NYS Music 2024

Tag: New Single

  • Gangstagrass Release Funky New Sophomore Single “Good at Being Bad”

    NYC Bluegrass hip-hop group Gangstagrass has released their latest funk-infused single titled, “Good at Being Bad.” The group stands for a unique and true musical genre of their own creation that merges the styles of country/bluegrass and hip hop. The latest single from the group exhibits their talent and diversity greatly.

    Gangstagrass has also revealed a new 10-track album titled, The Blackest Thing On The Menu. The group delves deeper into the fundamental sounds of each genre, while preserving their own unique blend and sound. “Good at Being Bad” is complete with masterful mandolin playing, dynamic production, and energetic vocals.

    The tune seamlessly blends funk with Gangstagrass’s distinctive fusion of bluegrass and hip-hop. The group originated in Brooklyn, but the sound they possess transcends city, state, and country. They are a diverse blend of sound, and the two genres reflect a coming together of American values.

    This rebellious collective has achieved unparalleled success in crafting an innovative sound rooted in historically significant heritage. Gangstagrass emphasizes the value of education, frequently conducting workshops for K-12, college students, and adults of diverse backgrounds. Whether through engaging Q&A sessions, historical lessons, or spontaneous music tutorials, the group staunchly advocates for imparting well-rounded knowledge to everyone. 

    “Working with Gangstagrass was awesome. I had been hip to them for a few years and was really diggin’ what they were doing. Mixing bluegrass with hip hop! Quite out of the box thinking. A lot of worlds coming together. I have always been a fan of bluegrass and have worked on a few records. When we got in the studio, I thought the band was exceptionally talented. Also, I was a rapper myself in the late 80’s and early 90’s, so this scratched my classic hip hop itch with a new school twist. So, to record these amazing lyricists with a live smackin’ band… what more could you ask for!!”

    Boo Mitchell

    Gangstagrass’ music is a must-listen. Their amazingly different sound is something to certainly lay your ears on.

    To listen to Gangstagrass’ latest single, “Good at Being Bad,” via streaming service, click here.

  • Josh Lumsden Releases Hypnotic Single “Serotonin”

    Pop artist Josh Lumsden has released a soothing new single “Look at What I Found” that explores euphoric experiences in romance. 

    Independent DIY pop artist and acclaimed NYC-based producer Josh Lumsden new single marks as the second single of  their sophomore EP, VYYPER slated for a 2024 release. The hypnotic and dragonfly-infested self-produced single “Serotonin” features a dance-funk sound blended well with powerhouse belts. When describing the song, the artist shared how the single “is about feeling the euphoric high experienced when entering a new romantic situation.” 

    Mexican-American Josh Lumsden is known for being the sole producer of their entire discography and director and editor of their music videos. Known for their musical collaborations with LGBTQIA+ Icons Yvie Oddly and Brendan Maclean, the classically trained musician and self-taught producer has been praised by PopBuzz for “constructing supernatural earworms”, with World Of Wonder asserting that “everything you hear comes straight from Josh”. 

    The single is also accompanied by a self-directed music video and features a completely different vibe. The video shows him completely depicting himself and a hybrid-ethereal entity in their  image, showcasing an emotional entrapment. Dragonflies consistently reappear in different parts of the video, serving as a recurring visual motif that ties the scenes together. As a producer of the track, Lumsden shared how they were very inspired by downcast-pop/funk & unconventional chords, “I really wanted to pair that with vocals that kind of touch all the different ranges of my voice. I tried to mix chest voice, falsetto, and belting all in one track.”

    With the single release and a new EP date announcement, Lumsden also shared that there will be a few more singles off the EP, which fans can expect to be released this year. Their new self-produced single “Serotonin” is available to stream everywhere, and for more information about the artist, fans can visit here.

  • Punk Band Bayside Release New Single “The Devils” Along with New Album

    Queens-based punk act Bayside have announced the release of their latest single, “The Devils,” along with new album There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive.

    Bayside creates music to captivate audiences with a mix of introspective storytelling and powerful blend of punk, rock, and metal. The band’s latest single and album are set to leave an indelible mark on the music scene. Bayside hopes to be reviewed as one of the most influential bands of their generation.

    The band has always focused on creating songs that are relevant to people who want substance, rather than a specific genre. Bayside rejects coasting on past success and proves time and again that the best is yet to come.

    The new single, “The Devils” has a very catchy melody with soaring vocals and a mix of chugging and wailing guitar riffs. This textbook pop-punk track has quite punchy drumbeats throughout, impressive metalcore guitar solos, and vocals packed with emotion.

