Verdwaalde Kunstenaar’s “Maak Jezelf Gelukkig” (Prod. LedTrapin), translates into English as “Make Yourself Happy.” The title says it all. Through animation and funny acting, Verdwaalde wants to show how to turn the negative into the positive during times when we all have to deal with walls creeping on us.
Verdwaalde Kunstenaar is a Dutch rapper, living in the Hague. He creates his own animations and artworks, which is also what he earns his money with. Hip Hop, especially the old school style, has always been in his heart and he hopes to entertain people with it for many years to come, combining these two hobbies of his.
“This song is dedicated to everyone who is suffering from depression. From my own personal experience and witnessing the struggle of people surrounding me with what’s taking place in our world today & how Covid-19 has brought depression upon our people, I wanted to influence the minds of the broken down lost souls that there’s always hope. You must remember who is in control. Redirect your thoughts….heal yourself. I hope that you will listen and that this uplifts the soul!”
GOD BLESS,
RYZHUN (Son of the Risen)
About Ryzhun: Ryzhun is a rap artist/producer/director/sound engineer from Albuquerque, New Mexico. After a long struggle to gain total creative control over the sound quality and vision of his own music, he has released his first single, “Depression (Coronavirus Pandemic).”
Stream RYZHUN – “Depression (Coronavirus Pandemic)” on YouTube: youtu.be/zY8hRFDr20s
Hakeem Paragon is back after the success of his first album in 2019, No Heaven for Heathens, with a brand new album inspired by the beauty of walking in day-to-day life, A Sunflower in the Shade. As always, there is a key concept behind Hakeem Paragon’s releases, as he sets off on a journey to come out of a low place and uplift both himself and the listener.
In Hakeem’s words, “I represent love and self-love. I was in a very low place and a lot of hip hop tends to ‘shit’ on the listener. For some reason, every time an artist comes to uplift, it is seen as ‘corny.’ I think I’ve found the sound that can still promote positivity in a way that people can stand to ingest it.”
Unlike most artists, the Milwaukee-born artist currently residing in Honolulu, has a love for music and life that has led him to put other artists on by running his own three-day music festival in Honolulu, the LoveForIt fest. With his mission to spread positivity and love, meaning, purpose, and hope hits in every bar of A Sunflower in the Shade. The album, released on March 20, 2020, was influenced by Hakeem’s wife, two daughters, family and friends, and the songs document his life from the time of the release of his 2019 No Heaven for Heathens to its own release.
Several producers make their mark on A Sunflower in the Shade, including Spradley, June Fabores, and BYourself, but Milwaukee’s Regal shaped the album’s overall sound. Hakeem Paragon’s future plans include expanding his exploration of how he can further affect people’s emotions with sound through hip hop.
Alvin evokes depth and delicacy in his newly-released second EP, Seven Oaks, which came to fruition after gaining support from BBC’s “Introducing in Manchester” on his debut EP, Many Happy Returns in 2019.
The EP emerges as the latest unraveling of the Manchester born-and-raised artist’s soul-searching through his blend of alternative R&B and soul. Each of the album’s five songs are stepping stones on a journey increasingly revealing an introspective expansion of the artist’s mind and heart.
Shrouded in secrecy, outside Alvin’s melodic outpourings, he discloses nothing more than bite-sized fragments about his music, which serve more as hints rather than clarifications. About the album, Alvin’s few words of self-description are as concise as they are a question mark in and of itself—“seven tales of poetic paranoia.” Seven tales over five tracks? What is “poetic paranoia”?
Taking these questions into the album, together with the black-and-white motion photography in Alvin’s visuals, and the smooth production by Houston’s Anthony D Luxe and Berlin’s Awndrei, the listener encounters a noir-like motion, darkness blended with beauty, reflecting the confrontation between the mind’s paradoxes and the emotional release that the music provides both artist and listener.
Seven Oaks comes as a major artistic milestone for Alvin, after the music video for his captivating and psychedelic single, “The Rise,” and toward a soon-release of the video for his song, “Sentient,” and a project is also coming this summer.
CAMARABI releases his sophomore single, “Top Floor.” The song also features a guest verse from fellow Washington D.C. hip hop artist, A1 Flow. The song was self-produced by CAMARABI and features an upbeat, blues-inspired instrumental. CAMARABI and A1 Flow use the lush instrumental as a backdrop for their ode to the finer things in life.
CAMARABI is a Washington, D.C.-based hip hop artist, producer and visual artist. He has worked with many prominent acts in the DC area. His production style takes cues from many genres, including jazz, classical music, atmospheric music, pop and trap.
Urban Drop is about Music, Lifestyle and Revolution—three elements that we have integrated into our souls.
Urban Drop’s first single release is about the moment of change and realignment. The lyrics express Urban Drop’s story of traveling back to his homeland in Brazil, thinking about how while a lot has changed in him, some hasn’t. Urban Drop felt inspired to open up in order to help inspire others to think about the meaning of life, and what’s most important while we’re alive.
Musically, the music consists of trap elements, future bass, and Urban Drop’s own rapping style.
About Urban Drop: The Urban Drop project was born with the urge that its creator experienced a few times, where people create expectations about the future, building up a bubble hoping for better, and reflects on this feeling in the lyrics. In the words of Urban Drop’s creator: “Music for me as an artist represents changes in the way we see and live life. Music, Lifestyle and Revolution are thus essential and crucial elements that help us express ourselves.”
Urban Drop is originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and now lived in Dublin, Ireland, where he decided to learn more about music, become a composer, producer, and now songwriter. Urban Drop is currently producing more songs with original ideas to inspire people into following their dreams.
Tammy B’s “Real Dreams” explores the grey areas between dreams and reality, through piercing vocal melodies and poignant percussion. Fusing contemporary R&B and art-pop, her self-directed video features jumpy movements with fantasy scenarios and unexpected chroma. Released on April 24, 2020 on independent label Kah Lu Kha Records.
Born and raised in Worthing, a small seaside town in Sussex, Tammy’s evangelical Christian parents chose to homeschool her. The contrasting mix of her hymn singing at church by day and explicit MTV music video emulation by night lead her down a new musical path. Singing, dancing and playing piano to herself evolved into Avant-garde song-writing and body movement. Moving from Worthing to London, solidified her self belief in her art form.
