The beat has such an infectious rhythm and I love the brass instrument that can be heard in the background. As well as the ‘hi-hat’ type done on the piano. Naturally, lyrically, J. Cole is the ‘mayne on fire’…pun intended. The chorus sings out, “Maine on fire, top down bitch, I ain’t no liar, Henny on the rocks, plenty on the watch, middle fingers to the one’s who say we can’t go higher…” It is one of my favorite Cole choruses to vibe with to date. Don’t miss this song and DEFINITELY don’t miss his Sophomore album effort, ‘Born SInner’ coming out June 25th.
The most recent release from the lyrically devious duo, ‘The Palmer Squares’. Together, The Squares along with Street Light, destroy this bass-heavy track. It has a very chopped up sound when it comes to the beat. Now, the lyrics? That’s a different story. I will stand by what I tell everybody who asks me, “Who are your favorite lyricists?” Although I put a lot of rappers and artists into different categories, I don;t know if there are any that I have more fun listening to. I am constantly trying to put together and figure out exactly what they are saying in every bar they spit. The rhythms that they rap in are so unique and just put a big smile on my brain. If there is anyone I wish I could rap more like, it would be these guys. Check this song out now!
Square Tactics EP by The Palmer Squares. Out Now!
P.S. – Sorry about the lack of posts lately (for all who follow my blog). I have been absurdly busy at College and have been sick as well, I hope to now return to doing multiple Hip-Hop related posts a week and feed my readers’ with what they desire. Thanks
A Brand new song just released from Cudi. It features a rendition of, “I see pretty girls everywhere I go” and is another great addition to the already wonderful tracklist off of ‘Indicud’. The full album is being released April 23rd and is now open for pre-orders. Don’t miss it!
Rapper Kyle Lucas has been around for a few years now and is continuously getting closer to realizing his dreams. But this song is great because it depicts his life and the life of all up and coming broke and hard-working hip-hop artists. He discusses signing bad contracts and basically living off of nothing, but still having fun pursuing his dreams for the fans. It’s an upbeat song and has good lyrical depth especially considering the purpose of the song. Kyle was in a group called ‘Vonnegutt’ and also does his own solo side mixtapes. His next tape, It’s Always Sunny in Marietta 2, the free album, comes out 4/10/13. Check out his third single off the project and connect with him on Twitter and Facebook
Had to release and share Maryland MC, Logic’s tour dates for this year. It is taking place in tandem with the release of his new mixtape, ‘Welcome To Forever’ and the tour will also include appearances by C Dot Castro and Skizzy Mars. Check out if he is coming to and area by you and buy tickets starting this Friday, March 29th.
Brand new banger from Tech N9ne ft. T-Pain! This is the first full song released from Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne’s next album, ‘Something Else’ being released Summer 2013. June 25th, to be exact. This song is classic N9ne, he has impeccable flow and a beat you can’t help but to nod your head and move along with. His record label, Strange Music, just released a mixtape for FREE download called the ‘Strange Music Independent Powerhouse 2013 Sampler’. In all honesty it is one of the most genius marketing plans that I have ever seen. It contains 2 or more songs from every artist signed to the Strange Music label. These songs are all contained within larger projects being released by their respective artists at some point this year. It contains music from the likes of: Ces Cru, Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, Wrekonize, Prozak, Stevie Stone, etc.
‘Something Else’ – Deluxe Edition
It is such a great way to expose other talent on the label and gives people a taste of what is to come, without spoiling the full album. Plus, it’s free…Much of the songs are just two minute samples of the songs which creates a sense of urgency for the final products which is great. The song B.I.T.C.H. (Breaking In To Colored Houses) is the full song that Tech released on the Sampler tape and it features T-Pain on the chorus and it bears strong resemblance to F**k Food ft. T-Pain off of, ‘All 6’s and 7’s’ (Tech N9ne’s last full studio album) in the feel that it gives off. A chorus that you can (And will) sing along with after you know the words. Check out this song and all the others off the sampler tape and watch out for Strange Music in 2013!
This Hip-Hop duo is a Grammy-nominated team, yet, too few amount of people have heard of them. It consists of Kinetics (The writer and vocals) and One Love (The producer/Beat-maker) from New York. They broke out into the game when they wrote the chorus to B.o.B.’s Platinum song, ‘Airplanes‘, back in 2009. They have written and produced for, as well as worked with many other popular artists such as: Eminem, Termanology, Talib Kweli, and Nicki Minaj. The duo’s discography is as follows:
– The Kinetics EP (2008)
– Fading Back To Normal (2009)
– With A Little Help From My Friends (2012)
– You Are Not Alone (2012)
This song, ‘Sign Language‘ is very likely my favorite from Kinetics and One Love because of how deep and poetic it is. Check it out! Don’t forget to follow them on Twitter: @kineticsmusic
The Hip-Hop duo known as OCD from Philly, is now a good amount of mixtapes into their music career. Their newest effort, ‘Back To The Basement‘ is one of their best offerings yet. This 15-track tape spans a wide variety of sounds and the duo has proved that they are equipped to sing the hooks, rap the verses, make party songs and then calm things down and actually speak on some emotional subject matter. TyTyAmerica, DK, 6ix, and Teddy Roxpin all have a hand in the production of songs on this great tape. The beats on here are so diverse, from pianos and synths to hard-strummed guitars in songs like, ‘This High’ which is one of my favorites off the whole tape. Lyrically much of the tape holds strong against other up-and-coming rappers which is why it is unfortunate that some of the tracks on the tape fall short, in my opinion. One of the songs, ‘Hipster Party’ specifically, I felt had started off with a very intriguing beat but progressed and never maximized its potential. To me that song fell under the influence of the ‘2-Chainz syndrome’ (A hard beat but not much else going on…) Overall, my favorite tracks were, ‘This High’, ‘Lights On’, Top Of The World’, ‘P.A.B.S.’ and ‘Break It Down’. These 5 tracks alone I felt encompass the vibe of most of the mixtape. One of the most solid releases so far this year, check it out!
Dylan Owen is an up and coming rapper who deserves many more fans. This is true poetry, I have strong empathy for rappers who started off by writing poetry because that is how I, myself, got started with writing hip-hop lyrics. This song is beautiful. He has a free EP called, ‘Keep Your Friends Close’, that you can download at:
I feel like many people can relate to his lyrics in this song along with many others of his. This one in particular puts me in zone where I can see myself in the exact situations that he describes. Visuals through Lyrics, does it get any better?
Hip-Hop United 