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Sh*t Really Getting Different Now: Important Things That Happened In 757 Music This Summer

This summer was a pretty big deal when it came to the music scene in the 757. From releases to events to tours to festivals, the 757 was buzzing with excitement and productivity all summer 2018. Here is a list of some of the most game changing events that took place in music in the Hampton Roads area this summer.

  1. EDL Fest

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Niyah Nel, curator and owner of Everyday Dope Life, has for the second time put together what is probably the biggest event in 757 music culture for the second time in a row. EDL Fest is a 1 day music festival that is held at Oconnors Brewing Co. in Norfolk VA. The event featured an informative panel consisting of many successful creatives from the 757 area such as Xavious (owner of Pacers) and Sulay (Visual artist of AWGE). The event also featured a cypher featuring local artists such as JBDaPilot and Fishskale Rabble. The event also had several games for guests to enjoy as well as local food and clothing vendors that guests could purchase from as well. The day ended with a show featuring performances by Hot Gumbo Brass Band, Al Doms, Doeski, Alondo Jackson, Treez Lowkey and KEY! as the headliner. Check out our vlog from the event here!

 

2.  Young Crazy Is On Tour

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Young Crazy is making his transition from a hometown favorite to a nationally respected recording artist and in the 757 we all get the pleasure of  watching it happen first hand. In addition to dropping joint project “This A Crazy Era”  earlier this summer with Era Hardaway, this summer Young Crazy has been on tour with Ski Mask The Slump God and Bandhunta Izzy on the Ski Meets World Tour. He also dropped the visual for “Different Now” the first song off of the collaboration project with Era (check it out here ) Lastly, the artist got to perform at Rolling Loud and in doing so got to meet one of the artists he looks up to most, Gucci Mane.

 

3.  Glasxx TVs “Best Of Summer 2018 List”IMG-6854

If there was an award for most controversial VA blog, it would definitely belong to Glasxx TV (@glasxx.tv on Instagram). Glasxx, owner and main curator for the blog, is no stranger to participating in antics that shake the table. This summer the blogger decided to put out a list of artists who he felt was the best in VA at the time and by doing that he caused quite the uproar. Just by taking a glance at the comment section you can see that the public had a lot to say about the list. Some stated that the list was biased, others felt that the list was simply a joke, there were some artists such as YSN Capo who simply didn’t care about the list at all.

 

When asked about the list, Glasxx stated that once he put the list out, it inspired change in the music scene. He felt that everyone who was upset about not making the list started working harder. Making the list, no matter how accurate or inaccurate, was his way of pushing the culture.

 

4.  G.O.D.S. Music Group Proves They Are A Force To Be Reckoned WithIMG-6859

If there was ever a time to pay attention to G.O.D.S. Music Group (@godsmusicgroupp on instagram), its now. This diverse collective is taking tremendous strides toward showing that they are the on the way to becoming VA greats. For a long time this group has been putting in the work when it comes to music, however it wasn’t until recently when they put together their “Apollo” showcase at Shakas this summer that people really started paying attention and seeing this collective as the dope creatives that they are. The showcase was in celebration of the release of their project “Apollo” which does a beautiful job of combining lyricism and talent with relevancy resulting in a one of a kind sound. In addition to doing there thing as a group, the members all have been making noise as individuals as well. Earlier this summer group member R. Locko released his highly anticipated project “Star Of Lion” and KJ The Gawd released “Going Against The Worlds Demons” which we covered here. G.O.D.S. Music Group utilized this summer to make believers out of all of us and with that being said, we can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

5. Shows Shows and More Shows

From our “Off The Wall” Showcase to IIIDAZEs “To The Grave” the 757 music scene had plenty of showcases going on all summer long. Events from more established brands such as Traptastics “Higher Learning” event presented a chill vibe and included artists Lacree, Opal, JBDaPilot and Skuzii.  We also had events put on by creatives who are newer to the scene such as LoserKevs ( @loserkev on IG ) “The Retrograde” which was a very high energy event and catered to the younger crowd with artists such as Yung Young  and Rodeo Glo.  There were shows put on by artists themselves such as IIIDAZE “To The Grave” (covered here ) as well as BreezeParks concert which we covered here.  Lastly, Wrek Shop Ent. put together the Free Gwalla showcase in honor of Foreign Gwalla, a local artist who was recently locked up. With all of these events going on, there was literally something for everyone to do. Thanks to all of the creatives and curators of the 757, it was beyond impossible for anyone to be bored in the 757 this summer.

