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Dallas Destined

By: Austin Prim

Dallas Destined: Album Review –

Lil Bro Nem Vol 1 by Arradon

If you’re a real part of the Dallas Hip-Hop crowd, you know who Arradon is. He’s been a staple of the Dallas music scene for years now. Some consider him a Dallas legend. If you’re still unsure, you should know him by his former name “Tunk”. Years ago, I heard other artists mention Tunk on multiple occasions. “Yo A.X, did you hear that new Tunk track?!” “Bro, I got a Tunk feature for my project, so you know it’s dope!” When you’re introduced to an artist that way, there’s a lot of hype placed on hearing them. Honestly, other than a couple of features and a track or two here & there, I never really listened to a full Arradon project. My hesitation possibly stemmed from my skepticism of local artists, and I did not want to tarnish the idea of him that was created for me. But it seemed like everyone on my IG timeline was posting and promoting the album, so I had to give it a listen if for no other reason than to support. So, I listened.

Lil Bro Nem Vol 1 released on April 20. I remember the date because it was the same day that J. Cole’s KOD album dropped. I distinctly remember listening to Arradon’s album right after I listened to KOD for a second time because of the extreme contrasting levels of enjoyment I experienced. I dare anyone to listen to KOD & Lil Bro Nem Vol 1 back to back and not have more fun listening to the latter. There’s no way that you can convince me that the production for KOD is better than the production for Arradon’s album! You might be able to argue lyrical content or whatnot…maybe…but there’s no argument for production.

After listening through the album a few more times, I honestly think it may be my favorite album from a Dallas rapper to come out so far. The mixture of up-tempo and mid-tempo songs was perfect. There are 13 tracks, so the length seemed perfect: not too long, not too short. The subject matter, the cadences, the flow, delivery, hooks…they all just fit. Lil Bro Nem Vol 1 is aesthetically pleasing to the ear to say the least. The best part, though, is that it sounds like Dallas! There are a lot of rappers who sound like other cities. There are a lot of Dallas rappers that don’t sound like they’re from here at all. It’s not a bad thing necessarily. To have an artist with quality content, that also sounds like the city however, is really refreshing.

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I’d recommend this album to anyone, especially if you’re from Dallas. So many dope tracks on the project. Get That, On Fire, Skip Cheatem, Can’t Be Faded…super hard! There’s a song on here for everybody. The stand out track for me, though, was TipsyTippinThruTheTripleDigital (5T’s) ft. Paris P & Mga Czar. It’s Triple D through and through. It’s fun, it’s live, it’s full of vibes, the bars are A1. There’s really nothing negative to say about it. Lil Bro Nem, can’t forget that track. AMAZING way to end an album! This is the type of city pride song I love. Dallas radio needs to play these types of songs! It’s disrespectful to the city not to play our own music…but I digress.

There’s honestly nothing negative to say about the album at all. There weren’t any trash beats. Weren’t any lazy or corny hooks. The ONLY thing I wasn’t happy with is the fact that it’s not on Tidal so that I could stream it consistently. You need to hear the album. Easily one of the best produced albums I’ve heard in a while, local or otherwise. Follow @ArraDonDigital on Twitter, and you’ll find the album link. If it’s worth anything, Arradon’s Lil Bro Nem Vol 1 gets my complete stamp of approval! Go listen to it!

Dallas Destined

By: Austin Prim

Dallas Destined: Alxndr Sounds

Shifting focus to a younger, lesser known artist from the city. Alxndr Sounds is a 19-year-old Alternative R&B artist from Arlington. His favorite artists range from Anthony Hamilton to Frank Ocean. His goal is to help people escape and bring good energy into their lives through his music. Alxndr wants to transport his listeners into his world, into his thoughts, into his heart. I think he has more than enough potential to succeed at doing just that.

