Portland's shining star, Amine ups his bets even more with his latest body of work, "ONEPOINTFIVE"

By now, I’m sure just about everybody knows the 2016, off-kilter hit “Caroline,” and it’s homely, yellow-dipped music video with masterfully ham-fisted Tarantino references which compliment the lyrics. Obviously, from the jump, the rapper behind this piece of work is very polarizing. Love him or hate him, however, Aminé burst into the spotlight with a sly tenacity and refreshingly creative positivity. I will admit that while I enjoyed “Caroline” when I first heard it, I was able to recognize how radio-friendly it’s sound truly was, and I knew almost instantly just how overplayed it would be in the near future - yes this is my self-righteous way of proclaiming how much deeper my appreciation of music is than you by saying I found a track that blew up before it was big; and yes this makes me a better person than you.

Album Review, Hip Hop, Melodic, Music, WavyGregory HarrisSeptember 6, 2018Amine, Portland, Oregon, West Coast, Album Review, Music, Kolin MillerComment

Press Lives Matters : Wane Chism, Wiz Kid behind Popped Cherry + Flavors Creative

In Texas, it's a large cast of creative individuals who are pushing the medium beyond the spirits of the Lone Star state. One of the pivotal people in the space who's pushing the beyond the boundaries of Austin, TX is Wane Chism, who's a marketing guru in his own right and going above the standard to deliver some of the best creative ideas for artists and brands. With his involvement with growing blog site, Popped Cherry, creative firm Flavors, and managing the likes of The Teeta and DONTHYPEME, he has a full plate on his table but he's maneuvering in a fashion where it seems somewhat effortless. While he's on a mission to change the perception on what it means to be a creative manager/businessman in Texas, Wane is crafting some modern ideas to break the mold in the nation's Live Music Capital.

Bringing The World To Houston // Travis Scott "Astroworld" Album Review

It’s been a long time since Houston has had someone that they can immediately point to as the lead torchbearer for the city. In the 90’s it was the late, great DJ Screw, in the new millennium, the spotlight shining on the Bayou City was shared between living legends like Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, UGK, and so many others. Now, with the release of his third full-length album, Astroworld, the torch has undoubtedly been passed to Mo City native, Travis Scott.

Album Review, Music ReviewGregory HarrisAugust 27, 2018Travis Scott, Waylon O'Day, Op-Ed, Music Review, Album ReviewComment

Get Familiar with The People Behind Comethazine's Long Awaited Project, "Bawskee"

n a matter of 18 months, these guys went from being two of the most exciting artists to help cultivate a sub-genre to being trailblazers of today’s modern sound and landing on the cover of XXL’s 2018 Freshman Magazine. The evolution that has molded these artists turned a new tide in today’s music, and this same process will become even more prevalent when Comethazine’s drops his debut project, “Bawskee”.

How Houston melodic artist, Trevor Daniel is going to help change the tide of Texas Music

When it comes to the demographics of sound in the Houston area, it's not necessarily a lot of artists who breaking on the national market in the areas of R&B/melodic vibes. Unless you're supported by a major label already, it's not much of a scene in that area or genre that's bringing artists in the city together to craft dope material. Where some see this as a disadvantage, artists such as Trevor Daniel saw this as the perfect opportunity to become a big fish in a small pond of talented artists who are presenting great vibes to the forefront.

The Art of Diligence + Drip // How Gunna's Drip Season series can establish his stardom

The mainstream world was first introduced to Young Thug’s protégé, Gunna, on the former’s “Floyd Mayweather,” from the JEFFERY project. Gunna’s third iteration of his Drip mixtape series looks good on paper. Including production credits from names like Metro Boomin’ and Wheezy, and contributions from Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Durk, Lil Yatchy, and of course, Young Thug, it’s hard to debate the star-power of the project.

Op Ed, Album ReviewGregory HarrisJuly 18, 2018Gunna, Music, Hip Hop, Trap, Atlanta, Album ReviewComment

Shotcaller Stallion : Why Megan The Stallion Is Breaking Barriers in Texas Music

Read our perspective piece on one of Texas’ emerging artists, Megan The Stallion who’s not only making waves for rappers in the Lone Star state but certainly turning the page when it comes to the modern mindset of what it means to be a women in the rap game.

