DISCLAIMER
Through to that type of article, we want to offer you a review of the Korean urban scene news.
However we need to make some clarifications.
Firstly, even if we are doing our best to give you the largest range possible, we’ll certainly miss some releases but it doesn’t mean that the project isn’t worthy of interest.
Then, if we are always trying to give you a review as much objective as possible, the fact is that there is always going to have some subjectivity in it. We haven’t the “received wisdom”, our aim here is only to promote the weekly releases and in some angles to express our views. After all beauty is in the eye of the beholder and, if you don’t share the same opinion than us don’t hesitate to tell us in our comment space, on twitter or facebook!
We also liked to say that to stay up-to-date on the current releases, we are leaning, among other, on K-Hip Hop France and HiphopKR pages!
SoundCloud Playlist
02/03
STEEPY(스티피) - "뿐" | Prod by FILKCUF
How can we describe this musical alien?
The young rapper has once again made a bold choice by rapping on a very intense instrumental. It’s hard to put words here, it’s kind of a hybrid beat, a tad futuristic/industrial with almost drumstep basses on the background.
A track which stands out!
ZAMIANG - Tape : "BAD ALGORITHMS" (4 tracks)
If on the first two tracks of the project ZAMIANG chose to go for almost rock or even hard rock/metal, he went back on pure rap for the two next ones.
From Hip-Hop Old School/BoomBap in Barlog featuring HUNGER NOMA and pH-1 where the 3 rappers offer us a really relaxed performance, it’s clean and refreshing to hear them performing in that kind of sonorities. And a really refined beat for Y featuring JP, in which we’d almost have the impression to hear a metronome sample.
In short, a very polarised project in its atmosphere!
02/04
Futuristic Swaver - "My Ex"
Futuristic Swaver keeps on releasing tracks weeks after weeks!
If, this time his track came out with a M/V, actually there is nothing much to say about it, the aesthetics is quite simple with the effects peculiar to movement such as Bubblegum Trap (hearts/stars/thunders filters for instance). Bubblegum Trap which is may be also a tad present in the sonorities.
The rapper is a regular when it comes to alternative rock, but he seems to like colorful vibes as much, and it’s showing here as he opted for a light and bouncing track!
Geniejin (지니진) - "GR하지마" Feat. LCM, ERA, 강성구
Geniejin is still a quite unknown artist and that’s a shame!
Dedicating herself to production as much as rap, globally her tracks are clean and interesting and this one is no exception to the rule!
Here it’s like a quiet Trap with a not that fast bpm (beats per minute/the rhythmics speed).
ZAMIANG - "거울 : 투영" (bonus track)
A track with an interesting atmosphere, almost Lo-Fi, with a little muffled effect!
02/05
slchld - "she likes spring, I prefer winter."
This week, slchld offers us a full-English track, still loyal to his Soul/RnB sonority with once again GILLA for the mastering work!
nuffAce - "BADACE" (Prod.$oulBrick)
His SnackPack project just released (cf our review of January 20 to 26) that nuffAce already offers us a new track, a very nice and classic Trap!
02/06
kz - "Cashhhcow"
Mind-blowing trap with an interesting work on the beat balance ~
김영기 - "20대"
If you are used to our chronics then you might have recognise the instrumental in which Yawah, along with 131, rapped on the track 재미난 일 unveiled last week (if you didn’t already listen to it we highly recommend it).
In short, if the beat is undeniably excellent (none of the artists put a credit for it, it’s maybe a classic prod but we admit we don’t have the references if that’s the case) 김영기 also delivers us a touching performance thanks to a very expressive rap!
로디페부캐 (Rose de Penny) - "Whooi (1verse)"
In another kind of hybrid beat, this time it’s globally more a Trap track and clearly, Rose de Penny snaps (It seems that the rapper would have 2 SoundCloud accounts, we’re not sure if we have understand it all)!