Alxndr Sounds isn’t someone I went looking for. Honestly, he followed me on Twitter in response to the first Dallas Destined article. I’m always hesitant with listening to new artists, especially newer and younger ones because I can be very critical. I’ve learned that not everyone takes criticism well, and artists take it worse than most. But I’ve also seen what helpful critiques can do for young artists. Perfect example would be (King) VII. VII wasn’t great when he first started, but he has now become one of the top lyricists in DFW. All this is to say, I checked Sounds’ SoundCloud out with no intentions of doing a write up about him. Obviously, what I found changed my mind.

The first song I clicked on was “So Good” (prod. Keem). I was shocked to realize Alxndr is a singer. I fully expected to hear a mumble rapper, so I was pleasantly surprised. I may be in the wrong scene and following the wrong people, but it’s rare for a local singer to come across my timeline. Particularly, male R&B singers in the Dallas area (to me) seem to be non-existent so this was like a Sasquatch sighting! Once the initial shock and awe of this rare commodity falling into my hands wore off, I could truly listen to his music.

“So Good” is a proper introduction to Alxndr Sounds. It gives you a good feel of his voice, his style, and his musical intentions. What I mean by “musical intentions” is what an artist is trying to convey through their songs. Is the artist 90% sex and 10% turn up? Are they 35% chakras and 65% men/women are trash? Hearing “So Good” immediately informs me that his musical intentions are going to lean toward positive feelings about love. This initial thought was confirmed by some the other songs that Alxndr Sounds has. Of course, with positive feelings about love, heartbreak is sure to follow. “Broken Man” ft. Es Jai is emotionally charged. I wouldn’t say Alxndr is the strongest vocalist that I’ve heard, but he’s able to convey his pain with his voice in the song. The personification of emotions through one’s voice is not easy, so kudos to him for being successful in this.

He also has a four-song EP which “Broken Man” is the title track to. It honestly reminded me of The Weeknd. Although I’m unapologetic and clear with my dislike for most of The Weeknd’s music, I meant this positively. The Weeknd makes good music, I am just extremely unimpressed with his voice. Alxndr’s is more palatable to me. He has similar production choices and subject matter, but it’s unique enough to not come off as a clone. He sounds genuine. The stand out song on his page is “Stay With You”. Out of all the songs that I listened to, this is the one I could see myself playing multiple times. “Stay With You” seems like it’s the most ready, meaning that you could put it out on radio or Spotify etc., and people would enjoy it. I don’t want to say too much about it because I think you should listen to it yourself. Not every artist is perfect. Some songs still need work. But “Stay With You” is good to go!

Overall, I like Alxndr Sounds. He writes all his own material. He’s been writing since he was 6, and it shows. I think he has a good ear for production that really fits the sound he’s going for. He knows himself as an artist, which is rare. There is room for improvement, but he’s young and has time to grow and learn. I think with a little vocal training and small creative risks, he could truly be a dope artist. The potential is there. The talent is evident. If the execution is right, the exposure will come! I’m excited to see how Alxndr grows artistically, and I think you should be too.

Dallas Destined: Jahn Dough

Writer: Austin Prim

Some of you may have heard of local rapper Jahn Dough, some of you may not have. I just recently found out about him. Jahn released his project “My Afro is My Halo” at the end of January. I’m not sure if we have mutual followers, but links to his video as well as tweets about the project were popping up the whole week. His name had been mentioned to and around me by a few artists/engineers in the city. He was mentioned by people whose music opinions are trustworthy, like Tony JR a local singer, and Donny Domino, Sensei of DOJO 45. So, I listened.

I’m usually skeptical of listening to local artist’s music. Some people aren’t talented. Others are, but their music isn’t as good as they say it is. I care about music and the city. I’m very opinionated, so when I listen to a new project or song by a local rapper, I’m judgmental. I listen to it from the perspective of someone outside of the city or state hearing it. I judge based on the question: Does this rep my city well? Most of the times, the answer is no. Sometimes it’s the style of the artist, other times it’s the lack of talent. Other times it’s just my preference. This is how I go into every song, video, EP or album from a DFW based artist. And my approach won’t change regardless of if I know you.