Summer 2018 was full of exciting events, awesome music releases and magical moments. What was your favorite 2018 Summer memory? Comment below.

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Listen: Rari Shows He Is “The Realest” With New Release

Def Corp artist Rari, who is arguably one of the best lyricists in VA, shocked us all with his lyrical abilities months ago on his song “Rari Effect” is now back with a new release entitled “The Realest”.

The song is produced by Blasian Beats and gives a deeper look into the artists struggle, how he overcame obstacles and his determination to make it in the game. Rari is one of many creatives who is a part of the Def Corp collective which is led by High Def Razjah, the mastermind behind songs such as “Take It Or Leave It” by Rae Sremmurd as well as “Let It Go” by ASAP Ferg. The collective is planning many things for the upcoming months, the release of “The Realest” being the first.

Check out “The Realest” here!

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V0NSkee Shares Video For Track, “Again”

 

Earlier this year V0n Skee released his track “Again” (featuring King Joey & produced by D L0wk3y ) on SoundCloud (listen here). After the seeing that the song received quite the buzz from fans, recently the artist has returned with a release of a visual for the track.

The Newport News artist really prides himself in his ability to create music that really captures how life is coming up in his city. The visual is shot by Deddy MoBucks, another talented individual from Newport News who has done a lot of visuals for Virginia artists. After the release of the visual the artist appears to be on a hiatus from releasing new content but he has stated that he does have plenty of music in the vaults that he is planning on releasing in the near future.

 

Check out the video here!

 

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Shel Capo Invites Listeners to Celebrate His Life With “Happy Birthday Shel” Mixtape

Member of G.O.D.S. Music group, Shel Capo has released a new project in celebration of his 24th birthday. With this project Shel becomes very transparent with listeners as he discusses personal issues, struggles as well as victories he has experienced throughout his life. Shel also demonstrates tremendous storytelling abilities on this project and does a tremendous job of really making his tales of treachery and triumph come alive.

The tape begins with an intro which sets the tone for the tape and talks about very relatable  issues that he is facing such as dealing with people who doubt him and trying to make a better life for his daughter. The tape includes a few “love songs” such as “All She Wanna Do” and “Shoot Your Shot”, which shows that the artist doesn’t shy away from the topic of romance. The tape also has features fellow lable mates R. Locko, Breezo and Tion on tracks “All She Wanna Do”, “99” and “Bag$”. On “Therapy Session”, a very notable track, the artist becomes very transparent and speaks on dealing with all kinds of issues from trying to find love on Tinder to dealing with baby mama drama to dealing with pesky ex lovers who only want to come back because they see him doing well. The tape ends with “Happy Birthday Shel”, a very high energy, celebratory track that drives that ends the tape on a high note.

Check out “Happy Birthday Shel” here and check out his performance for GODS Music Group’s show at Shakas in Va Beach on July 27th and 9:00pm!

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Breezepark Challenges and Motivates Listeners To Grow In New Project “Bloom”

Recently Breezepark has released their newest project “Bloom”, which invites listeners to go on a journey with the group to surpass the normal limits of society and to challenge the status quo. The highly anticipated project promotes ideas of positivity, progression and pushing ones self beyond personal limits and the limits society has in place.

The project, which was released just in time for summer, has a very clean, unique sound that in top quality. The production on the album was done by Virginia greats such Michael Seven and HighDefRazjah who hails from the Def Corp collective, a group that is no stranger to the Virginia music scene and who also has a lot in store for the summer. The project also has some extremely notable features from artists Boris The Lucid, Rozwell Fitzroy and Norfolks very own “God Of All Traps”, Young Crazy.