    The single offers a sound that resembles that of an action movie soundtrack. The band’s music has changed quite a bit over the years. It has turned from alt-punk to more pop-punk, and both sounds fit the musicians well.

     “We just wanted to write a ripper that keeps you on your toes. The chant was a melody that I kept humming to myself when I was walking my dogs. I put some words to it and we were going to use it as a bridge. We loved it so much we thought the song had to start that way.”

    Frontman Anthony Raneri on the latest single “The Devils”

    To give Bayside’s “The Devils” a listen, click here. To learn more about the band’s upcoming tours, albums, and other works, click here.

  • Swoosh God Tabs Chow Lee for ‘My Life My Dream’ With Project On the Way

    Two of New York’s upcoming stars join forces as Swoosh God and Chow Lee team-up for “My Life My Dream,” offering a taste into New York City’s new wave. The Harry Fraud produced record meshes well with the drill mold of production that has taken youthful contemporary music by storm. Featuring a looping sample from rock band Staind and their hit-record “So Far Away,” Swoosh God and Chow Lee take turns riding the beat.

    Swoosh God and Chow Lee "My Life My Dream" cover art
    Swoosh God and Chow Lee team-up for “My Life My Dream.”

    About Swoosh God

    For his part, Swoosh God hopes this marks the start of his second wind. After all, the Valley Stream native originally made waves during the “Soundcloud” era of hip hop, and created a virtual cult-following. Notably, Playboy Carti inked the cultural shape shifter to his label imprint at Interscope Records.

    After departing his deal with Carti, Swoosh got back on his independent grind and continued to show why he was so heavily sought after and labeled a future star; including collaborations with Lil Uzi Vert, Juicy J, Rich The Kid, Famous Dex, Matt Ox, a placement on the NBA2K Soundtrack. Now, Swoosh is back with “My Life My Dream,” and a forthcoming project, Still Swoosh, set for release on March 1.

    About Chow Lee

    Fellow Long Island native Chow Lee continues to climb the metaphorical ladder. With his trademark sped-up flow, he adds an undeniable swagger to “My Life My Dream” that brings the song full circle. Moreover, Chow has seen his stock rise within the last year, performing at industry showcases while linking up with other upcoming talent like Swoosh God and Cash Cobain.

  • Marc Ribler Pays Homage to Dick Cavett on Latest Album, “Armaggedon”

    Renowned Rock n Roll artist Marc Ribler has released a new single named “Dick Cavett,” along with a music video to honor the legend. The track also appears on Ribler’s latest album titled, Armageddon.

    Marc Ribler is best known for being musical director for Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, with Steven Van Zandt. Ribler is a NYC native from Brooklyn and got his start in the Big Apple. Along with this, Ribler was a big part the Asbury Park music scene in New Jersey.

    Ribler, like many from his generation, grew up admiring Cavett and drawing inspiration from the Dick Cavett Show. Dick Cavett was a star of late-night talk show, and an all-around entertainer from the 60s, into the 2000s.

    Marc Ribler wanted deeply to pay homage to the great Dick Cavett for spotlighting of the Rock n Roll renaissance. Cavett would consistently have rockers on his show and give a voice to artists who were otherwise lesser known.

    Marc released the song “Dick Cavett” with a music video to accompany it. Ribler portrays a youthful, nostalgic feeling in the tune. He is fondly reminiscing about the times he’d watch the Dick Cavett Show, and the rest of the world stopped.

    All that mattered was the meaningful, uplifting, entertainment and intrigue the show had to offer. What mattered was the way Cavett held Rock n Roll up on a pedestal for the world to eat up. The song was recently named one of top 10 “Coolest Songs In The World” by listeners of SiriusXM’s The Underground Garage.

    “Like so many of us, I grew up with the Dick Cavett show. In retrospect it is eminently clear that Dick was one of the most important presenters of the rock ‘n’ roll renaissance, not to mention introducing all the key players in every awe-inspiring and earth-shaking event happening in our culture in the 60s, 70s and beyond.“

    Marc Ribler

    To watch and listen to “Dick Cavett” by Marc Ribler, click here. To learn more about purchasing Marc Ribler’s new single and album, click here.

  • Conway The Machine & Joey Bada$$ Join Forces on New Single ‘Vertino’

    Conway the Machine remains prolific with his output, as New York City meets upstate New York in this latest release by the 2024 XXL lyricist of the year nominee. For his latest effort, Conway teams-up with Joey Bada$$ to bring “Vertino,” a classically inspired production with rugged lyrics and a gutter feel that sees both artists in their element. Produced by Camouflage Monk, this marks a return to the submerged production style where Joey Bada$$ made his bones. Notably, the duo go back-and-forth in a lyrical exchange as the nearly 6-minute record is a drawback to song structures of yesteryear. Set in the crux of Hell’s Kitchen, they take turns cheffing up rhymes and stamping their spots in the game. With Joey Bada$$ delivering a standout moment as he juxtaposes hip hop and drug game.

