In a time where R&B music is starting to dwindle away , Detroit based artist TrellOnDaTrak says
he is exactly what the game has been missing. The artist/producer recently dropped a single
entitled “Drop a Bag” featuring Richie Rasta.
The track is a smooth ballad explaining heartbreak after giving your all to another. Very relatable
track for both sexes.
Detroit has become home to some of the best scam rappers in the country. With artist making
national headlines like Teejayx6, it has opened the lane for artists like Lil Diddy
Lil Diddy is an emerging Detroit artist from Fenkell and Livernois, who’s latest song “Conspire”
amassed over 100,000 views. Diddy says Future and Kodak Black influenced him to rap about
his life of fraud. “If they can get rich telling stories of things they have done in the past, I think I
can too and better my life in the process.”
After the success of his last song Diddy recently dropped a new single entitled “The Answer”.
Be sure to check it out below. To stay up to date with song releases, shows, merch ,etc
Follow Lil Diddy on Instagram @lildiddy5
New Clay James verse released on Snoop Dogg & DJ Funky mixtape “Weed Strains & Bigger Brands”
Georgia emcee Clay James links with Backwud Marc on a cool laid back track entitled “Eldorado”. This song is definitely something you could smoke and ride to. It’s track 31 on Snoop Dogg and DJ Funky’s new mixtape “Weed Strains & Bigger Brands” exclusively on Livemixtapes presented by The Coalition DJs.
St. Louis Trio The Centaurettes Go Pastel Punk on New EP ‘Cute to be Mean’
LOUIS, MO – When St. Louis indie punk band TheCentaurettesdecided to make their second EP, “Cute to be Mean” – a project they consider to bemore professionally produced than their DIY debut “Please Give Me Space” – they were surprised to hear how much their musicianship and songwriting had grown. Core members Derek Hibbard and Bionca Maldonado – guitar and bass, respectively – added drummer Daniel L. Jackson to their roster first. All three of them are vocalists for the band and represent a diversity seldom seen in rock music today. Two-thirds of them are Queer and People Of Color. That diversity helps create something truly original on “Cute to be Mean,” whichwas recorded almost entirely live. While the songs still ooze sass and irreverence, the artists also found some soft moments, causing them to rebrand themselves as “pastel punk.”
In general, there’s a heaviness to the subject matter here. Lyrics confront topics like depression and addiction. Ultimately, Maldonado sees the dominant theme as growth, saying “Growth and adaptation are enormous to everyone right now.” In one standout song, “Spider on the Wall,” vocalist Derek Hibbard explores all aspects of addiction. Yet, the music stays phenomenally groovy, and the song ends with a recording of people laughing.
Hibbard credits Jackson with helping widen the band’s sound, saying, “Danny started out as just a drummer. But in the recording of this he started doing backing vocals, he added keys, he added guitars. He actually has his own song on the record that he plays and sings, ‘Birds and Bees.’ “We’ve kind of got a punk rock Beatles thing going on where you never know who’s going to be singing.”
It was Jackson who suggested re-recording “The Barge,” a song on the band’s first EP, wanting to do his own take on the song. Having done multiple recordings, Maldonado was keen to try one more time and give the song a “final resting place.” The band was shocked when they heard how much better the new version was. “Miles and miles above where it started in 2017,” says Hibbard. “Night and day.” Maldonado adds that it’s a treat for their longtime listeners, saying “It’s a way to share an old song that all of our fans knows and show them how good it is now.” Much as Green Day fans enjoy both an older and newer version of “Welcome to Paradise,” “The Barge” now lives in two iterations. A video is forthcoming.
On “Cute to be Mean,”the St. Louis trio shows their own growth. Not just in their music and songwriting, but in their openness to explore new genres, revisit their past, and make the very best of a change in the band’s lineup. But they’re keeping the sass.
“Cute to be Mean” was recorded by The Centaurettes at Lighthouse Sounds in Alton, IL and produced by Alex St. Cin.