Right off the bat, my initial thought after listening through all 12 songs was, “This is actually pretty dope.” It’s not perfect, it’s not the most polished or innovative album I’ve ever heard from a Dallas artist. But it’s good. It showed me the type of headspace as an artist Jahn Dough is. This was my introduction to him. You can hear that he listens to a lot of eras of rap. I heard elements from Outkast to Kendrick. The album gives a fluent feel and vibe throughout. It starts off calmer. The production for the first half of the project is closer to an updated boom-bap, backpack rapper feeling. Tracks like “Vile” and “Party Foul” are easy ones to get behind. They both are vibe type songs. You could hear those songs played at a kickback with the lights low while everyone is sitting around drinking and having a good time.

Once you get to the middle of the project, you run into a stand out song “The Sun” featuring local R&B singer Gabrielle B. This one is for the ladies. It’s not aggressive, but it’s a straight forward in its message. The vibe this song gives off is like Common’s “The Light”. Wouldn’t be surprised if that was the intention of this song. But the next track is my favorite on the tape. “Bitter Sweet” samples “Candy Rain” by Soul 4 Real in a way that is super fun to listen to. His cadence on this track switches from previous songs. It’s more upbeat, more aggressive, more melodic. It reminds me of Big Boi back in the 90s. This, unfortunately, is one of the shorter songs on the tape but is easily one of the best tracks. The rest of the album sounds more fun and the production is more updated. It’s not trap, but it’s not the relaxing, laid back, vibe out production that the first half of the album provided. The album was balanced well, and there’s a song on here for everyone.

Overall, this was a dope introduction to an artist. Is this the best project, no. Are you going to want to listen to Jahn Dough over Drake, or Kendrick right now, probably not. But, you’re not going to turn it off. You won’t want to delete it off your computer. “My Afro is My Halo” will make you intrigued and interested in more of his music, and that’s a good album. I want to hear more of Dough. I want to see more. I think you should too. Listen to the project yourself and decide. Jahn Dough is definitely destined to be mentioned with top Dallas artists soon!

Artist on the Rise: Kaiydo

Staff Writer: Orian Johnson

Up and coming artist, Kaiydo

A 20 year old artist from Atlanta named Keiondre Boone might just become your new favorite rapper. He’s currently released five tracks using the stage name Kaiydo, and all five are on his website, Kaiydo.com, as well as Soundcloud and the main five are on Spotify and Youtube. Kaiydo.com being a website, along with his own merch and album/song cover art, made himself despite not being a mainstream artist that people know right away when hearing his name.. Each of his tracks is one you can turn up to despite all having upbeat tones to them. One of the most surprising facts about his music is there isn’t any profanity in them. Not that it’s the most uncommon thing in the world, but it’s still interesting to find rap without swearing in modern music. In Fruit Punch, his most popular track, he talks about his aspirations like “a comma stream,” and “eight figures.” He’s obviously got the ambition to make it big in the music industry, and he’s got the talent. Chances are you haven’t heard of him before, but now that you have, you should definitely go check out his work if you’re a fan of the genre.

Meet The Artist: October

MEET THE ARTIST

Every month we will have artists who interview on our radio show. Their music can be heard throughout our show. They are trying to move from the underground scene onto the big stage and we are providing an outlet to broadcast their music. Here are the month of October artists.

Mason Galindo

Dandii Sun

Born in Pasadena, California, developed in Arlington, Texas, and broadcasted in Dallas, Dandii Sun is a one-man traveling act within himself. He truly skims the grey area between the dark expectations and shimmering unpredictability of the North Texas/ DFW hip hop uprising. Although fluent in the language of “song-write” he also finds solace in any and all aspects of art, ranging from painting and drawing to sculpting and creative writing, hence his six-part collective “Obey The Art”. His most recent debut, “Tree Dancer,” is the first of a three-part story focusing on mans’ dependency of self communication, even if you must use a tree as a character to do so. We await the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018, as he has promised the release of new music, visuals, and all other things under his sun. Follow him @ObeyTheArt and be on the lookout for Dandii Sun.