Op-Eds, Op Ed, Music ReviewGregory HarrisJuly 16, 2018Megan The Stallion, Houston, Texas, Female Rapper, Op-EdComment

WHO GOT NEXT? // Why Southwest Houston is a Goldmine to H-Town Hip Hop

The differentiation has inspired many artists in the city to go above and beyond the stereotypes that have plagued for quite some time but with the large number of artists who are looking to break the mold, the Southwest area of Houston has become a field of growing crop of artists who are making major headway in the hip-hop industry outside the points of Alief.

Press Lives Matter: Max Kulchinsky, Program Director at Stationhead, A&R at Island Records

This would be none other than Stationhead tastemaker and program director, Max Kulchinsky. The 20-year old music maven has been generating vibes for the budding radio app that's been making game-changing efforts in the way listeners engage + listen to on-demand radio. Aside from his role of directing vibes for the app, Max has been one of the key voices as far as hosts go with his show, "Year of Max" that has been an open-platform for powerful dialogue along with putting listeners to new and old music. Not only has Max played a pivotal role into the company, but he also grew in the ranks of Sony and Island Records and implemented key plays in the music industry. Max's flair to the music industry develops a new perspective on where music and technology is going to and how this merge will birth the stars of tomorrow in this artistic space.

Artistic Integrity: Meet Houston rising rapper/food enthusiast, Burger Man

Today, we kick off the series with budding Missouri City-based rapper, Burger Man. One of the members of the trendsetting group, FOE G4NG, Burger Man has been ruling the in and outskirts of Houston for quite some time and now he's looking to take on the rest of nation with his new music. Coming off the heels of his two successful releases, "Fuck College" and "Hunt", he's been receiving much love form labels, outlets, and social media personalities.

Artistic Integrity, Interviews, MusicGregory HarrisJune 27, 2018Burger Man, Foe G4NG, Artistic Integrity, Interview, Interview SeriesComment

Press Lives Matter: Tyler Benz, Videographer at Noisey/VICE + All The Smoke Co-Founder

Today we focus on the talented Tyler Benz, a videographer/photographer from the depths of Bainbridge Island who's been delivering some of your favorite flicks from Noisey/VICE in recent years. We chose Tyler because of the way he resonates with the younger artists in today's music scene and how establishes long-lasting relationships with them. Being early to the party with artists such as Lil Pump, Smokepurpp, Lil Gnar, Lil Xan, Lil Skies, Lil Peep, Yoppa Bam, Richy Samo, and many artists who solidified a space in today's music soundscape. Having the ability to work for such a credited source while also being able to deliver raw and edgy content has given Benz the platform to go above and beyond to tell his story with heavy doses of reality and the truth.

Press Lives Matter, Music, Interviews, FeaturesGregory HarrisJune 25, 2018Tyler Benz, Noisey, VICE, All The Smoke, Press Lives Matter, InterviewComment

Breaking Hearts + Breaking The Mold : How JUICE WRLD's "Goodbye and Good Riddance" puts him in another class of music

Goodbye and Good Riddance, the first album from 20-year-old Jarod Higgins, better known as Juice WRLD comes after bursting onto the scene behind two solid single releases. The album shows Juice struggling with both relationship and substance abuse issues in an extremely personal way.

Op-Eds, Album Review, Music, Music ReviewGregory HarrisJune 25, 2018Juice WRLD, Chicago, Music, Album Review, Op-EdComment

Press Lives Matter: Victor Ulloa, Founder of Rosecrans Ave

One of the primary sources of content in Los Angeles is the budding + boundary-breaking outlet, Rosecrans Ave. The blog and radio show has played an essential role into the modern media scene in the West Coast, and it's been a launching pad for the likes of 03 Greedo, Shoreline Mafia, The Stinc Team, Rucci, and more budding artists in Los Angeles. We recently had the opportunity to speak to the brains behind the operation, Victor Ulloa.

