Born and raised in Flint, Michigan and introduced to music through his family’s church, Joe Ryan has long carried his religious perspective in his work. Coming off his freshly released EP via Essential Sound/Sony Music Entertainment, P.O.P. (Purpose Over Perfection) finds Joe harnessing those values and focusing on a fresh and authentic vision of what the modern Christian walk is all about. Through five songs, including the standout track “I Think I Need to Pray,” P.O.P. weaves faith into rap and R&B to produce a genre-bending work that challenges the scope of what a modern pop artist can. With the project having time to soak in, Joe Ryan returns with official visuals for “I Think I Need To Pray.” The music video follows Joe as he is continuously tested throughout the day, while showcasing his ability to rise above and hold himself accountable, just like the high-level music he makes.
Cincinnati native Trapboss Rico releases the second installment of his Streets Chose Me mixtape series. Hosted by DJ Fresh, the project features 13 new tracks with contributions from Cook LaFlare, Skally, Lil Spig, Young Butta, Big Cam, and Paydro.
6FO is here and has come with a vengeance. Fresh out of Brunswick, New Jersey with his latest record “Trap Opera,” he shows us growth and informs us about the obstacles that have tried to stop his momentum. Though his best friend was murdered, bumping heads with the law and becoming a father, he’s here working despite any excuse.
West Denver trap legend Yung June drops an official music video for “1980 Dope” featuring Vaehh and ATAK. This is the first single off his upcoming album Trap Witta Mezxican, due out December 16th.
Some people are born with a gift and that’s a blessing. Such is the case of Joe Gifted who was blessed with an ability to effortlessly write catchy songs that connect with Hip-Hop and R&B listeners.
From his early beginnings singing in the church to finding an infectious melody on his hit song “Water,” rapper, singer/songwriter Joe Gifted has always had a knack for recording. Now that comes to life with two new projects, Mr. Gifted / Gifted I Am.
“I started off doing music at church singing in the choir – my grandmother had me in there. I was listening to a lot of soul music, but when I got to 8th grade that’s when I really started rapping,” Joe Gifted explained.
Following the untimely death of his father, Joe Gifted joined a group by the name of the Young Goons and the group went on to record a host of songs. But it wasn’t until Joe Gifted performed at his school’s talent show that he knew music was his calling. From there he continued to pursue music and he eventually broke with his song “Water.”
“Water was a record I had recorded when a few weeks after I had got out of jail, it was just off the vibe and how I was feeling. The beat made me feel that way – I didnt know that the track was going to do so well,” Joe Gifted said. “People were flooding my page with videos of kids dancing to the song and I actually ended up performing the song three times in one night at Club Bankhead. That’s when I knew I had a hit after the DJ kept running it back and that ended up getting the attention of Warner.”
From there Joe Gifted was able to ink a deal with Warner Bros. Records and released his Mr. Gifted / Gifted I Am projects that gave fans both a Hip-Hop and R&B view of Joe’s music.
“I wanted to show people that I don’t only rap, I can sing and hold a key too. I wanted to show people why I am gifted,” Joe Gifted said. “Where I’m from everyone is making the same type of music so I wanted to stand out and try something different. It’s ok for you to sound different and to go with you own route. Stay in tune with me, I may be high but I’m down to earth.”
Despite a nice deal with Warner Bros Joe Gifted isn’t slowing down and he’s continuing to grow his buzz.
“I enjoy being with the label because its opened up some doors for me and it really has given me a chance to expand my fan base,” Joe Gifted said of his deal with Warner. “At the end of the day though, we don’t wait for the label, it opens doors but we gotta keep doing what we gotta do to reach audiences.”
Laying down some sultry vibes for Hip-Hop and R&B fans across the map, Chicago rapper Chef Sean drops a visual for his new single “Gone” Feat Al B Sure Jr.. The video features the son of legendary artist Al B. Sure and is a track that’s making big noise in the Midwest after garnering posts on AllHipHop, HipHopSince1987, BlkDmnds, Boi-1da, .
When feelings and emotions get complicated in a relationship sometimes people take each other for granted and this song speaks to those feelings. On this song everything comes together over Mark the Mogul production who is known for having produced tracks for Justin Bieber, Trey Songz, K. Michelle and many more.
“I’m doing it for Chicago, I wanted to bring the real music back to Chicago,” Chef Sean said.
The release of the video will culminate with a video and single release party in the Art District in Downtown Los Angeles, CA.
Residing in Hollywood, California but making trips back and forth to Chicago, the release of the song came on the heels of Chef Sean’s participation in the Dough Street vs GMG Stop the Violence Celebrity Basketball Game with Twista and Rico Recklezz.
During his stop in Chicago he was also interviewed by Chicago’s Power 92.3 – WPWX about his music and recent success which you can see in the linked recap video that also features Chicago Bears Markus Wheaton and Rashaad Reynolds.
Sean Chef got his start acting after he studied acting at Second City Theatre in Chicago. He would go on to make his feature film debut at age 12 in the MGM/Gramercy Pictures drama, Jason’s Lyric alongside Forrest Whitaker and Jada Pinkett Smith. His credits also include acting in a Harpo Productions project, work with ABC and national advertising campaigns.
Rising rap star Darnell Williams explores controversial topics using racy visuals in this provocative music video for his single “Coney Island,” designed in an 80’s MTV-style format that is best described as Britney Spears meets 2 Live Crew meets NWA.
Williams, who started his career as a film director, now directs his own videos including thsi visual “Coney Island.” It’s a continuously unfolding orgasmic experience in which activism, racism and police brutality collide with twerking girls, guns and street culture, this eyebrow raising video spreads widely across generations.
On the track Darnell Williams paired the power of his artistic imagination with casual shit talking over a bass-laden beat, which illuminates the rapper’s magnetic confidence.
“It’s a reflection of the times and all the shit going on today. Also its a lot about me… Like half the time I don’t give a fuck – I just wanna be high, happy, getting pussy and paid,” Williams said. “Another side of me is enraged about everything going on and God gave me this feeling of leadership that I can’t shake – if that makes sense. But at the same time, I’m not about to be no preachy ass nigga.”