MinoTheLatino

MinoTheLatino, originally from New Orleans, is a rapper and producer located in Arlington, Texas spreading his music through the Dallas area. He gives a smooth, upbeat feel in his song “KushGhost,” that has a catchy hook. He recently released “August Freestyle” and “CA$H.” These tracks provide a soothing beat and R&B vibe. Mino announced that he is finishing up his debut project “These Things Take Time” where he will produce and engineer the whole tape. He will also be releasing a series of songs under the playlist “PROMISES” through his soundcloud in the meantime. Follow the series here. You can find him on Twitter @MinoTheLatino.

Bryson Cole

Bryson Cole is a rapper from Mansfield, Texas who is spreading his music throughout the Denton area while attending The University Of North Texas. He released his album New Wave which is available on every music platform. Bryson brings a smooth, lyrical taste to his music. He also uses his music to speak about what he stands for, which are conveyed in his freestyles. Cole announced he will be releasing an album this fall or winter named Worth The Wait. Here is his latest single while you wait for the album. You can find Bryson on Twitter @BrysonColeTX . Listen to New Wave now.

Kaleeks

Kaleeks is a member of JVNLS, a rap group from Arlington, Texas who has a tough-gangster like feel to his music. His fan favorite songs are “Becky”, “Why Hate?” and his newest track “Civilized Savage”, with the music video highly anticipated on all social media outlets. Kaleeks collaborated with fellow JVNLS rapper, Teo BLK, on a hot track called “Filthy”. He is currently working on an EP that is expected to drop this fall. In the meantime check out his Soundcloud.You can find Kaleeks on Twitter @Kreepaleeks. Be on the lookout for him as he rises through the underground scene.

Jimmy Of The Saints

Jimmy Of The Saints is currently developing his own rap group that will go by the name of Blessed Co. He is from Galveston, Texas but is spreading his music throughout Nacogdoches, Texas while he attends Stephen F. Austin. Jimmy can bring a variety of styles to his music. He slows it down in his song “Window ft. Alexisxo” but brings a smooth upbeat bonus track with “Black Mamba ft. Pro-C & Peej”. Check out “The Saint”. He recently announced that he will be releasing a collab mixtape, “It’s Only The Beginning” on October 13th available on all steaming services. You can find him on Twitter @JimmyOfSaints.

Who is BennY RevivaL?

Writer: Tanya Nasimiyu

twitter.com/bennyrevival

Recently on my timeline I stumbled into a video of a guy dancing with a clown mask to Spaceghostpurpp’s Bahama Diamonds only to later look around and find out that’s pretty much what he does, in addition to other interesting stuff here and there. BennY RevivaL is at this point assumed to be a Florida native, who has been on the internet for almost 2-3 years but recently gained popularity especially because he is mysterious. He tweets videos and pictures of himself and also his own music all the time but somehow leaves more questions than answers. Here are some reasons why you should keep up with him as well.

1. He makes good music.

Most of the videos Mr. RevivaL posts are for his own music, and as expected from someone like him, his music is very different. His production is very 90s-based along with his lyrics, and no matter how strange it may sound, he manages to pave together some gems on his own. All of his music can be found in all 50+ of his Soundcloud accounts where he manages to load all with music.

2. He owns A LOT of masks.

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The amount of masks that are in this picture aren’t even all of them. Each picture or video he posts, he has a new one, and it’s not hard to imagine that his collection is huge especially because he started this almost 3 years ago. With the masks we get more questions of ‘How does he get money to pay for it all?’ or ‘How many are they in total?’

3. He’s a writer.
On Instagram he has 3 accounts where he writes his books. On one account @Generational_Outbreak he writes about his childhood and the abuse he and his family had to endure from his father. He writes it with cynicism and makes it funny at times which makes you want to read more.

4. He can dress.

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No matter what mask he puts on he has an outfit to match and stunt with. You can tell he doesn’t just wear anything because most of his outfits are well put-out. He doesn’t shy away from wearing “feminine” clothes either. All in all, when Mr. RevivaL comes out, he makes sure to style himself like no other.