The EP is currently available across all streaming platforms. To listen to their music, or to follow them on social media, please visit the following links:
Former dancer for P!NK taps into magic combination of pop/punk and lo-fi ambience on new EP
LOS ANGELES, CA – After years as a professional dancer, touring the world with P!NK’s “Beautiful Trauma World Tour,” West Coast multi-faceted artist Anthony “STAND-IN” Westlake has launched a new career as a recording artist. His debut EP “This One’s For The Skinny Jeans In High School” is an alt-rock, pop punk, heavy guitar-driven angst-fest of heart-felt sounds and vibes that serves as a great introduction to the originality of this young up-and-coming musician.
“This EP is all of the shit I would have liked to say if I had the balls to when I was in high school, and how I would have liked to say it,” he said. “I had a relationship with a songwriter, and when it went south, I realized I had fallen out of love with her and into love with the thing she loved (songwriting). I was in a weird head space, and though I had never been one to write down what I was feeling, I decided to try songwriting. While on tour In Europe, I bought a small audio interface, grabbed a guitar and I still remember on June 13, 2019, while we were in Amsterdam, I loaded up Logic for the first time and tried to put the thoughts I’d written down into a song. I did that for the next three months while in Europe when I had the freedom to, and when we came back to LA I built a home studio and dove into it. I don’t know when it became serious, but I feel like it’s always been a part of me. The more I do it, the more I realize how important music really has been to me.”
STAND-IN went on to say that his first inclination when approaching songwriting was to explore sounds within the lo-fi, R&B world. He was writing about love, relationships and breakups. He said it felt natural to incorporate sounds from those genres to go with his lyrics. After a year of producing and writing every day, he hit a point where he was uninspired and almost burnt out on the music he was making. He started searching for new sounds and took a deep dive into some of his old playlists from high school – the type of music he listened to when his jeans were too tight and his hair had too much gel in it, including artists such as Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, and Blink-182, among others. The alt-rock, pop-punk sound started to evoke memories, and he remembered how much that kind of music impacted him. Soon after, he realized there’s a new wave of that sound emerging in the industry. As he started creating and emulating some of what he’d been listening to, songs just started flowing out of him.
The stand-out track on the project is a great example of the magic that came from that process. “Burn It Down” is a narrative that he said a lot of people will be able to relate to. It’s about a relationship that you know is going nowhere, yet you try to convince yourself that you can make it through.
“You know it’s doomed, but you wanna stay in it because it still feels good,” STAND-IN said. “It’s those last fleeting moments leading up to when it breaks you. When I finished ‘Burn It Down,’ it was the first time I felt like I was making music that came from a real place. It’s a little scary because it feels like a piece of me. I definitely still incorporate a lot of lo-fi and R&B elements into my music, but ‘Burn It Down’ was really my first step into the pop/punk world which, at least for now, is the type of music I want to be making.”
More music is definitely coming, STAND-IN said. But first he’s eager for new listeners to check out his debut EP. “This One’s For The Skinny Jeans In High School” goes live on all streaming platforms May 28.
Chicago Rapper and ‘Street Teacher’ Z-Gang Brings New Flavors on Home Cooking 2
(Chicago) “It’s real. Take it serious. I’m teaching the youth. This ain’t just boppity bop music. You’ll hear my words clearly,” says Chicago rapper Z-Gang. Drawing on a wealth of backstory from being an acrobat as a child with the Jesse White Tumblers to helping to keep peace in the streets to recovering from a severe car accident, this rapper has no shortage of perspective to offer. He brings those viewpoints—as well as his own stories—to Home Cooking 2, his second EP, due out May 28.
Coming on the heels of Home Cooking 1, dropped at Thanksgiving 2020, the new EP continues to introduce the artist, with the help of impressive guest-stars Katiegotbandz and Matisse Love. He feels blessed to have surrounded himself with such a strong and supportive team. It is a bit like cooking a meal with people you like and how much better the food tastes.
Like home cooking. Smiling audibly as he explains the title, Z-Gang says “It’s like home cooking. It’s the best of everything. It’s seasoned well. There’s nothing like it.” The artist has been around long enough to see trends come and go and therefore to be confident he offers listeners something new. One song on the EP, “New Shxt,” celebrates that power of innovation and growth.
Yet, the rapper himself nearly wasn’t here to make the song at all. “People don’t know I died in a car accident in 2019. I couldn’t walk. Everything felt like it was over. I couldn’t stay sitting still. I had to get back to me. I was working two jobs. I had to stop working ’cause I couldn’t stand long. I got back up, and I ain’t sitting down,” he promises. In that spirit, he’s already formed his own label where he is the manager, producer, artist, and everything else.
