It’s our favorite time of the month. A day or too late, but always worth it. This month you’ll find new faces and old throughout September’s Local Crafts. Someone heard our call because we have two new Spanish entries, both new faces, to the mix. From Cam Bells and Code Green to Jay Ramirez and Martin Jr., we cover as much as we could get our hands on. Check them out.
Maybe next month we’ll start choosing a standout project of the month…
House | Hip-hop | Indie/Rock/Alternative | Latin | R&B |
House
Ross Noir — “Yunowhathislifeez” (Ross Noir Classy AF Mix) | (Providence)
Providence’s Ross Noir adds another track to his “Classy AF” mixes, this one by way of Metropolitan Jazz Affair’s song “Yunowhathislifeez.” The song has a couple of different official remixes released by Metropolitan Jazz Affair and they’re not bad. There’s a Motorcity, Jazz, Rnb and Chabada Mix, but we get the Classy AF Ross Noir remix.
Hip-hop
Cam Bells — “Gunna Freestyle” / “Timing” (video) | (Providence)
Providence’s Cam Bells wastes no time in September. After dropping his “Gunna Freestyle” he released the video for “Timing.” A couple of days before the official release of the video, Cam premiered it in front of a couple dozen friends over at Trade Pop Up in Providence. The Alex Sandoval-directed video features clips from Daytrill and a bunch of familiar faces.
Code Green — “Runaway Summer”/ “Capisce” (video) | (Rhode Island)
After giving us the smooth “With Ease,” featuring Lily Rayne, last month, the Code Green boys are back with “Runaway Summer.” They weren’t done with just the single release, either. They also dropped the video to their track “Capisce,” shot and edited by Providence’s ARX.
Cousin Stizz — Cold Times / “Made” – (video) | (Boston)
Cousin Stizz, who we featured last month, dropped a quick three-track EP and now he’s back with another three-tracker called Cold Times. In addition to the EP, he drops some visuals for the track “Made.” The smooth track is something you could find in your playlist for the next couple of months, easily. Directed by Boston-based Gilad Haas, the video features Stizz and his friends just hanging out on a rainy and not rainy day — drinking, smoking and having a good time.
Jon Hope — “Blood Streams 2” | (Providence)
If you’ve been in the Providence area for any number of years, Jon Hope is one of the names that go hand-in-hand when you list local artists. After teasing the release of this new track and video, Hope accompanied the video with a caption to help put his thoughts into perspective. In an era where digital content is consumed so easily, it’s odd to think that almost a year since dropping Savage Beauty fans feel they should be expecting new music. They shouldn’t, but we’re glad to hear some new Hope. Check out the moving a cappella below and listen to the lyrics.
Had to get a lot off my chest with this one…This is for those who love the art of something meaningful. I didn’t think about the current landscape or what everyone else is doing. If you rock with Hope then you know it’s quality over quantity and words that connect with your soul.. You ready?
REKS x Short Fyuz — Order in Chaos | (Lawrence, Massachusetts)
I first heard of REKS, Rhytmatic Eternal King Supreme, back in 2008 when he dropped his album Grey Hairs. Since then I’ve been following him and keeping an eye on what he’s been releasing here and there. In this latest release, REKS and producer Short Fyuz team up to bring the old school feel of hip-hop back. One thing that has been true about REKS throughout his entire career is he has stayed true to his sound, something he’s perfected over time. He hasn’t tried to put out a trap project or change his ways and with Short Fyuz on the beats, it’s nothing but hard hitting tracks.
Sabz — SABB3RDAY Part 3 | (Pawtucket, Rhode Island)
Pawtucket’s Sabz just dropped his newest installment to his “Sabber Day” series. The Leel Bank-produced tracks bring you into Sabz’ world where each track is an extension of his life that he wants to share. The number 3 is significant to Sabz as This is the Plug writes, “The number 3 plays a big part in his music, the lives of their peers and is dedicated to the loss of Pawtucket’s late Josh Burgo.” Here are a couple bars that stood out to me.
But I ain’t have no f—in bed to sleep in
My momma had hers
And so did my brother
My aunt was stayin’ there tryna get right on her feet and
I was just the youngest
So how could I complain
Plus I had a sidekick and a gold chain
Kinda crazy cuz the house ended up in flames
That’s just funny how God plays his games-“Get Em Singin'”
Sean Dizzy Blade — “L’Or Blanc” | (Rhode Island)
If you were to check in with Sean Dizzy Blade throughout the last couple of years you would almost think he was solely a producer. Though he’s had his hand on a number of projects, including The Jae‘s Unleashed — among others — he’s also a rapper. Check out his latest “L’Or Blanc” where he talks about “the inevitable attention for my talents, while remaining humble.”
The Funk Underground — “Love” (feat. Garza) | (Providence)
Taking a step back from what you’re used to hearing, The Funk Underground — a collective of Providence-based lyricists and musicians — drops a feelgood track all about, well, love. Fronted by the vocals of Syde-Sho, The Funk Underground blends percussions, chordophones and more to bring you lyrics and live instruments. Taki Brano, KelKeyz, Osmoses, Patrick Pine and Kevin Rodriguez make up the rest of the band who, along with Syde-Sho, create the tunes.
