The past few months for the Puerto Rican indie scene have been filled with a lot of singles coming from the fields of hip hop and electronic music. Luckily, this month more work has been found in the field of rock and other sub-genres providing a bit of a balance. Below are some of the singles I found across the month of September 2018, some of which were released previously and I just failed to listen to them before. “El Tiempo No Es La Cura” by LADRONES The three new singles by LADRONES, “Cancion de Stan,” “Tropimuerte” and “No Le Tengo Miedo a la Muerte,” which seem to be an EP or songs for a future project titled “El Tiempo No Es La Cura,” are a short but adrenaline fusion of punk and garage rock that will definitely have listeners head banging and creating mosh pits solo or with their friends. “2do Festival de los Beats” by Kampo A very short EP composed of two songs, “Problems” and “Sunday Night,” Kampo’s “2do Festival de los Beats” displays the artist’s ability to balance some lo-fi hip hop instrumentals while creating an ethereal and psychedelic atmosphere. “Traitors Arise” by Cold Times Featuring a slowly building intro, the latest track by the hardcore group Cold Times is a fantastic crossover thrash tune that explores subjects such as treachery, fake identities and trust while serving as the first single for their latest album Unfortunate Outcome. “Augurio: El Grito del Eclipse” by Cienega A relaxing piece of ambient music, this first single from Cienega’s debut full-length project, Isla Eterna, blends elements of smooth jazz and synth pop to create an atmosphere made perfect for anybody looking to study, chill or just vibe. “CONTROL” by La Maquinaria de Tortura A rock n roll track at heart with elements of hardcore punk, the latest tune by La Maquinaria de Tortura is a great song that will surely create mosh pits in live performances while serving as a great addition to everybody’s adrenaline fueled playlists. “Ven Conmigo” and “SEXXX” by Krey As he continues to explore different sounds, Krey isn’t afraid to delve into the field of dancehall and that’s what he does in the first of his September singles, “Ven Conmigo,” thereby providing a fun and groovy track which will have listeners wanting to go to the beach or simply dancing in their favorite bar or club. Meanwhile, with “SEXXX” he delivers a sexually driven electronic music influenced trap tune that serves as a good addition for a late night playlist. “Cocinando (Flip)”, “Piña Colada” and “Pasos” by Marlon Frank Being one of the most active members of the community this month, Marlon Frank delivered three singles. The first of these is a fantastic remix of the famous Ray Barreto tune in the form of “Cocinando (Flip),” which serves as a great example of how to take beautiful salsa music and blending it with a hip hop beat. Meanwhile, “Piña Colada” is a relaxing and experimental trap influenced R&B tune that might be a great addition to listeners’ late night playlist. Finally, “Pasos” is another smooth boom bap rap inspired beat that requires head bobbing for its entirety of two minutes. “Bandolero” by Charlie Boldman and True Astro This latest single by Charlie Boldman sees him collaborate with Spanish trap artist True Astro to deliver a short yet hypnotic and solid addition to anybody’s party playlist as the musicians sing about familiar lyrical themes found within the genre. “Supersaiyajin” by Gaby Chuleta Another addition to the songs in hip hop that use the Dragon Ball franchise as a metaphor for the amount of work the musician puts in for their art, this new Gaby Chuleta tune is a party track which will have some listeners dancing and others singing the lyrics. “Bodrogos (Version 2018)” by Labajura A new version of the song found in the musician’s self-titled debut project, the 2018 version of “Bodrogos” features new details added to the mix while keeping the fun and energetic vibe presented in the original tune. “In the Park” by WIKI feat. Gloss Gang The latest single by the New York-based Puerto Rican Irish rapper, WIKI, sees him collaborate with Gloss Gang as they display their lyrical abilities over a very interesting yet smooth beat produced by Tony Seltzer. “No Me Ronques” by OMVRxJC feat. KING TEA Featuring production by OMVR, the latest single by OMVRxJC features a relaxing beat while the duo, alongside KING TEA, warn everybody in the rap game to be truthful at all times. “The Amazing Day” by Bonafide Rojas & The Mona Passage A blend of spoken word and alternative rock, the latest single by Nuyorican poet Bonafide Rojas and his band The Mona Passage shows the writer presenting what would be the perfect and most ideal day. “Lepidoptera” by MOTHS The first single for their forthcoming EP, “Lepidoptera” shows MOTHS displaying their blend of stoner and progressive metal in a tune that will have listeners head banging, analyzing the tune’s musical techniques or both. “Fuckin T r i l l y s” and “Julia” by Yung Hannibal // Yung Lecter // Yung Lee One of the most active members of the community this month, Yung Hannibal AKA Yung Lecter AKA Yung Lee has released two singles. The first of these, “Fuckin T r i l l y s,” is a short and to the point diss against everybody in the genre pretending to have money and being