As Hip Hop fans, one thing is for sure about 2021: We’ve been fed well. Looking back, it’s been an incredible ride in which Drake, Kanye, Vince Staples, Tyler, J Cole, Isaiah Rashad, Nas and many others have dropped well received projects. The easy thing to do would be to cover those albums like countless other media outlets have already done. At Today’s Hip Hop though, they like to keep their eyes on the next crop of talented artists. Throughout this year, there have been tons of dope indie releases and up and coming artists that have flown under the radar and it’s our job to shine a light on those too. So here’s a spotlight on some under the radar artists who have released songs, albums, EPs etc in 2021.
Akinyemi
“My stage name is my last name,” The Queens rapper told Wonderland Magazine. “If I’m gonna represent my family like that, I might as well talk about where my family came from, the Nigerian heritage behind it and the origin of my name.” On his album REBORN, Akinyemi does just that. His ability to utilize a shapeshifting flow on tracks that are equal parts personal and relatable make him a standout artist to keep an eye on.
SIDEWAALK KAL
If you like what Armand Hammer, Boldy James and other prominent underground figures have been cookin up, you need to check out SIDEWAALK KAL. The underrated lyricist has the laid back in the pocket flow of some of Hip Hop’s heavy hitters but his subject matter is pointed towards awakening the black consciousness. He told the Knockturnal that “There’s an abundance of messaging to my people by my people and reinforced by non-Black dollars that is self-destructive, self-deprecating, and self-defeating. We’ve seen that negative messaging work through our own magic, this music…I assert the same magic can work in the opposite direction if the pen is sharp and the music’s heavy and the content is powerful.”
Che Noir
While Griselda has painted the picture for what the underworld of Buffalo is really like for us all, Che Noir is another upstate rapper who needs to be heard. With gritty precision, she offers a female perspective to the drug game with lines like “A drug dealer was my soulmate/ road to riches, flippin’ birds, I always knew he had road rage.” When you get deeper into her catologue though, you’ll see she’s much more than that. Her ear for production is amongst Hip Hop’s very best and her frequent link ups with 38 Spesh have provided some of the cultures most underrated bangers
Qu’ality
The words that come to mind when I think of the Brooklyn rapper Qu’ality are “Pure Creativity”. It’s not often that we get treated to unique concept visuals from indie rappers but when it does happen, it’s always extra special. The video above is of Qu’ality’s track entitled “UNPREDICKTABLE” and perhaps his greatest strength is to be just as the title suggests. On this track, he’s giving us some serious 3 stacks vibes both musically and visually but he’s proven his ability to switch it up time and time again. We’re diggin his 2020 EP “Omelette (I’m Lit)” which is a great intro to his style of music.
Kay Flock
At this point, whether you’d prefer to acknowledge New York Drill as a legitimate art form or not is irrelevant, the drill scene is here to stay. New York has carved out it’s own style of drill music that is distinctive from other regions and produced various stars over the past few years. The same way that Brooklyn drill has captured the attention of the world, it seems that Bronx drill music is shaping up to do the same. While dozens of rappers have surfaced in the BX, the borough has produced its first budding drill star in Kay Flock. Despite his recent start on the mic, Kay Flock’s videos have been doing numbers on YouTube, with his most recent couple of tracks “Is ya Ready” and “Being Honest” cracking the million views mark in just a week and trending on the top 25 on YouTube for music. Rumors are already brewing that labels have been hitting up Kay Flock in search of the next star of Drill. As a rapper, his gravely delivery gives us G Herbo vibes and his dark violent lyrics provide some insight on what it’s like in the birthplace of Hip Hop these days.
Ailey II,
the celebrated second company to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, returns to The Ailey
Citigroup Theater from March 26–April
Event Details
Ailey II,
the celebrated second company to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, returns to The Ailey
Citigroup Theater from March 26–April 6. Bringing their “off-the-charts-energy”
(The New Yorker) to the stage, Ailey II presents two spectacular programs
featuring a new work by Houston Thomas and returning favorites by Alvin Ailey,
Judith Jamison, Baye & Asa, and Ailey II Artistic Director Francesca
Harper. Tickets starting at $62.25 (includes $3.25 service fee) are on sale now
and can be purchased online at ailey.org
or by calling 212-405-9082.