WHYTRI — A BAD Porno | (Boston)
We originally featured WHYTRI in June’s Local Crafts when he dropped the Beato-produced. “GUESSWHOIDK” and now he’s back with a full-fledged 5-track EP called A BAD Porno on the very last day of September. The EP comes less than a year after the release of his previous project Kahuna and brings the same energy from front to back—aside from the skit, that is. With production from Beato, C-Spring and KREW$, it’s legit going to be on replay for some time.
The album art, with creative direction from Nino, features WHYTRI licking the head of a woman, the same way Kanye West did to Amber Rose that one time… Check out the rest of the album’s art here.
Indie/Folk/Rock/Alternative+
Andrew DiMarzo Trio — “Bittersweet Symphony” – (Video) | (Boston)
Earlier in September we premiered the video for the Andrew DiMarzo Trio’s cover of The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony.” The video was edited by Alec Hutson and mixed by Dave Lambe at The Record Co. in Roxbury Crossing, Massachusetts. Andrew DiMarzo grew up listening to The Verve and track, and wanted to send the message that “of a conscious acknowledgment about the predicament that people are in — often getting so caught up in the ‘hustle’ that [they] forget to truly LIVE. And at the same time, maintaining a graceful understanding that maybe there can still be a significant meaning behind it all.”
Paper Citizen — Distractions / “SHKN” (video) | (Boston)
We discovered three-piece Boston-based Paper Citizen last month and they are pretty dope. The indie rock project is led by singer-songwriter Claire Gohst, who made her way to Boston from Singapore in 2013. The release of Distractions is a followup to their 2016 Postcards in Transit, though they have released a couple of singles in the time between that EP and this project. The EP brings Gohst’s very personal experiences from the last five years which include “learning the difference from eastern to western cultures, discovering new music, falling in love, heartbreak, the feeling of loneliness, and making steps to adopt Boston as her new home away from home.”
Latin
Jay Ramirez — “Entrègate” – (video) | (Providence)
Many know him for his comedy and ability to entertain fans on Instagram, but Jay Ramirez is as talented singing as he is with comedy. Within the last month, Jay has purged his Instagram and reworked it from the ground up putting his nose to the grindstone and showing he’s focusing on his music full time. Just be cautious when searching for his music as there is another Latin musician named Jay Ramirez with the same listing on Spotify. “Entrègate” comes
Priscilla Montero — Amor Salvaje | (Rhode Island)
Rhode Island-based Priscilla Montero dropped her long-awaited three-song EP Amor Salvaje this month. The EP gives you a couple of different sounds, showing Montero’s ability to switch up in one go. The lead track, “Tacones Rojos” goes from salsa to almost a reggaeton-style beat and back again. Amor Salvaje tops out at less than 10 minutes so you can breeze through it with the interlude track Eros connecting the top and bottom of the project.
R&B/Alternative R&B
Dee Gomes — “Standards” / “25×4” – (video) | (Providence)
Dee Gomes gives us some RathSoe and Alex Sandoval-shot visuals for his newest track “Standards.” The video, shot with an old-school VHS/camcorder effect features Dee partying with some women in different locations. The Big Jeezy and Nanzoo-produced track gives off those island vibes. A smooth track to close the summer out. This month Dee also shared the stage with WHYTRI and Rich the Kid.
Second up is Dee’s feature on Bay Area rapper Mike Darole’s track “25×4.”
Martin Jr. — “Waste Your Time” | (Providence)
Always great to see new artists on the list and even more special when they’re just getting started on their music and it’s dope. Martin Jr., the flagship artist at Ocean State Dreams, just dropped a new single for September, “Waste Your Time.” This new track follows his last release “Freak Nik ’96.” Word is Martin Jr. is going to keep dropping music every couple of weeks and we’re hearing one of the next drops is an island banger for my Afrobeat aficionados.
Nino — “The Ride” / Vibes: The Remixes | (Providence)
Nino, it’s simply “Nino” now, has had a steady stream of releases this summer and added another to cap it off. First off, we have his newest single “The Ride.” Second up we have Vibes: The Remixes. With the help of Livingroom Dancefloor, Nino drops a set of remixes to the track he originally dropped in June, “Vibes.” Here we see remixes from Floridomi, Jensu, Mizuchi, Burbank and Fushou. If you like it enough, he also dropped some “Vibes” shirts.
Shyfi — “You” (feat. JD) | (Providence)
“You” follows the release of her last drop, “Get Me High,” featuring Providence’s Corcovado, and shows the ability Shyfi has in creating what sounds like two different genres of music. Where “Get Me High” comes in as a slower, almost blues-like track, her new track “You” does a 180 on what would have been expected to follow “Get Me High” and levels it up.
Sky Bento — “Where We At, Pt. 2” / “KIDS (Mac Miller Tribute)” | (New Bedford, Massachusetts)
Two new tracks coming in from Sky Bento, an artist out of New Bedford. First up is the Pilgrim-produced “Where We At, Pt. 2” which follows the part one that he dropped in June. Next up after we have a tribute to the late Mac Miller in the form of the Mubz Got Beats-produced “KIDS.” The name comes from fourth mixtape that Miller dropped by the same name.
Iight. We’re out.
See y’all end of October!
-45s and 40s
