LA-based Hip Hop artist Kunal offers eclectic variety of sounds with new singles ‘Angelic & Devilish’ and ‘Feeling Good’ 

LOS ANGELES, CA- Hip Hop artist KUNAL is a burgeoning force on the horizon. He is a product of global influences. Spending his childhood in New York, New Jersey and London – and paired with his Punjabi heritage – there is no succinct way to describe his craftsmanship. If you ask him, his sound is influenced by waking up to the melodies of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Bob Marley, while also discovering artists such as Eminem and Kanye West who spoke to other parts of his soul. He has a wide-ranging sound that is centered on rhythm and lyricism. KUNAL’s sound exudes a uniqueness that is characterized by uninhibited creativity reflective of his human experience.  

That signature style is put on full display with his debut single “Angelic & Devilish” and furthered by his second release “Feelin’ Good.” Both are currently available across all streaming platforms. KUNAL has always been passionate about music – playing saxophone as a child, singing in choir, and writing poetry for as long as he can remember. The Coronavirus pandemic afforded him both the spare time and the alone time in his LA apartment to come back to the passions that had been on hold for so long. The years-long journey-in-the-making has been so profound that it has changed his career aspirations. KUNAL is already working on another two singles that he hopes to drop later this year as well as a full EP set for early 2021.  

“When I moved to LA five years ago, I had no idea I was going to make music,” KUNAL said. “I was open to many different possibilities and I knew that I loved entertaining – from music and film to all kinds of artistic expression. But I was open to whatever LA was going to provide me. The pandemic has created an opportunity to put time and attention to music, and these singles have been a primer for more of what’s to come.”  

Fans have described “Angelic & Devilish” as something reminiscent of a Nas-meets-Travis Scott vibe, highlighting that KUNAL’s sound cannot be put into a box or category that has ever been heard before. The sound appeals to fans of all ages because of the eclectic 90’s Hip Hop feel, he said, combined with upbeat and fun melodies from current decades of music. His cadence and flow compliment the introspective lyrics with which many Rap legends would be associated. He lays the joys and pains of his past on the line to examine the polarity of life which is a huge reason why so many people have already found his music so relatable, he said. 

“We’re all both angelic and devilish in some way,” he said. “For me, it was a song that was very reflective personally, and as such, it was a really fun song for me to work on.” 

With “Feelin’ Good,” KUNAL brings in a modern effect that calls attention to yet another aspect of his personality. The fun upbeat pace is fitting for a night out but is also perfectly suited to kicking back with friends. It’s an anthem for anyone who fully embraces who they are despite what others think or say about them.  

“In the chorus I said, ‘I’m pouring out a drink, sending love to all the different places that played a role in who I am and shaped who I am,’” KUNAL said. “Then it goes on to say that I don’t care if you don’t understand me or I don’t fit into your box. I’m feeling good and I’m doing good and I’m OK with who I am, and so here’s a couple of nuggets of who I am and some of the things I care about. It was fun finding the sound and style for this song because the production was completely different than anything else I’d ever done, but it was still me. It gave me a chance to explore a different side of me and explore my range, and I think people will have fun with it, too.” 

KUNAL said he’s looking forward to speaking for it and fans getting to know him through that sound. To listen to KUNAL’s music or to follow him on social media, please visit: 

https://linktr.ee/kunalmusic 

https://open.spotify.com/track/0pzBVfwVagaFY5HYCzQxAV?si=9ehlwMN9RxiJJdqH1ALGzQ 

https://open.spotify.com/track/2vlpCDE4vukzNAi8ToTV4R?si=9LWbOHJ-Sk-hLiQVodKfIw

Cedric B’s new CD “Milk Chocolate” serving sweet sounds as well as the community 

DALLAS, TX – Smooth Jazz serves as the perfect platter to serve up a bevy of sweet sounds on the latest album from Dallas veteran artist/producer/engineer Cedric B. “Milk Chocolate” is a 20-song project that combines melodic grooves with mesmerizing synths and drums alongside soothing guitar and horns, all underneath strong and unique basslines. And each song on the album is named after a sweet tasty treat, which also uniquely seems to describe the mood of the song.  

Featuring some of the best musicians in the world on the cd, Cedric B offers two different versions of each song – one with vocals and one with fully produced “super smooth” instrumentals.  

“This is definitely a smooth Jazz lover’s dream and must-have,” Cedric B said. “It’s an instant classic. Anybody who’s a fan of Paul Hardcastle or Helen Rogers or Kool and Leen, or even Paul Brown or Paul Jackson will love this album. It’s commercial, relatable but interestly unique and fun and I think people will really love it. You can put it on and push play and let it ride as all of the songs are strong.” 