Performance Times:
Wednesday, March 26 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, March 27 at 7:30 pm
Friday, March 28 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 29 at 2 pm
Saturday, March 29 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 30 at 3 pm
Sunday March 30 at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, April 2 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, April 3 at 7:30 pm
Friday, April 4 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 5 at 2 pm
Saturday, April 5 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, April 6 at 3 pm
Sunday, April 6 at 7:30 pm
Time
March 26 (Wednesday) 7:30 pm - April 6 (Sunday) 7:30 pm
Finally...a donation based vinyasa yoga class coming to your Bushwick neighbourhood!
An affordable way to practice and feel connected to community.
Come join us every Wednesday
Event Details
Finally…a donation based vinyasa yoga class coming to your Bushwick neighbourhood!
An affordable way to practice and feel connected to community.
Come join us every Wednesday from 7-8pm at BushBox NYC.
Join Andrea with your baby to move through a baby and me class!
During this hour, we'll integrate movement, breathwork, and meditation to get
Event Details
Join Andrea with your baby to move through a baby and me class!
During this hour, we’ll integrate movement, breathwork, and meditation to get you feeling back to yourself. Each week, we’ll focus on a different area of our bodies and the classes will combine a fusion of yoga and pilates movements to give you the perfect combination of strength and mindfulness.
Is there any better way to spend a Friday afternoon than with your baby getting fit?!
Join MOFAD for a special screening of Finding Edna Lewis, the first major documentary about the innovative
Event Details
Join MOFAD for a special screening of Finding Edna Lewis, the first major documentary about the innovative chef who introduced Americans to the seasonal Southern cooking of her Virginia upbringing.
Afterwards, Debra Freeman (award-winning writer, host, and producer of the documentary) and Osayi Endolyn (James Beard Award-winning writer, producer, and curator) will discuss the places and people that shaped Ms. Lewis into the culinary pioneer whose influence is still felt today.
Ticket includes access to Flavor: The World to Your Brain from 6 to 7 PM, light bites inspired by Edna Lewis from Gage & Tollner, and beverages.
Riding high off their 2024 “Roll With It Tour,” which received rave reviews from fans and critics alike and boasted several sold out shows, Billboard Chart-topping blues rockers The Record Company (TRC) have announced that they will be continuing their routing into 2025 and will be headlining the Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 11. They will continue to support their latest release The4th Album.
During the shows, fans will enjoy the trio’s signature raw, bluesy rock sound as they perform tracks from their new record like lead single, “Talk to Me,” which reached #4 at AAA radio, and signature songs like “Dance On Mondays” and “Highway Lady.” The triumvirate will also round out their performance with hits from their catalog, including “Off the Ground” (#1 on the U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs Chart), “Rita Mae Young” (#12 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart), and “Baby, I’m Broken” (#6 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart).
TRC, featuring Vocalist and Guitarist Chris Vos, Bassist and Background Vocalist Alex Stiff, and Drummer Marc Cazorla, has a chemistry that brings a familial warmth to their music. Their 2016 debut album, Give It Back to You, earned a Grammy nomination and established their reputation for delivering both chart-topping tracks and thrilling live performances. Notably, their 2019 Bonnaroo set, described by Rolling Stone Country as “a wildly energetic show and one of the most communal experiences of the festival,” earned them a spot on Rolling Stone’s “5 Best Country and Americana Moments.” Over the years, they’ve shared stages with legends like John Mayer, B.B. King, Social Distortion, Bob Seger, and Blackberry Smoke, further cementing their place in modern rock.
Today, more than a decade since the band formed, TRC continues to take fans along with them on their musical journey through their stripped back approach.
“We want people to feel like they’re in the house [studio] with us, being part of this unpolished and homemade thing,” said Stiff. Cazorla added, “We embrace that space [between us] as part of the raw element. That’s what we explored on our latest album, and it’s beautiful. We can’t wait to continue it on the road.”
This spring, the New York Transit Museum will celebrate our Earth-friendly transit system at our annual family benefit, Party on Wheels! Bring the whole family for: breakfast and
Event Details
This spring, the New York Transit Museum will celebrate our Earth-friendly transit system at our annual family benefit, Party on Wheels! Bring the whole family for: breakfast and coffee, artmaking and face painting, a photo opportunity, a scavenger hunt – AND unlimited rides on our vintage subway cars from the Museum platform to Hoyt-Schermerhorn and back!
Spectrum Conferences is excited to announce the forthcoming 2nd International Summit on Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (ISIME2025), set to grace the enchanting city of Amsterdam, Netherlands, from May
Event Details
Spectrum Conferences is excited to announce the forthcoming 2nd International Summit on Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (ISIME2025), set to grace the enchanting city of Amsterdam, Netherlands, from May 22-24, 2025
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