TOP 10 - Hip Hop, Rap & R&B 20/05/2022
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    • May 20, 2022
    • 4 min read

TOP 10 - Hip Hop, Rap & R&B 20/05/2022


 

NUMBER 1

Trav B Ryan - The River

Brooklyn, New York, US



We'll start off this week's top 10 with this head-bopper dropped this week by talented Brooklyn rapper, Trav B Ryan. Implementing his hard-hitting style on this bass booted instrumental, Trav (otherwise known as tRaViS) accompanies his vocal performance with some doubled layers, which not only add impact to the lyrics themselves, but provides somewhat of a chorus effect to the track - making it a more contagious listen for his audience.


I'm really intrigued to see what he has to offer going forward, and I couldn't recommend this track more to kick off our weekly finds list.




 

NUMBER 2

Totemo - My Gravity

Tel-Aviv, Israel




Immediately I'm getting Billie Eilish vibes from this. Israeli artist, Totemo treated us to a soul-filling performance this week with her song, 'My Gravity'. She has a knack for this genre, evident by going through her catalogue. Her vocals are not overpowering, they are authentic, and she carries the track with a perfect amount of lapses to last a duration of just under 4 minutes.


Definitely an emerging Western European artist to keep an eye on, pree her new song below.




 


NUMBER 3

Daria Purley - Trenchcoat Season

Calgary, Canada




Where do I begin with this track? I'm shocked that Daria Purley hasn't already been snapped up by popular labels, dating back to 2014 with her releases, she has not only remained consistent, but portrayed her artistic evolution through her work without question, as is clear with the latest drop of her new single, 'Trenchcoat Season'.


I really like this song personally, she maximises the capability of her vocal range, and the production quality emphasises that. The lyrics are meaningful, and the title is quite clever and relevant to the track as well. Great work by Daria here.




 

NUMBER 4

Tonii Boii, Bigga Rankin - 1st Thing

Orlando, US



Let's not be mistaken here, Tonii Boii only drops bangers. His collab here with Bigga Rankin does nothing less than fall into that bracket. This is a certified traphouse anthem, The initial delay before he starts rapping adds suspense which is met by perfect delivery. The two artists bounce off eachother well here, implementing the right amount of attitude into consistent hard bars and snappy flows.


It is perhaps unlikely that you haven't heard this track, with it currently sitting at over 100k streams on Spotify, but if for some reason you haven't, now is your chance.




 

NUMBER 5

Meagan De Lima - Queen

Toronto, Canada




"And no one could ever love me as much as the love I get from a queen". A simply beautiful track on display here from Canadian singer, Meagen De Lima as she treated us to a romance-orientated tune this past week. I love how, despite the focus being on her impressive vocal set, she doesn't lack whatsoever on the meaningful elements of a track like this. I think this is a song that is going to convey a great deal of personal meaning to many people.


This is definitely one to add to your love-themed playlists if you haven't already.




 

NUMBER 6

Ceyeo - Trying

Chicago, US




I can't keep up with the amount of impressive singing quality that's been inducted to the underground scene this week, but we'll keep the trend going with Chicago artist, Ceyeo and her latest release, 'Trying'. I love the message on display here, it's effectively that despite what people say or do, they will inevitably pursue what suits them best. Something to think about.


The backing vocals really compliment the overall performance here. This song possesses an appropriate balance in terms of typical content from this genre, and I'm looking forward to hearing what Ceyeo has in store for us next.




 

NUMBER 7

Jordan Bakewell - Freaky

Leicester, UK



Bringing us back to the good old days of R&B, UK artist, Jordan Bakewell treats us to a club banger to add to this week's list. Intent with intimate emotion and passion, Jordan's new release is a catchy one, and something we do not see so much of on the UK scene anymore. It's refreshing to see this style slowly rise to prominence again.


If you are a fan of Justin Timberlake, Jason Derulo and those similar, I strongly suggest you give this track a chance.




 

NUMBER 8

LtB - Eye

Montreal, Canada




A more emotional track coming in at number 8 this week as Montreal rapper, LtB drops his new track, 'Eye'. The Canadian-based artist brings some energy to this track that late emo-rap icon, Lil Peep would surely have been proud of. Discussing grave subjects such as death in music may not be for everyone's taste, but there is no denying that it takes a certain level of maturity to talk about it in the detail that LtB does on this track.


The instrumental compliments what he is going for with this dragged-out vocal style too, so in my opinion it is one that works very well.




 

NUMBER 9

Kna-Lo Venge, Migs718 - Don't Know

Los Angeles, US




Undoubtedly bringing some old-school rap energy, LA rappers Kna-Lo Venge and Migs718 collaborated to give us their new single, 'Don't Know'. As I listened to this track repeatedly, it struck me that there are certainly elements of the popular sub-genre of rap, 'battle rap' on show here. The bars are emphatic, and perhaps targeted at someone, but also leaving room for ulterior meanings. It keeps aside from what we typically see today in this new era of rap and hip hop, they are in a league of their own with this style.


It is becoming increasingly difficult to pinpoint unique styles in today's rap market, but I think we've identified one here.




 

NUMBER 10

Lucas Burn - Dark Path

Gdansk, Poland




Last but not least, Polish artist, Lucas Burn walks us down his 'Dark Path' with his new single. There is certainly an aura of eeriness about this track, as is what Lucas intended, and one particular aspect that stood out for me when I came across the release is the cover art, it perfectly captivates the overall theme of the track, something that catches the listener's attention before they've even began to press play.


The energy he incorporates into the track is somewhat comparable to NF, but with a much slower rhythm, there is room to convey the feelings and meaning felt throughout the song. A notable piece of work by this emerging artist.




 

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