This is the 16th independent album that Cedric B has created over the course of his career. He started making music at a young age when at 8, his grandfather bought him his first drum set. After playing music in junior high and high school, Cedric B set his music dreams aside to enlist in the military. He served for several years and then decided to go to college to study audio engineering. He began honing his engineering and production skills alongside some of the most talented artists in the industry, such as Hiroshima, Paul Brown, Wayman Tisdale and more. Since that time, he’s gone on to work for Sony Distribution, Little Dog Records, Capitol Studios and CBS Radio. Eventually, he made his way back home to Dallas where he began his own multimedia company (Dream Media, LLC) and started releasing at least two albums every year. “Milk Chocolate” is his first major release, but he has more than 15 independent releases under his belt as he continues to meet his self-appointed goal of releasing a smooth Jazz album and an R&B album every year.  This is a special release as Cedric B’s mother’s passing away from cancer really affected his life.  For this reason, he is dedicating 30% of all proceeds from the cd to Women in Pink, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping cancer patients gain their confidence back. 

“Music is just in me,” he said. “I try to make music that’s relatable but unique. I always try to incorporate live music with my electronic music, so it’s not all electronic. It has a human feel to it. I’m all about high quality. When people hear my music I’d like for them to say, ‘That producer was talented and produced high-quality music.’ ‘Milk Chocolate’ is really something special. It’s the first time I’ve been able to capture this commercial sound I’ve really been trying to master for the past seven years. I finally knocked it out of the park with this one. When people hear it, they’ll love it because it has that kind of sound that’s immediately recognizable.” 

To listen to Cedric B’s music or to follow him on social media, please visit: 

Official Website:  https://www.dallasvideoservices.net/milkchocolatealbum 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChocolateAlbum 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/milkchocolatealbum/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFEtwDw4ARhQYwGdMJLKE0g 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MilkChocolateAlbum

Built on family, compassion and community in a trying time, Now Defunkt releases their new album 

At the beginning of the pandemic, three friends — Scott Macklin, Steve McMahon and James Hunter — put together a song with the expectation that they would release the track and return to their normal lives. Months later, the trio, with the help of their equally talented children and some friends, are releasing a full album titled “Skills Are Handy, Feel is Gold” under the name Now Defunkt. 

Macklin described how their group came together, explaining how their one project and a camping trip to the Joshua Tree where their daughters filmed the music video for the track, led them to exchange more ideas and fully realize what is now known as Now Defunkt. “My daughter Nikko and I, James and his daughter Amaris, and Steve and his daughter Anastasia all went out to the Joshua Tree to film this music video for a song called “Death Valley, Scotty”. As we sat around the campfire, we started coming up with ideas for other songs. My friend, Steve kept nagging, ‘Hey, we should do more.’ And I figured, ‘Hey, I’ve already checked ‘write and record a song’ off my bucket list. I’m good.’ But the COVID situation gave us the opportunity to really sit down and think, and from our own places of geographic isolation, we collaboratively created the next two songs, three songs, seven songs, then we said we should put out an album!” 

With such a varied group of contributors, the sound of Now Defunkt is always evolving. Often, though they define with the Rock and Alternative genres, there are hints of Funk, Folk, Motown, Choral music and more throughout their album. “One of the interesting comments that we heard while working with a choir in Venezuela, the choir director said, ‘Your music is like listening to Led Zeppelin if Tim Burton was scoring a film. Your music is really cinematic.’ Our music is cinematic in the sense of trying to create stories. But there’s energy to it. There’s a mind to our music.” 

The group’s album, “Skills Are Handy, Feel is Gold”, is a collection of songs, each with its own interesting and deeply motivated background. “One of my favorites is “Old Enough,” a song that my son Case Macklin wrote. He’s 22 years old,” Macklin explained. “It’s an introspective song looking back at growing up and being told, ‘Are you old enough? You’re not old enough.’ Now that he feels that he’s old enough, he’s questioning it and it has this sort of Motown-feel good sound and he’s actually rapping on the song with a friend, Nick Edney. They’ve been friends I think since they were seven years old. So it’s like two friends doing a song together, and there’s another friend by the name of Kya Barnes who sings the background vocals in the track, who just brings a flavor to it. And then there’s this really interesting trumpet part that weaves through the song, and then Steve puts in some pretty tasty Blues guitar.” 

Some of the other songs include “Teachers,” written by Nikko Macklin, which is both a tribute to the amazing teachers who have been so fundamental in her life as well as a call-out to some of the more negative parts of the school system. Anastasia McMahon also contributed “Creeping Cthulhu,” which discusses the intricacies of relationships and the negative impacts of gas lighting. Macklin described this song as having a Joy Division feel to it. The recent protests and uprisings framed the song “Big Water” asking the question, ‘what does one do with their privilege in face of systemic racism and oppression.’  There are also songs such as “The Ballad of Billy Sunday and Madam May” and “Death Valley Scotty,” which have a more historical feel to them, creating fictional stories to describe interesting and somewhat unknown historical figures. 

Currently, the group is working on putting out music videos and other media for the tracks in “Skills Are Handy, Feel is Gold”, all of which are being created by members of the Now Defunkt family. They are also working on making their music as accessible as possible so that the greatest number of people has access to the work they are doing. Now Defunkt hopes to continue putting out new projects and creating as much as they can in the near future. 