    Could sell you news stories but this crack still sells
    Rule number one, never ghost the clientele
    Fiends linin’ at my door, they need that sh*t now
    Ten Crack Commandments, yo, I knows it too well
    This the same dope I’m dishin’ out, just on a different scale
    Let me break it down if you don’t see the vicious steel
    You see I got them hooked on the real
    I bossed up in and went to Columbia for the deal
    Like fuck the “pop a pill” shit, this that pure raw they wanna feel
    Scarcity in the market, now I’m spendin’ the margin
    And it’s only a problem if the product ain’t what it’s promised
    ‘Cause any competition get demolished
    These n*ggas know my sh*t hit the hardest, to be honest
    Graduated from the school of Hard Rock with my honors
    Started on the block and made it to the top from the bottom
    Used to cook it at my grandmama spot, we was starvin’
    Right or wrong, the truth be timeless
    Block away from Marcy Projects, we was prospects

    – Joey Bada$$, “Vertino”
    cover art for Conway the Machine & Joey Bada$$'s "Vertino."
    Conway the Machine and Joey Bada$$ join forces on “vertino”

    Released under Conway’s DrumWork Music Group, the Buffalo native has been on a tear since the release of 2022’s God Don’t Make Mistakes. In fact, 2023, was Conway’s most commercial and critically successful year to date. Notably releasing Wont He Do It (his second consecutive solo-album to top the DSP charts) in May of 2023, simultaneously launching a worldwide tour. He then put his label head hat on, returning with Conway The Machine Presents: Drumwork The Label. In like manner he then released the 38 Spesh collaboration Speshal Machinery, Palmero (with Wun Two), Conductor Machine alongside Conductor Williams and most recently, Hall & Nash 2, with Westside Gunn & The Alchemist — which also topped the DSP Charts.

    Ultimately, Conway continues to release music at a prolific rate, having announced the release of Won’t He Do It: Side B “Vertino” serving as the lead single.

  • Saigon & Fredro Tab Legendary Pete Rock to ‘Get Loose’ with Album on The Way

    Hip hop’s golden age comes together as Saigon recruits the legendary Pete Rock for his new single “Get Loose.” Coupled with Swedish, multi-platinum producer Fredro, “Get Loose” is the second single release from Saigon and Fredro’s forthcoming album, The Jordan Era. “I’ve always thought Pete was a dope rapper since “The Creator,” reveals Saigon. “I took the opportunity to get him to step away from behind the boards; where he is most comfortable, and ‘Get Loose’ with me,” he resonates. “With all of the negativity in Hip-Hop, and the world, I just wanted to create something fun with Pete.” 

    Saigon & Fredro team-up with Pete Rock
    Saigon & Fredro team-up with Pete Rock

    After announcing their new album and releasing the first single and video, “Lyrical Genius,” featuring Grandmaster Caz, Saigon continues to pay homage to hip hop’s golden era with this latest release with The Jordan Era‘s production entirely by Fredro. After all, on “Get Loose” the Brooklyn native channels the frenzied, experimental sound of hip hop from the early 90’s, while Pete Rock is at his introspective best. Moreover, the project features guest appearances from the aforementioned Grandmaster Caz and Pete Rock. Along with Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Grand Puba, Sadat X, Rockness Monsta, Craig G, Ill Skratch and possibly more.  

    Saigon and Fredro’s The Jordan Era album is set for release on May 3 via the iconic Payday Records. 

  • Sam Rappaport Explores Intimacy and Growth in “Bicycle Away”

    Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Sam Rappaport has released the music video for his latest single “Bicycle Away,” teaming up with Queens-based interpretive dancers and filmmakers Kathleen Dalton and Sonja Petermann for the intimate and emotional track.

    Credit: John LaRosa.

    Sam Rappaport is a Los Angeles-born writer and musician living in Bushwick. He pulls from rock, jazz, and soul, creating understated compositions. With a touch of delicate vocals, he creates an intimate vibe that makes the listener feel as if they are being addressed directly.

    “Bicycle Away” was produced by Lorenzo Wolff and recorded in his East Williamsburg studio Restoration Sound. The track traces the volatile seesawing of a relationship struggling to reach equilibrium, with the narrator acknowledging his need for emotional growth while also yearning for an escape route. He wants to escape and move beyond the horizon but also wants to stay close.