5. He’s got moves.

Mr. RevivaL is a triple threat in all honesty, and his dancing just adds more intrigue to him. In the videos he posts, he’s usually dancing in his own BennY RevivaL way. A personal favorite is the video of him dancing to his own song “Whoop” from his North Florida Mixtape.

6. He’s a mystery.

At this point all we know is that he’s most likely from Florida, he’s mixed, and he loves what he does. He maintains a very phantom persona online, never replies to people, never follows anyone, and that makes him so much more interesting. The fact that no one knows who he is and why he does it is the reason he’s blowing up right now. Everyone wants in on the BennY RevivaL mystery.

SoundCloud Artist of the Week

Writer: Bryanna Houser

Rikki Blu

Image: Twitter

Rikki Blu is a rapper hailing from Pleasant Grove. He’s killing anybody that steps in his way to success. Thankfully for all the other DFW rappers, they’re smart enough to stay out of his way.

Rikki Blu is one of my favorite rappers, not just locally; but, globally, simply because he is so raw and real, two concepts that get lost in the limelight. Fortunately, Rikki is able to remember the people that helped get him to the top, his fans.

Rikki Blu has a sound unique to himself that is very hard hitting and emotional. His EP “Pleasant Grove” is a perfect example of all of this. He explains his experiences growing up in the rough neighborhood of Pleasant Grove and all that goes along with it. He has such an open, no BS approach to this project, and you can’t help but to connect to him.

Image: Cover art of Water

His most popular record, and my personal favorite, Water, is simply titled for a reason. It has a simple message that accompanies it; we have to help each other get to the top. With the assistance of his producer, TrapGrazeTragik, he is able to relay this message loud and clear. Rikki’s gift of lyricism is what allows him to be so successful, and he proves it with every single he releases.

Rikki Blu proved his top shelf lyrics in his addition to the hit hashtag #DallasLyrisictChallenge where he spit his freestyle and amazed everyone, friends and foe alike.

This is one artist that you should not sleep on. Check out as much of his stuff as you can, you will not be disappointed!

If you know of any other artist that deserves SoundCloud Artist of the Week leave a comment down below, or send us a tweet @OfficialDrive99.

To listen to this week’s SCAW artist click the link below:

Meet The Artist: September

MEET THE ARTIST

Mason Galindo

Hampton Lamar

Hampton Lamar, 22, is from Mansfield, Texas. He is currently spreading his music throughout the DFW area and state of Mississippi while being a student on the Dean’s List at the University of Southern Mississippi. Hampton has released three singles this year, providing a hype song with “I Been”. He slows it down with a smooth summer beat in “What’s The Slide?” but shows off his singing ability in his recent release “See Me ft. Vince Ryouta”. He plans to release two new singles this month and hopes his movement will shift today’s hip-hop community. You can find Hampton on Twitter @TheHamptonLamar.

Dandii Sun

Aric Evans

Aric Evans is a rapper who started spreading his music through the U.K. He is currently sharing his music with the Fort Worth area and provides chill music to get you through your mellow days. Evans released his debut album “1995” in August and has a variety of beat switches in “95 Xans” but transitions to a very chill vibe with “Hernandez.” The album contains a variety of skits in just about every song to connect with his listeners. “1995” can be listened to here. You can find Aric Evans on Twitter @AricEvans_.

MinoTheLatino

Bryson Cole

Kaleeks

Jimmy Of The Saints

Jimmy Of The Saints is currently developing his own rap group that will go by the name of Blessed Co. He is from Galveston, Texas but is spreading his music throughout Nacogdoches, Texas while he attends Stephen F. Austin. Jimmy can bring a variety of styles to his music. He slows it down in his song “Window ft. Alexisxo” but brings a smooth upbeat bonus track with “Black Mamba ft. Pro-C & Peej”. Check out “The Saint”. He recently announced that he will be releasing a collab mixtape , “It’s Only The Beginning”, this year. You can find him on Twitter @JimmyOfSaints.

