Love Moor - Motions

Love Moor is a vocalist from Birmingham who has been releasing music for the last five years. Her last album, Simp Girl, came in 2017. Since that time, she’s released a couple of singles, and played live a lot (back when we still could), but now she’s finally back with her new full-length album, Motions. One of the true joys in life for someone like myself is the chance to watch an artist grow and improve in real time.

Ivy Sole. - Southpaw

Ivy Sole. is an emcee from Philly that has been making her voice heard over the last four years, including a couple of great EPs in EAST and WEST, and then her debut album in 2018, Overgrown. She released a live version of the album back in March, but now she’s back with all new material in the form of the EP, Southpaw. The EP opens with a short intro skit, in which a trainer is encouraging Ivy Sole.

Equipto & Big Shawn - Outrange

Equipto is an emcee and activist from the Bay Area that has been going strong for over two decades. Over the years he has teamed up with such collaborators as Otayo Dubb, Brycon, Opio, and Dregs One, just to name a few. For his latest effort, he’s teamed up with Big Shawn (no, not that one – the producer from The Bay) to make an album called Outrange. Outrange is an interesting album, mostly in the way that the first song, “WTF,” hits you hard with this big, bangin’ beat that sets up your expectations in one way, only to have the rest of the album subvert those expectations and reveal itself as a more laid back and introspective project.

The Visionaries - V

Twenty five years ago, in Los Angeles, the artists known as Key-Kool, Dannu, Lord Zen, LMNO, 2Mex, and DJ Rhettmatic came together like Voltron to form a group known as The Visionaries. They released four stellar albums between 1998 and 2006, but then went on hiatus as careers and life pushed them all in different directions. They never officially broke up, though, and they’ve kept up with each other this whole time, so that when everything finally lined up again for them, they were ready to pounce on the opportunity and make another album.

Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin - FlySiifu's

Los Angeles emcee Pink Siifu first came on our radar back in 2016, when he collaborated with producer Swarvy on wothousandandnine. He’s been building upon that foundation since then, and released his solo album, Negro, in April of this year. Now he’s teamed up with Richmond emcee Fly Anakin to release a concept album of sorts, FlySiifu’s. One of the most interesting things about FlySiifu’s is the way in which this album sounds both like a modern album and a throwback album at the same time.

Video Dave - Hella Personal Film Festival 2

Video Dave is an interesting and talented guy. Chances are you might have come across him as the director of one of Open Mike Eagle’s videos, or seen other video work that he’s done over the years. You also might have seen him on tour with Open Mike Eagle, not just shooting and documenting the tour, but also hopping on stage and doing a set as an emcee. That’s because as talented as he is behind the camera, he’s also got skills on the mic.

One Be Lo - BABY (Being a Black Youth)

One Be Lo first came to our attention as part of the group Binary Star, but the Michigan emcee/producer has been working as a solo artist since 2002. This far into his career, he’s showing no signs of slowing down, releasing a five-part epic album last year called The Looma, and then turning around and releasing an album this past July, C Section. Now he’s taking a moment to look backwards with his latest album, BABY (Being a Black Youth).

Bill Beats - Bill Beats for President Vol. 3

Bill Beats is a producer/deejay from Seattle best known for his collaborations with Shubzilla. He’s also kept up a solo career, such as with his Bill Beats For President series. The first volume came in 2012, and the second came in 2018. Now it’s time for round three in 2020. In case you’re unfamiliar, Bill Beats For President are producer-led albums that follow the guest artist compilation model. That means that outside of the occasional instrumental track, each volume is packed with guest artists rhyming over Bill Beats’ beats.

jusouL - çocuklar

jusouL is a producer from Duisburg, Germany who has been releasing music for about ten years now. It’s been a minute since we heard from him, with his last release being a J Dilla/Nujabes tribute single in 2017. Now he’s back with an EP dedicated to his wife and kids, çocuklar. Sometimes it isn’t about doing something new or different, it’s just about doing something really well and making something beautiful and heartfelt.

AWOL One - Can't Handle Us

Awol One is an underground legend from Los Angeles that has been releasing music for over two decades. We got a full length album from him all the way back in February, Tony The Walrus. Now he’s back with a new EP, Can’t Handle Us. Can’t Handle Us is produced by Pigeon John, who most people might think of as an emcee, but he’s been making beats for quite some time as well.