    I wrote this song about a year and a half ago. I think it started with this image–this memory–of my friends and I riding bikes through the streets of the valley, in Southern California–how it felt like we were explorers charting out a whole geography of experiences. We felt trapped by the valley, and we wanted to escape, but there was also such a feeling of freedom in being a kid, on a bike, after school, racing through different neighborhoods. Our entire lives were still in the distance. Then, from there, I moved into the present and started thinking about the difficulties I’ve had in finding equilibrium in relationships, the tendency to kind of swing between extremes. Somehow, I crammed all that stuff together into a song. I’m not really sure how it happens.

    Sam Rappaport.

    The music video is soft and nostalgic, bringing the viewer in deep with the rhythmic movement and slow edits. Sam Rappaport’s voice is melodic, bringing in irresistible slow guitars and percussion. The listener can fall hard into the track, reminiscing on their past along with Sam. The interpretive dancing was a unique touch and helped tell the story even more, bringing in scenes of nature that make you feel warm as you watch it.

    “Bicycle Away,” the new daring and emotional track from Sam Rappaport made me feel many different emotions while watching it, and is perfect for these cold winter months coming up. It is available to stream now.

  • Benny The Butcher Drops Single & Video for ‘Bron’

    Benny The Butcher continues to ramp things up for his debut Def Jam release. Following the success of the Stove God Cooks assisted “One Foot In” and “Big Dog” featuring Lil Wayne, Benny goes iso in the basketball-themed single and video aptly titled “Bron.”

    Benny the Butcher cover art for single "Bron."
    Benny The Butcher

    The grainy, flickering visuals finds Benny in a Hapeville, GA school gymnasium along with local basketball players working on their game. Moreover, as the track’s soulful keyboard loop wraps around the orchestral sounding beat, Benny muscles his way into the spotlight with his emphatic delivery, letting off his customary warning shot, “The Butcher coming!” 

    In essence, the music video conveys that the BSF head-honcho’s claim for hip hop supremacy is a result of him outworking his adversaries. After all, the Buffalo native claimed on X (formerly known as twitter) that he would have the best Def Jam release since DMX’s debut-album. While a strong take, he stands as one of the few street rappers breaking into the mainstream. Ultimately landing a gold single with the J. Cole assisted “Johnny P’s Caddy.”

    On “Bron,” Benny leans into his confident, charismatic and clever cadence while maintaining his role as a street general. He affirms, “In my city, I’m King Kong,” and cleverly confides this the songs hook, “I’m Bron. After my chip I told my folks back home so long. I moved my family and my bricks somewhere it’s warm.”

    Everybody Can’t Go is set for release on January 26.

  • Ithaca-based indie Pop Artist Rose Alaimo Releases “Power Lines”

    Ithaca-based indie pop-rock artist Rose Alaimo has announced the release of her latest single “Power Lines” underlining how we, as humans, are all inter-connected to one other like never before. This is the second single from her third full-length album, A Place To Go When You Need To Hide.

    Akin to the likes of The Cranberries, with the indie sensibilities of Radiohead, Rose Alaimo is a veterinarian and vegetable farmer in her day-to-day life. Her new record exposes a whole other side of Alaimo as she finds her way through the darkness to exercise her willpower, freedom of choice, and self-empowerment. Rose Alaimo writes, sings, performs, programs, records, and co-produces her music. In 2019, she released her more acoustic debut album The Importance of Centers followed by the gritty and anthemic Grow in 2021.

    The song ‘Power Lines’ is about the connections that exist between us, whether we are aware of them or not. One thing that was highlighted during COVID-19 was how unbelievably interconnected we are. How fast the virus spread across the world was astounding, and in the middle of everyone debating mask and vaccination mandates and people becoming increasingly stressed and angry and there being more and more division between everyone, a tree was blown over on my property, taking the power lines down in front of my house. I walked outside and, after the shock of seeing this healthy tree ripped up by the roots by a strong wind, I noticed the lines that were down.

    Rose Alaimo.

    “Power Lines” is a powerful and emotional track, featuring loud and booming electric guitar riffs, percussions that won’t quit, and Alaimo’s iconic voice. The single follows the more grounding lead track “Stars,” which is about finding an unexpected moment of stillness amid a crazy world.

    “I saw how they were connected to my house, and how the main lines also connected to my neighbor’s house, and how those same lines connected every single house on the street. I never stopped to notice how physically connected all of these houses were by these power lines and how what happened to my house affected everyone else around me. It struck me as an interesting analogy to how we as humans are also all more connected to each other and to the world around us than we might initially assume,” she continued.

    A Place To Go When You Need To Hide is out now and available via fine music platforms, including Bandcamp, Spotify and Apple Music.

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