gangster. Meanwhile, “Julia” is a much longer and layered love tune that blends elements of R&B and the slowly emerging emo rap sub-genre. “Encabronao (Im Upset Freestyle)” by Jib Da’ Mist Rapping over the beat to Drake’s famous single “I’m Upset,” Jib Da’ Mist’s “Encabronao” sees the musician singing about a variety of topics especially the sacrifices he has made to get where he is in the industry. “Pa’ La Playa” by Mike Rodz Featuring production by Charlie Trems, Mike Rodz’s latest single is a smooth and relaxing reggae influenced hip hop love track about enjoying a good time with one’s love interest at the beach. “BO$$ES” by Envy X Ralfy J X Kombo the X Writer The latest collaboration by Envy, Ralfy J and Kombo the X Writer sees the musicians performing over some fantastic production as they rap about their ambitions with music and how they handle their business. “Blanca Coca” by Joseph Alex A love song which uses the addiction cocaine can create as a metaphor for the musician’s interest for a female love interest, Joseph Alex’s “Blanca Coca” is a relaxing blend of an acoustic guitar with a boom bap rap beat that is certified to attract many listeners if given the proper promo. “G5” by OMVRXJC Another single from some of the most prolific trap musicians in the scene right now, OMVRXJC’s “G5” shows the artists continuing to rap about familiar subject matter while experimenting with a few differences to their sound. “Pali Amarilla” by Jose Yellow ft. Gaby Chuleta The latest collaboration between Jose Yellow and Gaby Chuleta is a fantastic banger that will have audiences dancing, head banging and possibly creating mosh pits despite the little growth in the artists’ lyrical content. “Zafiro” by Rey Varreino Featuring lo-fi boom bap production by Seint, the latest single by young rapper Rey Varreino is another display of his lyrical prowess as he touches on a variety of subjects such as love and how he is willing to take on anybody in the rap scene to prove his greatness. “OK” by Alvaro Diaz X Sousa The latest collaboration by Alvaro Diaz and Sousa is an infectious banger that will will have listeners reciting the words and having fun to the lyrics that make fun of people who pretend to be “gangsters” and “playboys.” “Mueve La Chola” by PJ Sin Suela Presented alongside with a powerful video, the latest PJ Sin Suela single is a fusion of conscious boom bap rap along with an aggressive electric guitar that sees the increasingly growing artist touching on a variety of themes among them being fake gangsters in the genre and violence against women. “Lava” by Los Walters Just a few months after releasing their EP “Caramelo,” the synthpop group return with another single in the form of “Lava,” yet another solid production that will content fans and have listeners of all lifestyles dancing and/or moving their bodies in a variety of ways. “DRVGXS” by Envy X Gaby Chuleta Featuring interesting and creative production by Sauros and Windxws, the latest collaboration between Envy and Gaby Chuleta is a hip hop track that sees the musicians exploring familiar territory as they rap about drug use within the party lifestyle. “Slave to Luxury” by Velcro ft. Mireya Ramos Featuring fantastic production and the vocal talents of Mireya Ramos, the latest single by rapper Velcro is a conscious hip hop track that presents the artist reflecting on the current relationship between Puerto Rico and the politicians who govern the island and the United States. “Noche Entera” by Homies Clan Featuring production by JBD, the new single by Homies Clan is a dancehall inspired tune that will have listeners shaking their hips and stomping their feet all across the night. “Call Me (Remix)” and “Corito Sano” by A1 Featuring production by Aaron P, the first single by A1 on Septemeber is a trap influenced and sexual storytelling driven R&B tune which will have listeners creating images very clearly. Meanwhile, his second, “Corito Sano”, is a short but to the point commentary against the fake tough guys found within the music industry. “Rapero Skater” by Fico Rodz Coming in late September, the latest single by the Mayagüez-based rapper and skateboarder is a homage to those two professions as he reflects on the state of rap and skateboarding in Puerto Rico while showing a bit of attitude against haters. “Necedades” by Mr. HumA Featuring production by MONKEYSTUDIO, the latest single by Mr. HumA is a bass-heavy trap tune that will definitely have listeners head banging from start to end as the rapper flows in an impeccable fashion through the beat. “Guerra” by CONCO The first video single by CONCO, the new project by Ian Cahill and Jorge Chafey, is an electronic music driven homage to the late Puerto Rican boxer Héctor “Macho” Camacho with a little bit of vaporwave influence. As seen in previous months and now in September, the independent music scene in Puerto Rico shows no signs of stopping its continuous growth and constant production, especially on the side of singles. As time goes on, one can only hope that the activity by the artists continues to go in such a way despite the problems which may arise.
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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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