02/07
Loco - Album : "HELLO" (6 tracks)
An album which marks the beginning of his military service! Then it may not be mere coincidence if that project seems to be imbued with a feeling of nostalgy. It would all the more makes sense that Loco is more used to go for keen and colourful tracks.
However, Loco explores different nuances here. Almost an influence of the alternative rock in NOTHING with the guitar chords punctuated by a trap rhythmics.
A pretty jazzy atmosphere with a marked snare drum on It’s been a while. It’s worth noting the really interesting harmony between Zion.T and Loco. The M/V is all you can expect from an AMOG production with all its own visual codes.
With Tangled Up, pH-1 and Loco are going for aerial vibes while Some beatmaker featuring Woo Wonjae & yeesang would almost have a lullaby side.
However Loco stays true to his style with Too Fast ft Paloalto but he is still fully indulging in nostalgia with How, all in languor with, once again, the electric guitar/snare drums combo.In short, an excellent album, as much good as complete, we wish Loco good luck for his military service!
PrettyboyAsher - "Epilogue"
A very consistent project which adopts the storytelling concept as indicated as well in the title. PrettyboyAsher seems to relate the story of a relationship. A relationship that is seemingly turning sour, but which is still musically expressed by a quite light atmosphere.
Amburu’s note: Big up to Love, fifth track of the project!
Eli’s note: The songs View and Vacation are just perfect if you are looking for quite calming sonorities!
린린 - "없어" (prod. wonderlust)
린린 seems to bounce on the times of an almost heady rhythmics. Nevertheless, the production work is gradually heightened on the track taking the shape of a true harmony between the rapper and the instrumental which are almost like one at the end!
brwn - drink [prod. noma]
One of our discovery of the week, brwn has a rather unusual voice and above all really smoothing creating right away a particular atmosphere.
This atmosphere is reinforced by the refined prod, almost mind-blowing which is a tone above the artist’s voice. An artist we’ll definitely follow!
CUBE_PURPP (Trap $andWich) - "❗❗ Wasted ❗❗" ft 💔 VAN CALUM 💔, Hong_Key💔More liquor💉
An hybrid Trap/Bubblegum Trap/Alternative Rock collab for the genre’s lovers. The autotune brings kind of an acidity, it’s like a pretty “aggressive” sounding track.
benkidish - 1st tape : "byebye" (6 tracks)
One of the most interesting projects of the week and, for a 1rst mixtape, benkidish gets off to a good start! He explores different types of atmosphere from Lo-Fi in In Rain to more groovy sonorities in 서울, jazz in Movie or even more calm atmospheres in Night shift or, on the contrary pop ones in My Life Is produced by ILLUID HALLER in which Joshua Shim had already rapped with 아 XX 꿈
for instance.
In Short, a very consistent project, Excellent from A to Z!
David Koo - "Ok Freestyle" Feat. Flema
If we had to sum this song up in 4 words it would probably be :
“Yes I’m O-Ok O-Ok”
No, more seriously, if the sample is a bit (a lot) heady, David Koo and Flema are really excellent when it comes to the rap parts!
Tommy Strate - "Midgar" feat. Roc Lee | prod. Santa Paine, Noisemasterminsu
This week, Tommy Strate offers us, a new quite nice mind-blowing Trap track!
Lev!tate - "On my wave" (Ft. CLIQUE)(Prod. Lezter)
A little bit dark Trap but above all incisive! As we said it on Twitter Lev!tate seems to be quite young (17 years old according to his SoundCloud account) yet, he’s clearly asserting himself with a very sharp rap.
You better keep an eye on him!
Jeremy Quest - "Fly" ft. Yawah
Once again a very good release this week, Jeremy Quest here opted for a little bit Laid-Back Trap, which means he is like “heavy” on the times and more globally it’s very interesting to hear him collaborate with Yawah ~
02/08
Hanhae - EP : "About Time"
Hanhae starts the year with a quite nice album!