Music has such an influence on ones outlook on life and with all the negative messages circulating in music today, music that has a captivating, unique sound and motivates listeners to challenge themselves to go beyond the normal is a breath of fresh air. With its pristine sound and positive message, “Bloom” is definitely an album you will want to add to your summer playlist. Check out exclusive footage of the album being made here (shot by DefCorpMedia) and listen to “Bloom” at the links below!

 


https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bloom/1368661636

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Sociopathic Tendencies in Hip Hop: A Deeper Look Into Kwalla The God’s “Nightmare$”

“This is a song about the worst person you could ever meet.” These are the opening words of Kwallah, The God’s newest single “Nightmare$” and a few moments into the track, its easy to understand why.

The single is a very sinister, menacing track that describes the lifestyle of the most not sh*t individual one could possibly imagine (think of a hip hop version of “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch”) Throughout the song we hear descriptions of this evil entity who is out to seek and destroy anyone it encounters. From stealing peoples girlfriends to, hitting licks to being a homeless bum who sleeps on everyone’s couch, this song describes to most undesirable individual one could ever possibly encounter.

At the end of the song we hear Kwalla repeat the words “I am not real, just a nightmare”, giving us the idea that the individual we have been hearing about during the entire duration of the song is, in fact, fictitious. But is this individual really a figment of our imagination? Has our generation, with all of the influences on social media and in music that has made it trendy to be heartless, become saturated with individuals who think this way? With all of the new creations that have come about in the last few years, society has definitely progressed technologically, but at the same time we have lost our sense of empathy, which as a result has caused everyone to care more about themselves and less about others, much like the individual Kwallah speaks on in “Nightmare”. Furthermore, hip hop music, especially that of this generation, does a great job of pushing a cold hearted mentality. A genre that was created to empower and promote messages of creativity and inspiration has somehow transformed into a genre that programs individuals to do quite the opposite. We started out with songs that told stories and gave messages, but is hip hop music now just a competition of who can “catch the most bodies”, have sex with the most females and be the most toxic individual one could be to themselves and to their community?

What do you think? Comment below and check out Kwallah, The Gods “Nightmare$” here!

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Remembering Xxxtentacion: R. Locko Pays Homage With New Release “So Many Demons”

With a troubled past, a controversial present and a promising future,  Xxxtentacion was certainly an underground artist whose name became a hot topic for the hip hop community within the past year and a half. With his unusual appearance, an unorthodox perspective and a musical approach that was quite unique in comparison to what hip hop has become used to, Xxx had become an artist that some hated but many people came to love. In his music Xxx promotes individualism and the power of being confident in yourself. In addition to this, Xxx spoke a lot about dealing with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and other topics that are not spoken on frequently enough in hip hop, making his music a source of comfort for so many people. Although the rapper had a hard life as a child as well as a lot of legal issues he was facing, Xxx recently had been showing signs of changing, getting his life on track and was inspiring many of his supporters to do the same. However, on Monday June 18, 2018 the underground hip hop community was faced with some very grim and disheartening news, Xxxtentacion had been shot and killed in Broward County, Florida, his own hometown.

The news took everyone by surprise, so much so that some thought it was a joke, but unfortunately the news was true; Xxxtentacion really had been killed. Social media took to a frenzy shortly thereafter and there were hundreds of tweets and posts circulating sending condolences, talking about his impact on fans as well as theories of who the killer might have been. With all of these things going on and all of these people talking about how much Xxx had impacted (and for some, saved) their lives, one thing is clear; Xxxtentacion may be gone but he is not forgotten.

Today, R. Locko has released a track in memory of the fallen star entitled “So Many Demons”. The track is produced by Polo Golf Club and speaks on the suffocating effects of depression, which Xxxtentacion spoke on quite frequently in his music. At the end of the track, Locko gives listeners a short speech about realizing that we all go through the same issues and that we all need to be there for one another during these struggles instead of being so quick to judge one another.

Check out So Many Demons x R Locko here. R.I.P. to the underground legend Xxxtentacion.