Exactly one month away from Christmas, we’ve decided to put the spotlight on a very unique category today. We proudly present you the Top 10 Blue Rhymez Entertainment Records That Best Reflect 2020. This year hasn’t been a simple rollercoaster. It was full fledged Strata Coaster (for those unfamiliar with the term, in simple words, it is the highest and scariest rollercoaster type with a drop of at least 400 feet/120 m). One of the biggest reasons we were able to stay mentally sane, was music. Few are those who can afford actually having a therapist and talking their issues out. That’s where artists were our God-sent free gift to alleviate our inner struggle and make us see we ain’t alone. To the following 10 artists, Congratulations and Thank YOU at the same time!
10. Hustle Harder by Emanuel Doematic
This year over 60% of all businesses have shut down. What you gotta do? Hustle harder. Emanuel Doematic drops knowledge in his latest release Hustle Harder, while also bringing middle-age poetry with rap music in a top-of-the-line art product. And that hook… You might catch yourself waking up and humming “What I gotta do? Hustle Harder.” Not bad advice either. You can’t forever wait on relief checks or hope for other people solving your issues. We will all have to step up our game, our businesses, our services, our quality, everything. Favorite bars: “Nothing promised to a sleeper but a dream/ Woke up on the wrong side of the bed/ Thought about putting the 9 to my head/ But that’s a cop-out” Add the song on Spotify HERE.
9. Switchin’ & Plottin’ by J Coova
That heartfelt piano is as badass as it is gentle. And J Coova’s voice feels like rain on a window: monochromatic, consistent, powerful. It’s a song for young people, especially men, putting their hustle first and all else second. As you should! given that Rona took away all guarantees from everybody. Our favorite 4-bar: “Room full of demons I fought on my own/ Feel like I woke up out of a coma/ Roll up a spliff/ I’m back in my zone”. Add the song on Spotify HERE.
8. Real One by Vamp Vanity
We got a female hustler rep on the list too! Vamp Vanity is something else. She got everything you could possibly expect and want from a female rapper: looks, attitude, lyrics, flow, the right voice register, catchy motifs. Her Real One record is about the underdog finally making it and not letting her haters forget how they never supported her before success. Yup. That’s 2020 for you. We all now know who our true friends are and who was just networking. We guess that’s one of the few positive aspects of multiple global lockdowns. B.R.E. favorite bars: “Say you f*ck with my songs/ Why you ain’t share it?/ Say you f*ck with my clothes/ Oh why you ain’t wear it?” Get the song on Spotify HERE.
7. Black Man White Benz by ALLHAILKING
We love a record that speaks of heavy things in a delicate way enough to have it on your daily playlist. Black Man White Benz is a statement record that astutely mirrors the BLM movement and the media attention it got all throughout 2020. Rather than focusing on the injustice, ALLHAILKING chose to highlight the positive aspect, and that is the growing financial power of Black people in America. Our favorite part is the very hook: “Black man, white Benz/ Started on the bus these ain’t the same ends/ Cartier the frames this ain’t the same lens/ Came in with the team we bought the gang in”. Add the song on Spotify HERE.
6. Randy Savage Would Be Disappointed by Cheer Up Dusty
One of our most well-received tracks of this month, Randy Savage Would Be Disappointed, is a force to be reckoned with. If you ever wondered how one could put grave lyrics on fun music, THIS is how you do it. With a vibe à la 2000s mainstream rock music Cheer Up Dusty have gifted everyone with a stellar performance and a song to replay when you’re in need of a mood boost. Our favorite lyrics: “I’ve been locked inside of my own head/ Feeling quarantined from birth until I’m dead/ As they’re all fighting about who started it/ Replace our leaders with some who are fit.” Add the song on Spotify HERE.
5. Fit Right Out by Diives
Social Distancing never sounded cooler. Fit Right Out is how you feel day in day out given the forced introvert state we’ve been put in for the entire length of 2020. And still going. Diives proves his artistry and earworm songwriter skill while you just might hit replay after the 3 minutes and 18 seconds. Favorite lyrics: “Maybe took ‘Individual’ too literally when I was young/ Love my own space a bit too much/ […] / I just seem to forever distance myself from everything.” Add the song on Spotify HERE.
4. Ride For Tha Faith by Stevie Sightz
Ooof! The things Stevie Sightz fearlessly raps about and goes into great details to describe will have you feeling all kinds of goosebumps. He skillfully merged his spiritual side with his earth-bound side and created a masterpiece. Our favorite bars from Ride For Tha Faith: “Somebody been praying for me/ Too many shots was prepared for me/ The devil missed/ Jesus hands on me/ Every attack/ Bead it like rosaries” Let’s say that if you’re reading this and you survived this year with a roof above your head, clothes on your back, and food on your plate, this song is for you! Add the song on Spotify HERE.
3. Questions by Delashay
This one is for all you couples who’ve hit rock bottom due to too much time together, or equally, too much time apart. From A-listers to everyday folks, seems Rona got a lot of you questioning everything and everyone. And the divorce rate went through the roof too. Delashay put her remarkable voice to work and came up with an excellent R&B joint that too many will relate to. Favorite lines: “Do you love me?/ Do you care?/ Do I still please you?/ Do you still want me here?/ Is it too much?/ Can you handle it?/ I got so many questions” Add the song on Spotify HERE.
2. No Smoke by Shalane
Touching on topics like global warming, wanting peace more than anything, revisiting the life lessons we’ve been blessed with thus far, Shalane created a revolutionary song titled No Smoke. From the song to the voice, from the verses to the chorus, this record touches your soul and infiltrates your playlist. Our favorite lines from it: “Water got me drippin’/ Air is all around me/ And the pain is elemental/ Every single lesson/ Every single season/ Everything we’ve been through.” Hearing about water, air, combined with pain and lessons, it’s like thanking God for the lockdown for the downtime while terribly missing the freedom to go to the beach. Add the song on Spotify HERE.
1. Where’s The Love by Jay Taylor
Y’all should know by now we have a weakness for organic music. Why? It’s rare AF. What’s even rarer is having an artist who can flawlessly pull his own weight along a majestic organic instrumental. Jay Taylor is our indisputable winner as he sings like no other, talks about things in a manner that is both shocking and endearing, and has that soul voice to die for. Our favorite lines from Where’s The Love: “Yo the world is going crazy and our time is running out/ We got babies having babies and the fathers running out/ We got families fighting families and rumors of war/ No we can’t take it no more” This is exactly what we should emphasize more than anything in and after 2020: FAMILY. Add the song on Spotify HERE.
Make sure you support these upcoming artists by listening to their records and reaching out to them on social media! You can find most of them in our Followers list on our Instagram.
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