Globally on the first 3 tracks it’s like more jazz sonorities with a strong emphasis on the instruments in both Flashback (piano – ride cymbals and open charleston) and Gunzo (Guitar/Bass and battery marked) while I Go almost tends to Lo-Fi.
About Time featuring BADMINTON has more a “dreamy” pop touch, while Clip Clop is on a more groovy and zesty shade.
Domino with Rudals is, for him, the opportunity to try his hand on Trap, a genre that’s quite unusual to hear him or at least it’s a first for us!
Anyway, a wholly nice and consistent project!
DEBI & YOUNG $ICE - "D͓̽O͓̽R͓̽A͓̽E͓̽M͓̽O͓̽N͓̽"
DEBI and YOUNG $ICE offer us a little bit quirky Trap this feeling being reinforced by the light saturations effects on their voices.
A track with a strong energy!
Razyboyocean ~ "POP・ONE ポップ・ワン" [Cinematic Trailer] From OD2
Just like his cover, razyboyocean offers us a fresh and colorful track which seemingly foreshadows the coming release of a project.
Let’s see what he has in store!
MDKD - "HAHAHA"
A quite unknown rapper for, nevertheless, an interesting project. A mind-blowing trap tinted with some melancholy.
Roman Kayz - "idk" (feat. harms)
Roman Kays and harms are in harmony in that mind-blowing RnB track ~
JP - "Tapouuuuuttt!!!" feat. Vano & Pullik | Prod. by JP
An incisive trap in which JP, Vano and Pullik deliver us nice performances!
RED KEEF - "Bamboo" Feat. ASSEMBLAGE | Prod. K3V1N
RED KEEF and ASSEMBLAGE are trying their hands at Cloud rap and the result is quite good!
02/09
niahn - "Cartier" (feat. Loopy)
Cloud rap in all its glory, masters of the genre, both rappers plunge us into an hazy and aerial atmosphere, perfect for the nocturnal torpors ~
FLEMA - Mixtape : "Flatagonist" (7 tracks)
An excellent mixtape mainly Trap oriented, but still with groovy sonorities in Kylie Jenner or WMMF for instance, or Trap again on SHINY SHINY but like a little hybrid Trap with flute and guitar samples.
Honestly we don’t have much to say about that project, besides the fact that it’s excellent which is not really surprising from FLEMA!
🚭Fe▽eR🚬 - "TimeFeveR!"
A very very good track, a little bit heady but at the same time progressive production well conveys the idea of the passing time which seems to lead the project. Besides, as usual when it comes to Fe▽e R, there is nothing wrong to say about the rap intensity, he just snaps!
Lucigang X GAMEBOY88 - "LXG Freestyle" | Prod. Lucigang
A lot of work on the atmosphere of this track which once again displays Lucigang’s wide range of talent since she’s as much producer as rapper.
GAMEBOY88 is, as always, very good. A nice track for dark Trap enthusiasts!
kumira - "안아줘요 ( hug me )"
This track is obviously a tearful one but not in a negative meaning!
Kumira conveys us his feelings (Ed: we’ll never thank him enough for the english translation ToT) and the whole is quite touching but also pleasant to hear!
Futuristic Swaver - Projet : "F Is Friends With WavYPang" (10 tracks)
Futuristic Swaver finally unveiled his new project which, as always with the artist, will please the Trap, BubbleGum Trap, Emo Rap or even Alternative Rock lovers!
In its kind the project is excellent, really well balanced so there is nothing much more to say about it.
As for the featurings, we can hear 한국사람, Dbo, Flavordash, Kash Bang but also The Quiett who really, but really, won us over. We would never have imagined hearing him in that kind of register and, it’s a pleasant surprise, truly!
In short, 10 really fresh and bouncy tracks ~
![[PODCAST] Recap of February 2020](https://k-viar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Fevrier-768x768.png)