With the growth of the Puerto Rican independent music scene, there seems to be more music coming in every day and July 2018 was yet another example of the rapidly growing movement in the small island. Here are some of the tracks that I discovered or that were released during the month. “Jaquemate” and “FLOW CRIMINAL” by OMVRXJC With "Jaquemate", the trap duo based in the north of Puerto Rico deliver another trap track about the underground side of the genre by rapping about their gangster and crime personalities. However, what makes this tune different from others by the duo is its low-key approach. Usually, OMVRXJC deliver songs with banging beats and aggressive attitudes, but here the energy is toned down a bit proving that they can provide the gangster attitude with hype tracks and in more laid back style. Meanwhile, “FLOW CRIMINAL” is another trap song but, unlike many others in the group’s catalogue, this one presents the artists heavily focusing on melody rather than rapping. With this tune, OMVRXJC balance a laid back flow with an aggressive attitude displaying yet again that the duo is willing to get out of their comfort zone and explore different aspects of the genre. “BAMBINO” by OMVRXJC feat. ANGELINO Yet another single by OMVRXJC, this time featuring the talents of ANGELINO, “BAMBINO” is another laid back trap track that feels like one is living a gangster movie in slow motion as the three musicians rap and sing about the criminal underground on a smooth beat that flows between relaxed and hype vibes. “One Time” by bluJarvis feat. Mike Rodz and Abdel Green Featuring a fantastic reggae influenced psychedelic beat, bluJarvis’ “One Time” is a fantastic group collaboration that will have listeners dancing and head banging with its infectious atmosphere making it a great summer song. “FLVMVS” by stz Stz’s latest single, “FLVMVS”, is another display of the rapper’s lyrical abilities as he makes it his mission to show said techniques in another tune that sees him experimenting with a beat that mixes a bit of trap with what seems to be some sampling. In short, if you love trap beats and its vibes mixed with great lyricism, then this single may be right up your alley. “Mi Abuelita” by PioTripz feat. Robin A fun track that mixes Latin trap with a salsa sample, this collaboration by PioTripz and ROBIN is a celebration of grandmothers everywhere as the young musicians sing and rap about the greatness these loved ones can bring into our lives. “CUPIDO MINTIO” by ALEXER X ROBIN An alternative R&B influenced trap track, this collaboration by ALEXER and ROBIN is another entry into the emotional side of trap music as it features the young musicians rapping and singing about heartbreak by using the classic figure of Cupid as their main source of inspiration. “Whatsapp” by ROBIN One of the singles for ROBIN’s mixtape “De La Salsa al Rap”, “Whatsapp” presents the young artist exploring the field of pop reggaeton in a modern love song about how we use social media, more specifically WhatsApp, to communicate. “El Momento” by Barbosa X Sato Cancel A slow jamming alternative R&B influenced trap track, “El Momento” features musicians Barbosa and Sato Cancel touching a familiar topic in both genres: sex and love making. However, what makes this tune different from others is its especially slow jam aesthetic, making one think of the times when R. Kelly was topping the charts making this song a nice blend of modern day R&B and trap fused with nostalgic 1990s and 2000s R&B. “Texaco” by 13:00AM feat. Jose Yellow Featuring fantastic production by Avila, the latest collaboration by 13:00AM and Jose Yellow is a good pairing that features aggressive rapping by Jose Yellow on the chorus where he puts out there a bit of his musical background and the reason why he is in the music industry. Meanwhile, 13:00AM does a bit of singing, heavily influenced by atmospheric trap artists like Travis Scott, where he touches on his concentration to succeed in the music industry. “Se Acaba El Tiempo” by Gaby Morales feat. Loreley Produced by Naisgay and Huztle, this single by Gaby Morales and Loreley is a good mix of pop and dancehall that should have listeners dancing, especially if they are in the beach, which seems to be the appropriate setting for such a track. “THIS” by Blxxdshot Featuring bass heavy production by YungArabian, “THIS” by Blxxdshot is fantastic mix of hype trap and lyricism that should have all sorts of listeners head banging, jumping around or even mosh pitting with their friends. However, what seems to kill this song is its short running time. But one could argue that said length is due to its aggressive almost punk rock nature. Nevertheless, Blxxdshot’s “THIS” is a solid entry into the musicians growing catalogue. “Ocio” and “sleepwithme” by Marlon Frank A short and laidback example of instrumental boom bap hip hop, Marlon Frank’s “Ocio” is a great tune to keep in your playlist for studying or relaxing as it not only helps you chill out but also remember those days where you laugh out loud with your friends. On the other hand, with the experimental “sleepwithme” Frank seems to present the picture of what a dream can be and feel like as it teleports listeners on a surreal and almost otherworldly experience for a little over two minutes. If you love experimental hip hop, this tune is definitely for you. “AY JO” by frivolo