Jurassic Living Legend: Can SlimeSito Solidify Himself Completely in Atlanta's Scene

As we may know, Atlanta has become the haven for where hip-hop is today. In the process of bringing us different stars with the likes of Migos, Lil Yatchy, Young Thug, Future, Yung Bans, Gunna, and more, it's easy to say that the scene there has been quite versatile for quite some time. In the midst of these stars growing and building their mold, artists such as Slime Sito have been continuing to keep it 10 toes down and laying down a solid for the underground scene in Atlanta.

Music, Short Op-Ed, Music ReviewGregory HarrisJune 7, 2018Slime Sito, Music, Short Op-Ed, Music Review, AtlantaComment

The Prince of Mumble Validates His Voice : Playboi Carti "Die Lit" Album Review

The king of adlibs and prince of leaked music, Playboi Carti has released his second full-length album as of May 11. “Made a mil of that mumbling shit...” pretty much sums up the self-awareness of said album. Where some artists would try to distance themselves from the thematic elements that make up the inappropriately named “mumble rap” sub-genre, Carti doubles down and proves the artistic merit to any “old-heads” or doubters of the aforementioned sub-genre.

Wavy, Trap, Music, Melodic, Hype Music, Hip Hop, Album ReviewGregory HarrisMay 30, 2018Playboi Carti, ASAP Mob, Music, A, Album Review, Trap, MLM Album ReviewComment

Press Lives Matter: Nandi Howard, Writer of 713 Magazine + Houstonia Magazine

Hailing from the Bayou City, Nandi Howard has been one of the key people in the area who's been helping the Houston creative scene elevate. First noticed her work with 713 Magazine on their blog and helping organize their live events, one being the Houston Food Bank show they did with FOE G4NG and Maxo Kream. Since then, she continues to be one of the trail-blazers in H-Town highlighting the city's culture from the lenses of Houstonia Magazine and 713 Magazine.

The Rundown: Frank Dinero

Coming off the heels of his heavily dedicated project, "Dear Trap", it gives a glimpse into the life of Dinero and how effortlessly he telling his stories of getting to the point of success with much struggle and hard nights to reach that level. In the process of doing so, he's gained his stripes of becoming one of the OGs in the South Carolina scene and since then he's garnered the love of others in the Southeast region and beyond with some of his records reach Billboard's Indie Hits charts. If he continues to go on the route he's going on now, he's destined for even more great things coming his way due to his unique sound.

Interviews, The RundownGregory HarrisApril 30, 2018Frank Dinero, The Rundown, Interview, South CarolinaComment

Press Lives Matter: Ashley Natareno, Publicist + South Florida Tastemaker

Ash Nat has played an instrumental role into the emerging music scene in Miami with representing the likes of Twelve'len, Native Youth, J.K The Reaper, Trianglxs, and more. Being such a profound publicist in the area has not only given her the voice to put on new artists but also point them in a direction of popularity in a different direction. Her scope on the scene there has given her an oppourtuntity to also have a show, "GRL PWR" on Stationhead, an emerging online radio platform that has recently been merged with Apple Music. Given her track record in South Beach, Florida certainly has a tastemaker on their hands and it's only right that Modern Life gave her time to tell her story.

Press Lives Matter: Eddie Young, Houston based Tastemaker + Daily Chiefers Writer

Always bringing fresh and innovating ways of integrating artists in different realms, Young has been apart of the Houston culture scene for quite some time. Having an affiliation with the famous "Icey Life" collective, that housed talents such as Dice Soho, Trill Sammy, Nate Da'Vinci, and more, Young always was around to see and be apart of the progression of what the Houston rap scene has ultimately grown to be in recent years. Due to his involvement with being a liaison of fashion and a writer, he's plugged in and influenced many people to take an alternative route in the music scene in H-Town.

Press Lives Matter: Jake Markow, Dirty Glove Bastard + Elevator Mag

Growing up in California and now residing in Houston, TX, Markow has made a name for himself in many sections of music. First creating a foundation for himself with his production skills, then while working among different individuals in different camps it allowed him to connect with Pooh, one of the visionaries behind Dirty Glove Bastard, one of the leading southern based digital platforms for hip-hop. That led to his opportunity to working with Elevator Mag, and since then he's been wheeling and dealing with artists in a way that propels their notoriety from a press point of view and allows to flourish with creating relationships with different platforms along the way as well.

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