Now Defunkt plans a virtual release happening for October 20, 2020. Check out the music and social media platforms of Now Defunkt with the links below.  

www.nowdefunkt.com 

https://www.facebook.com/nowdefunkt 

https://www.instagram.com/nowdefunkt 

“Old Enough” 

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/nowdefunkt/old–enough

The Real Mack returns to music after a two-year hiatus with hard-hitting single ‘Big Lit’ 

PHILADEPHIA, PA – The number 25 has been a monumentally impactful number in the life of young Philadelphia artist The Real Mack … but not always in the most positive of ways. When he was young, his mother was murdered when she was only 25 years old. He and his brother had a rough childhood after that with a father who was incarcerated multiple times. Then when his brother was 25, he too, was murdered. It became almost too much for him to bear, and he turned away from music and any other form of artistic expression while battling demons of depression and anxiety. But as his own 25th birthday approached, he chose to look at it as a new opportunity – a chance to change the negative cycle and create something positive. 

Out of that mission came the new album “25” which is dedicated to his mother and brother, “25” explores the strange coincidences and otherworldly experiences that have come in his life and how often those things are associated with the number 25. 

“It’s kind of a scary thing for me being 25 right now,” he said. “That’s what this album is about. It’s more personal than anything I’ve ever recorded. There are some commercial songs on there but mostly, it’s very personal. I think it shows off my versatility, too. I can drop a song and it can be either the artist side of me or the raw Rap side of me. I can make a song where I’m singing and it’s completely R&B and Soul, or I can turn around and make a complete opposite song that’s Trap or Hip Hop or Club.” 

The Real Mack said he first got his start in music when a friend of his started a Rap group in 2009. Although Mack wasn’t included in that group, it motivated him to want to pursue music. He would go on to record a song called “Cam Newton” that got the attention of another Philly artist named PnB Rock, and their ensuing collaboration went on to rake in more than 1.5 million streams. It wasn’t long after that when his brother was murdered however, and Mack took a two-year hiatus from music. But now, at age 25, he’s making a return with the new album – starting with the hard-hitting debut single “Big Lit,” which is now available on all streaming platforms. 

“It’s a Club record with an Up North but Down South kind of vibe,” Mack said. “I’m an Up North person but it has a Down South vibe, if you get what I mean. There’s a lot of energy, and I’m just basically talking about me being that guy. I’m being that bull, that dude, that big fish from the big six. I’m a big dog from 26th Street in South Philly, and this is the kind of song that when you’re lit, you get turnt up. It’s heavy.” 

Mack said he hopes fans will appreciate the craftsmanship that went into creating the EP, and that he becomes known all around the world for being a high-quality hit maker.  

To listen to The Real Mack’s music or to follow him on social media, please visit: 

twitter.com/therealmack_atw 

instagram.com/therealmack_atw 

Big Lit 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MPxVTvRRZ0

Up and comer Luch Capo has taken 2020 by storm with his music, fashion and so much more 

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Having already released two albums, three singles and an EP, Luch Capo’s year has been more than productive. Better yet, there’s still more to come. This seemingly unstoppable Hip Hop artist is truly taking off with more tracks than he knows what to do with. 

A lyricist from the start, Luch began writing at a young age and after listening to artists like Tupac, he fell in love with the idea of making music. “I always loved putting words together. I used to be very into poetry and writing plays and stories. Then I heard Tupac for the first time and it just took off from there. My love for music just sprouted from there.” 

Taking influence from artists such as Jay Z, Jay Cole and the aforementioned Tupac, as well as several other lyricists, Luch has had a long standing interest in beautiful words. This can be seen throughout his entire discography, all of which is inspired by his personal experiences and the world around him. “I want to be the kind of artist that you can always relate to, that you can put on when you get in the shower or while you’re getting ready for the day. If you’re having a bad day, you can put some Luch on, or if it’s a good day, you can put me on.” 

Luch defines his music as smooth but jagged. Depending on which album you’re listening to, he presents a different side of himself through the music. “[Preliminary Hearing] is more of an introduction to myself. It is smoother and more laid back because that’s kind of how I am. I’m smoother, laidback. That was kind of just ‘This is who I am,’ sort of like a journal but with music. ‘Really in Position’ is more boisterous, more in your face like I’ve earned the right to get a little heavier so to speak.” 

The most recent thing that Luch has put out has been his EP, “Gangster Meets Gentleman” with his friend Wayne “aka” 7even Genovese. Featuring eight songs, the EP is homage to the traditional Hip Hop sound. “We wrote this album for the lyricist because I feel like nowadays, it’s more turn up music, trap drone and that kind of stuff. We kind of did something for the old school Hip Hoppers because I felt like they were being left out. We did it for them and had fun doing it.” 

Not only is Luch a nonstop creator of music, he also has his own fashion line — Assigned Seat, which he hopes to grow alongside his brand and identity as a musician. Despite being such a hardworking and successful individual, he is also quite humble and more than grateful for the people that he works with, his manager especially.  

Most recently, Luch and close friend MPRFeek are preparing to release their single “Branding and Trendsetting” in advance of their album “La Familia”, which is set to release on October 2. This album is very close to Luch’s heart and he is ecstatic to share it with the world. It is definitely something to look out for.  

Luch Capo’s music and social media pages can be found in the links below. 

https://linktr.ee/Luch.Capo.11 

https://www.instagram.com/luch_asempire_ent1/