Driven by frivolo’s aggressive lyricism and thought-provoking lyrics, “AY JO” is a track that touches on a variety of topics but mainly on the struggles Puerto Ricans went through in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, especially when dealing with two governments that provided little to no help, Trump’s and Ricardo Rosello’s. “La Receta” by Fran feat. Cartagena and Frivolo A fantastic collaboration by some of the best MCs in Puerto Rico right now, “La Receta” by Fran, Cartagena and Frivolo is a boom bap rap track that displays some great lyrical prowess fused with some beautiful jazz samples and a fantastic beat switch due to Manny Beats great production. In short, if these three rappers decide to collaborate with Manny on a future full length project, I wouldn’t mind one bit. “Merlot” by Delaggo Starting off with a smooth acoustic guitar that transitions into a laidback beat, Delaggo’s “Merlot” is a great display of lyrical and storytelling abilities by the rapper who touches on the subject of balancing time for everything there is to experience in life. “Calenton” by Jota Frivonacci and Laya Kalima A soulful and jazzy boom bap track, Jota Frivonacci and Laya Kalima’s “Calenton” is a fantastic love song that features great rapping by Frivonacci, singing by Kalima and production reminiscent of The Soulquarians. “2 Horas” by GIO An auto-tune featuring dancehall track, GIO’s “2 Horas” is a story driven danceable single about meeting a female love interest and spending the night with her after a night of partying, which features a nice trap beat progression near the end showing a bit of experimentation by the artist. “Proverbios 18:24” by IM_ROBBY A lyrical rap single that features a smooth boom bap beat, IM_ROBBY’s “Proverbio 18:24” is a five minute song that heavily touches on the subjects of trust and friendship and how these can be corrupted by money, time and success. “A NADIE LE ENVIDIO” by kxvin Another entry into the rapidly growing trap catalogue by Puerto Rico, kxvin’s “A NADIE LE ENVIDIO” is a single that sees the artist putting out there the many things he wants, i.e. money, clothes, success and traveling, and how much he wants to prove wrong everybody that has ever doubted him. “JUSTICIA POETICA” by KILLO A single that went a bit under my radar, KILLO’s “JUSTICIA POETICA” is a soulful boom bap track produced by Manny Dreads that features the rapper putting in full display his lyrical abilities while bragging about how good his technique is as well as the many aspects of his life. “EN LA MIA” by Jota Rosa An acoustic guitar driven alternative R&B trap single, Jota Rosa’s “EN LA MIA” is a love song that features the artist fusing trap with different sounds that have rarely been seen in the genre, most notably the acoustic guitar, making this a truly different tune than most found in the genre. “Pa’ Complacer” by Cache A nice boom bap track, Cache’s “Pa’ Complacer” is a nice story driven love song that gives out laid back vibes which are heavily influenced by Mac Miller. Moreover, the tune displays the young rapper’s ability to use Puerto Rican Spanglish with an upbeat production making this a fun single for listeners everywhere. “Frente Al Espejo” by John Blake An alternative R&B influenced trap track that balances singing and rapping, John Blake’s “Frente Al Espejo” is a love fused single that touches on the subject of trust and identity in a variety of settings. In short, the slow jamming track is definitely to be appreciated by those looking for a bit of introspection. “DE CUANDO ACA” by Marc Jonnz Another R&B influenced trap track, Marc Jonnz’s “DE CUANDO ACA” is love song set in the aftermath of a couple’s break-up where one of the members of said relationship is looking for the other in order to continue being together. Moreover, the slow jamming tune is definitely one that can be seen in the form of a music video or at least being added in listeners’ late night playlists. “Carta de Despedida (Lujuria)” by KARO Featuring production by Phiorick, KARO’s “Carta de Despedida (Lujuria)” is a song whose target could be interpreted in a variety of ways, but one thing’s for sure, it is a single fueled by love. By using Phiorick's fantastic production, this tune manages to display KARO’s storytelling and lyrical abilities making this song highly replayable. “Presente” by Pablo Johansen X Yambo Featuring some nice boom bap production Barrikada Records, this collaboration by Pablo Johansen and Yambo is a nice display of the artists’ lyrical abilities as they rap about a variety of topics, but the most prominent being how they seek their goals and how they use hip hop as a form of reflection and expression. “Carpe Noctem” by Ruben Torres Featuring a laid back yet dark, atmospheric and jazzy boom bap beat, Ruben Torres’ “Carpe Noctem” is a track that features the rapper’s lyrical abilities while touching on some dark subject matter such as facing life’s external struggles and internal conflicts like depression and suicidal tendencies making this a deep and introspective rap tune. “Changes (Blvck Vibes Version)” by Yovng Iverson A different take on the XXXTentacion of the same name, Yovng Iverson’s “Changes (Blvck Vibes Version)” is an R&B track that seems to be a reflection after heartbreak. Though the single seems to do very little to make changes to the original, it is good to see Yovng