Arrogant Listens
Arrogant Listens
We at Arrogant like to keep our ears to the ground to hear what is buzzing below the mainstream.
These artists bring something that you won’t find in mainstream hip hop but have a value that you won’t find anywhere else. The artists all seem to have a dark theme. There is something intrinsically valuable about artists who are genuinely making music because they love it and are starting to find their audience. As it is the music industry is over saturated and it’s incredibly easy to find artists who are not worth your time, we like to look for art that is. We will be pushing all of our guests music across social media channels and doing a live listening watch party available on YouTube! Feel free to follow us to find more awesome music and if you have any to share please feel free to send it via any of our social media channels for next weeks #ArrogantListens chart.
The first artist goes by the name of Bray. His music has a sadboi vibe, this genre is definitely growing and Bray’s “Thots to Emotions” embraces the genre and presents a quality you won’t hear in some mainstream artists that embody the sub-genre. The production is handled by Blvckhart.
The second track is by Vershad aka Spaceboy Vershad. The title of the track is “IWroteThisForTaylorSwift” and it features BrooklynZoo and is produced by Haru. The track once again has the morose thematic concept but is melodic and is centered around the happy sounds of the ukelele.
The third track is by an artist named Rass Limit. The track named “No Sleep Nights” and his art hails from across the pond in Germany, maybe why the music has a dark theme? It is a little more aggressive than the to previous tracks but is definitely a solid addition to the playlist and a little less sadboi vibey.
Fourth track is by Merci with track title 2019. The track plays on tropes of new year, new me but with an edge of drug use and dark imagery, this track definitely presents the most conventional hip hop sound but fits in with the theme nicely. Production is solid and the lyrical content is paired exceptionally with the beat!
Firth track is from Chan’s Night Out titled “Over” produced by Elevate. This track has R&B sounds that influence the sadboi vibe but goes into radio sounding mainstream quality that is welcome. Influences of Post Malone are apparent and the melody is striking; either way it is a valuable underground addition to the playlist.
Sixth track is from Kip Kop is titled “That Moment” produced by Kid Kop and Young Taylor. The production is probably the most notable part of this track. The warbled background vocals provide this dystopian feel that makes the sadboi vibe almost ethereal, the lyrical content not to be discounted, it also has a quality that isn’t often found on the SoundCloud platform.
Seventh track is from LilSorrow with track titled “Doorstep”, the track features lyrics at a turtle pace cadence although not in a bad way. Its theme is centered around the idea of a love lost with the rose at the doorstep. A classic narrative for music but not always so in the genre of hip hop, but then again its 2019, everything old is new again.
The 8th track is from Happily Sad with track “Raincoat” produced by 8rokeboy. Some artists don’t have an extensive social media presence and this may or may not be a good thing. Either way the music is accessible, the song is slow, Happily Sad might be a simple paradox but the hook is catchy and peaceful, the verses are a little more bar heavy and don’t balance as well with the hook but it still vibes well.
The 9th track is from Silent Wings with “So Fake” produced by KimJ and Relik. This artist is another that doesn’t have a strong social media presence but if you are looking for the music its available enough. This vibe moves away from the downtempo vibe and more into radio ready hip hop but its melodic, catchy and funky in all the ways that it should be.
The 10th track is from Johnnymd with “Sleepless nights” featuring Powfu and produced by Misery. The music is definitely riding that sub-genre of hip hop that embraces the emotive aspects of life. This track is one that should not be overlooked.
The 11th track is by Yung Luv with “Sick Kids”. The production borders on glitch and electro feels. The vocals are obscured with some interesting effects but overall the industrial darkness is something lovely.
The 12th track is from Yiti with “Sweet Thing” produced by Shoot to Ill. The overall style doesn’t quite fit the rest but the production really does, strings and lyrical content make this track a solid addition.
The 13th track from Myles Bryant is “First Blood” produced by Love. Production is not out shined or imbalanced by the lyrical content one bit. This track could easily be on mainstream media outlets yet its comforting to know that this caliber of music can be found in the underground.
The 14th track by DarkOne with “Ride” produced by Sauron is interesting in the way that every other track offers something dark just as this one does. This one seems a little more southern hip hop influenced, possibly even east coast influences sprinkled in. The production is the darkest aspect of this track and the only way it truly fits in with the playlist but definitely solid.
The 15th track is the obligatory shout out to an artist from the region of this publication. The artist is named Tru Tones and features Stratijik and is produced by GodGang’s Joe Bz. The track is titled “Coño” and has a very southwest hip hop feel, first verse is from Stratijik and he rhymes in spanglish which segues easily into Tru Tones lyrical style.