The thing that stands out the most to me in “Sammattick The Rebel’s” album, “Rebelution” is the beautiful piano music that serves as a backdrop for some of the songs. It’s as though he could have released a separate album with just instrumentals, and it could have been used as a soundtrack for some kind of sentimental film.  As for the rap in general, the style has a very early 90’s feel(a good thing.) Being a fan of the original 60’s show, my favorite jam is probably the second song “Holy Batmans,” which happens to feature a sample from the hit folk tune, “Reach Out In The Darkness” by Friend and Lover. It’s impossible to come up on the 12th track “Man In The Mirror” without thinking it might be some new rap version of the Michael Jackson classic jam of the same name. The two songs are nothing alike though.

Overall, this is a pretty decent collection of hip hop songs with enough variance in style that anyone should be able to find something they like. Sammattick definitely has some speed skills as a rapper, and some of the retro themes he incorporates seem to work with his style. Despite the album’s cover photo and the title, “Rebelution,” I didn’t really pick up on any heavy political sentiments that would turn people off to listening to it.

http://www.sammattickmusic.com/ 

As much fun as it is to explore things outside my element, I love when I get the chance to review something that is in the realm of what I would actually listen to, which is why it was refreshing to hear the jams of “Rory’s Insomnia,” a New York based rock group led by female Israeli singer, Rony Corcos. Her voice and music have a kind of mid 90’s alternative/Indie film soundtrack kind of vibe. Her vocals remind me of Sarah McLachlan, but the backing instrumentation is more modern, and he songs softly energetic like The Cranberries. My favorite track on their newly released album, “Count To 10,” is the 7th track, “Emerald City.” It just seems to be the catchiest one with the most potential. All 10 of these songs are good though. They are meticulously put together, elegantly performed, and themed nicely. Take the time to check them out.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ronysinsomnia
http://rony-corcos.squarespace.com/

What’s in a name? Well, for a rapper, a name or handle can give a strong hint as to what the theme of your music is all about. In the case of Florida hip hop artist, Konchynce, it’s an apt moniker. His new single “Drag” seems to promote conscientious behavior and oppose degeneracy, without coming off preachy or getting in the way of the musical enjoyment. He aims subtle jabs toward backstabbers who “chase the cheddar,” as well as other riff raff. The song itself seems like a stream of consciousness within his head. “Never ever trust these fools” he advises.

For those expecting the token obscure pop culture references that are typical of the genre, Konchynce doesn’t disappoin as he cleverly inserts some Michelle and Danny Tanner “Full House” references for good measure.

“Drag” is both well produced and performed. Konchynce is no amateur. He’s legit. This is a solid start to his upcoming album titled, “P.O.L.O.S.” Let’s hope the rest of the album lives up to his abilities.

http://soundcloud.com/Konchynce/Drag

https://twitter.com/Konchynce

Archaeological excavator and rapper “P Digga” has a slick new jam out called “Grind Mode.” Part of the appeal to it is that some of the lyrics are kind of hard to understand. He has something of what I thought was a Caribbean/British accent, but he’s actually a US based Nigerian rapper. This made me want to listen to it multiple times to see if I could decipher parts of it, and each time I found some hidden nugget like “You can Kik me…You can Facebook me”(yeah he’s talking about the chat app “kik” i’m pretty sure.) This is big time club music, very well produced. Nothing shabby here at all. It actually reminds me of a lot of the rap/reggae stuff DJ David Orlando used to play at Dublin’s(long gone club) in West Hollywood in 1999/2000.

The song will be appearing in his upcoming EP “RIP OZO OMEIHE NZO,” an album title that looks like an old school Nintendo saved game code but probably means something important. I think out of all P Digga’s songs I prefer “Gyrate” as it’s incredibly catchy and has an entertaining video. Though the bizarre song “Homeless” is pretty unique. I’ve said it before, but it’s amazing how much more interesting these up and coming rappers are than the mainstream junk you hear on the radio, especially the foreign born rappers as they bring perspectives that don’t fall neatly into US rap cliches.