Iverson take on a beat already made famous and challenge himself as an artist. “Rotacion” by Yensanjuan feat. Daniyyel and Fntxy Originally released this past May, this trap collaboration by Yensajuan, Daniyyel and Fntxy is a great track to get parties started and to have everybody dancing making it a perfect addition to anybody’s hype playlist. “Las Yales Quieren Calle” by Los Bronson A fantastic instrumental surf rock track, Los Bronson’s “Las Yales Quieren Calle” is a song that seems to have been in Bandcamp since in 2016, but wasn’t in their Spotify until July 1st, 2018. Nevertheless, the single is a fantastic display by the band which shows their knowledge and control over the style they are continuing to make their own. “Isla Nueva” by Pielago Originally released in March 2018, Pielago’s latest single, “Isla Nueva”, is a great reggae track that sees the band reflecting on Puerto Rico’s past and present in order to provide a bright future for the those that come after us. “Sin ti” by seint A beat that perfectly encapsulates the feeling of emptiness, seint’s latest lo-fi hip hop instrumental perfectly captures what its title wishes to explore while providing some experimentation by the artist behind it. “Carmen San Diego Interlude Vol. 1”, “Dime”, “Negrita”, “Solo #freechulo”, “Pal West”, and “Coco” by Krey July was a very active month for singer/rapper Krey as the Mayaguez and San Juan based musician basically dropped an EP worth of singles (six in total) during the month. Kicking off with “Carmen San Diego Interlude Vol. 1”, the artist delivered an alternative R&B tune that, like many other songs in the genre, explored the field of troubled relationships. Then, Krey provided a more danceable and story driven love tune with “Dime”, a dancehall influenced single that perfectly fits with the summer vibes. Meanwhile, with “Negrita”, the artist went back to his R&B influences with a slow jamming single that will serve as a perfect addition to everybody’s late night playlist. Afterwards, the young musician delivered a trap track with “Solo (#freechule)”, a tune that explores a variety of topics, but most prominently trust. Then Krey dropped the alternative R&B influenced trap single “Pal West”, a story driven song about love and sex in the night life. Finally, to close the month properly, Krey delivered “Coco”, another dancehall influenced track that perfectly set the summer vibes back into the light. In short, July was a very active month for the young musician who, while delivering so much music, managed to put his lovely Mayaguez in the mind of listeners everywhere. “No Me Dueles” by Lara Project After leaving fans hungry for new music for over a year, Lara Project finally delivered this single in mid June 2018. A heavily auto-tuned alternative, electronic and atmospheric R&B single, “No Me Dueles” is a song that explores the aftermath of breaking up with one’s significant other. Moreover, the single serves as the promo for the musical project’s upcoming EP. “Lluvia de Mayo” by Jazz Bandana Serving as Jazz Bandana’s first foray into the field of reggaeton, “Lluvia de Mayo” was also the artist’s summer anthem as it featured a highly danceable beat that featured the standard dembow of the genre mixed with the new electronic pop sensibilities as well some more traditional acoustic and wind instruments to provide the summer and tropical vibes the musician was going for. “Prelude” and “Doing It Better” by Ralfy J I had never listened to Ralfy J before, but these two tracks served as great introductions. The first of these, “Prelude”, features a greatly produced beat that serves as the perfect atmosphere for the artist to display his lyrical abilities. Meanwhile, “Doing It Better” features a much more laid back beat that also serves as a perfect background for Ralfy J to put in display his techniques. Overall, with these two singles the young rapper demonstrates that he is an artist to keep an eye out for, especially if you like artists like those in Dreamville and Top Dawg Entertainment. “Let You Go” by Gabriel Ryan A display of introspective rap, Gabriel Ryan’s “Let You Go” is a lyrical presentation that explores the many sacrifices one has to do in order to achieve one’s goals while trying to motivate others. Moreover, the song shows a bit of Ryan’s influences in rappers like J Cole and Eminem. Thus, if you are looking for introspective raps, Ryan is definitely an artist to look out for. “Medicine” by Wolves Yet another entry into the realm of alternative R&B influenced trap, Wolves’ “Medicine” seems to be a love song about being addicted to a love interest despite both members of the relationship being bad for each other, a topic often explored in love and sex fueled trap. “A Veces” by ARM Featuring a nice piano in the background, ARM’s “A Veces” is a boom bap rap track that features the artist putting in full display his lyrical abilities while stating how much he wants the best for those he loves. Furthermore, ARM presents the suffering he and his loved ones have gone through. In the end, the track is one that many in today’s Puerto Rico can relate to and one that many need to listen. “Fyah” by OwL A bassline house track at heart, OwL’s “Fyah” is a banger that delivers almost five minutes worth of danceable music, which will surely have everybody in the club moving their feet, head banging, shaking their