Another standout track is the party song “Left Right,” a challenge song featuring Queen of Drill Katiegotbandz.
But the artist has a more sensual side too, one on display in “You,” a song he says is for the ladies. “It’s summertime in the islands, you’re with your significant other,” he says, trailing off to imply where the songs leads. “It’s a hip hop song and an R&B song,” Z-Gangs says.
Despite the versatility he displays on the new project, there’s one thing you’ll never hear him do, and that’s glamourize the gang lifestyle. “I don’t condone that gang-banging stuff. I’m Z-Gang, but that’s Zillionaire Gang because we’re about earning and growth. Not hanging out on the street,” he explains. He’s even acquired the well-earned nickname “the Street Teacher” for his peacekeeping efforts. “I’ve stopped shootouts from happening. I’ve done a lot in my community. I actually teach the street kids to stop doing what they’re doing, even though they ain’t gonna listen. At my studio, two oppositions were there, and I made them work together and shoot a video together. Nobody went to jail and nobody got shot,” he says.
Z-Gang’s second EP, Home Cooking 2, will be out everywhere May 28.
Donn P continues tradition of great Brooklyn rappers with bumpin new summer hit ‘Datz My Bih’
BROOKLYN, NY – A new street anthem from Brooklyn-based rapper Donn P is hitting the airwaves and drawing in an ever-widening pool of fans. “Datz My Bih” is an upbeat, energetic club-ready hit that’s just in time for the summer. Told from the perspective of a guy picking up his lady, it’s a song with a catchy hook and clever bars that will surely have listeners singing along no matter where they’re at.
Hailing from the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, Donn P is an artist and co-founder of the independent label Str8DropEmpire. He’s the youngest of seven children raised by a single mother, though four of his brothers have died over the years. He was closest to his older brother, who had assumed the role of father figure and was instrumental in teaching him how to hustle and to take nothing for granted in life. When Donn P lost his older brother to street violence, he knew he had to be intentional about choosing a different path. Music was the way to go.
“My mother had been through a lot with her sons and she worried about me hustling to survive,” he said. “I wanted to make her happy and not worry about me, so I knew I had to do something different. The hip-hop scene in New York is a little faded, but a few rappers are bringing it back to life. So I’m working for my time and I’m happy things are coming back around. What you get with my music is all me – my ups, my downs, my wins, my losses, my pain … my music is my therapy. I’m focused on making good music that I hope people can appreciate and find relatable. I want people to listen to my music because it comes from the heart.”
Donn P said his style can be considered witty street-centered vibes, with lyrics that are gritty yet unorthodox. He credits his influences and inspirations to artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Young Jeezy, Future, Young Thug, Bobby Schmurda, and Pierre “Pee” Thomas, who is the CEO of the label.
Over the past five years, Donn P has seen his notoriety in the industry steadily grow as he’s had success after success with his music. In 2016, the driven rapper took part in Lil Durk’s 2Xs tour. He then released his first mixtape, “Plug and a Plan” shortly after the tour, which earned many positive reviews. Standout tracks like “Trap House Bumping,” “Catch Me Out” and “Drippin’ Aura” have been featured in various ways, including on sites such as MTV.com, Thisis50, Itsbizkit, Youheardthatnew, and more.
“My music is a reflection of who I am, what I’ve been through,, and my growth from hustler to business entrepreneur,” he said. “I hope people can see my story and know that it can motivate them to help them through anything. You can come from nothing and make something for yourself. That’s the type of message I’m bringing through my music. When you feel like you need to be pumped up, my music can motivate you in your day.”
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To listen to Donn P’s music, or to follow him on social media, please visit the following links:
Savannah, Georgia rising star Respekk released a new visual entitled “Extravagant” off his latest project E.N.V.Y hosted by Bigga Rankin. As you all may know Respekk is currently incarcerated but he isn’t letting that slow down his campaign. Playas Club Music Group plans to keep releasing his music and visuals while he is behind bars. Check out “Extravagant” on all digital streaming platforms and YouTube.