SoundCloud Artist of the Week

Writer: Bryanna Houser

MinoTheLatino

Image:SoundCloud

MinoTheLatino might be one of the smoothest rappers in the Metroplex! His thick, raspy voice is one that’s easy to remember no matter where you hear him. He has a Rico Suave type of demeanor about him that is very lovable. This guy also has some of the dopest tracks out right now.

MinoTheLatino is a producer, engineer, and recording artist right here in the Agg. He came to Texas from New Orleans and I can’t be the only person that’s happy about that, especially considering the way he’s been representing the DFW. His music is a refreshing mix of slick lyrics that cause you to think, and club beats that make you want to dance. The best example of this is his most popular track “Ca$h”.

Image: SoundCloud

“Ca$h” was inspired by the classic Wu Tang Clan record “C.A.S.H” and that inspiration is definitely reflected in the music. His beat is one much like Ice Cube’s “It was a good day”. You involuntarily start to bob your head to the flow with it’s light hearted nature. Mino’s flow is telling the listener how he plans on making it big in the rap game and how he’s going to “get the money”.

His other tracks are just as hypnotizing, “Temptation” featuring Mon Malakhi and TDayanri, “Kush Ghost”, and “Xannn” are some of the other fan favorites. He has plenty of songs to jam to already, but thankfully for us he’s in the studio right now working on a debut project, “These Things Take Time” . Keep your eye on this guy, he’s making waves in the rap game and is about to blow up.

To listen to this week’s SCAW artist click the link below:

https://soundcloud.com/almtyivis

The Most Underrated Rappers on Youtube

Writer: Cinceir Holmes

From 2pac and Biggie, to Lil Uzi and Lil Yatchy, rap to others has evolved or devolved in anyone’s opinion. Rap and hip hop being our two main music genres in our generation everybody wants to be a rapper. At the end of the day though we all have that one friend with bars for days and then there are those with bars for eternity. We also have Youtubers who make us think, “MAN why doesn’t he or she have a record deal yet?” today I’m gonna put you on to my personal top 5 lyricist who I deserve a bigger fanbase.

Joyner Lucas

Joyner Lucas is a amazing artist with impeccable flow. Along with his different styles he has mastered the way of telling two sides of a story through one song while also sending a message out. You can never say he is too deep or he is too hype this man keeps putting out songs with styles you’ll never expect. He keeps us all on the edge of our seat. His new album (508) 507-2209 keeps him high on the list as well. Here are some of my personal favorites.

Winter Blues
Ross Capicchioni
Sorry

Street Light

A young artist still coming up Street has been in comedic vids with DashieXp and working with other artist on this list like Shizzy Vl. Through his storytelling music he gives off so many different vibes that’s it crazy. Taking real life events from his own experience or not he puts it all into a track. To add on to this he is also a Christian rapper so he is educational, inspirational, lyrical, and above all else family friendly. I suggest you check out his latest project DARK SUMMER.

Bully
August 6th
Brother.

Shizzy Vl

Vl Seconds, Poseidon, Shizzy Vl, or the Anime Rap God; this artist goes by many names but under anyone of them he can still kill any beat. Starting his YouTube career through freestyles based off cartoons, anime, video games, or even comics; Shizzy is a young man from Brooklyn making a way through music. Growing up he was a bullied kid and uses his experience in his music. He may not be family friendly like Street Light but he is just as lyrical if not more so. He keeps his music honest but also can change between a slow or fast flow along with softer or stronger lyrics. He’s worked with Street Light, Devvon Terrell and many more.

Dear Father
Boondocks freestyle
The Gawd
Hakai

Bugatti Beez

Bugatti Beez is one of those different artist of the generation. He started off on YouTube doing skits, and comedy videos. Later on in his career he started making music even doing a song with Futuristic. With a great flow and hard hitting lyrics along with his unexpected skills in the art of hip hop he is a force to be reckoned with.

Gang$ta
Donuts In The Lambo
Wassup ft Futuristic