booties and flinging their arms around, hopefully taking into consideration those around them. In short, “Fyah” is great music for any form of physical activity, especially that which is heavily fueled by adrenaline. “MAKE IT (BITCH)” by 6ELA THE GOAT 6ELA THE GOAT came to July 2018 with one goal in mind, to make a banger and that is exactly what he accomplished with “MAKE IT (BITCH)”. Some might criticize it for being simplistic, however that does not take anything away from the track’s mission, to get people hyped up. Heavily influenced by the energy created by trap artists from Atlanta and Florida fused with the simplicity of punk rock, “MAKE IT (BITCH)” is a tune that will have people head banging, jumping around, dancing and probably mosh pitting in the crowd of live performances. With this single, 6ELA THE GOAT truly managed to deliver a banger. “NADIE SABE” and “TENEMOS EL WAVE” by PHNTOMFLEX Like a few artists in this list, I had not known of PHNTOMFLEX until I heard these two singles and I was interested with his approach towards the trap genre. With “NADIE SABE”, the musician manages to perfectly blend dark atmospheric lo-fi trap with a visually and story driven tale of love and lust. Meanwhile, with “TENEMOS EL WAVE”, he once again uses his lo-fi aesthetic but mixes it with the more hyped side of trap. Out of the many trap artists I’ve heard recently, PHNTOMFLEX seems to be one of the few to blend the very lo-fi aesthetic of early proto-punk with trap in such an interesting way. “Nonstop” by Exten Another entry into the field of electronic music, Exten’s latest house single, “Nonstop”, is a psychedelic dance song that will surely have listeners moving their bodies in all sorts of ways making this a great addition to everyone’s party playlist. “Bring It Back Freestyle (Spanish Remix)” by Young Chimi A freestyle using the beat of Rich the Kid's song of the same name, this new track by Young Chimi features the rapper basically dissing all of his haters. In sum, tt is the result of what a Latin trap artist would do if given the opportunity to freestyle on a trap beat and, though the result is interesting, it would have been even better for the musician to go direct and say the names of his targets. “Al sol de mis dias” by Jaxi Reaper Featuring some experimental boom bap production, Jaxi Reaper’s latest single is a politically driven lyrical assault against the Trump administration as the rapper takes into consideration the constant struggle his people go through and how others fail to realize said problems. “No Voy A Esperar” by Cyborg feat. Casals After not releasing new music for a few months, Arecibo rapper Cyborg AOS got together with singer Casals to explore the field of dancehall in a love song with “No Voy A Esperar”. Though it may seem like a big change for AOS fans looking for him to explode with his lyrical abilities, it is interesting and fresh to see him explore more Caribbean-based sounds especially in a time of year where people are looking to relax and dance a bit under the Sun. “Ojos Vendados” and “Razones” by Reyes ††† The two singles for his upcoming debut album Tazas de Armagura, “Ojos Vendados” and “Razones” are perfect displays of Reyes †††’s abilities as an artist. The first of these is an introspective boom bap track featuring beautiful production as the young rapper explores themes such as the current status of Puerto Rico and the people’s political awareness. Meanwhile, “Razones” is a jazzy and soulful lo-fi boom bap tune that sees the musician presenting his emotional side by exploring the subject of happiness and the willing to live in a variety of ways. “Sin Freno” by Jota Infinito and Tony Small Featuring fantastic production, this collaboration by Jota Infinito and Tony Small is a great display of the musicians’ lyrical prowess as they rap about their amazing techniques and how they are willing to take down any rapper who goes against them in a rap battle. “Una Vida Mas” by B One and Tony Small A collaboration between Costa Rican rapper B One and Puerto Rico’s own Tony Small, “Una Vida Mas” is a boom bap production that explores and goes against the loss of innocent lives at the hands of abusive officers and corrupt politicians. As mentioned in previous entries of these series of articles, Puerto Rico’s independent music scene is delivering a lot of music, especially in the genres closely associated with hip hop, these being traditional boom bap rap along with others like trap, reggaeton, R&B and dancehall. However, while these may be the genres that constantly appear across social media, every now and then one will find singles by rock, reggae and electronic music acts demonstrating that the island has a lot to offer musically.
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AuthorFernando E. E. Correa González is the author behind over 30 self-published poetry books. He has been published by literary magazines & journals [Id]entidad, El Vicio del Tintero, Sábanas Magazine, Smaeralit, The Occulum, Tonguas and Hound Magazine. Other than writing, Correa is also the host of FENCast, a podcast dedicated to documenting the Puerto Rican independent art scene. Aside from this, he experiments with filmmaking, photography, drawing, painting, multimedia and transmedia. He currently lives in his native Puerto Rico. Archives
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