Indie

Mac & A.K. F/ King Cydal & Money$Mont aka Mr. Fetti – “Don’t Play with Me”

Mac & A.K. single delivers “Don’t Play with Me” ft. King Cydal and Money $ Mont aka Mr. Fetti

Mac & A.K. is a group consisting of fraternal twin brothers Eric “Mac Pacino” Gordon and Keith “A.K.” Gordon, hailing from East Palo Alto California in the San Francisco Bay Area. The two honed their craft under the backdrop of living in East Palo Alto, which in 1992 was the murder capital of the United States. Eric “Mac Pacino” first started in a group called Black Jack, which released their acclaimed album “Streets 2 Da Grave” on Ichiban records. Mac Pacino decided to leave the group and formed Mac & A.K. with his brother. The group would go on to sign with Tommy Boy Records based in New York, which at the time was a powerhouse in the hip hop scene with acts like Coolio, De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, and House of Pain.

While on Tommy Boy Records, Mac & A.K. released their first EP “Westbound: For Riders” only on their imprint – Streetlife Records. The 7 song EP was well-received and they also received a gold plaque for their song “Way 2 Saucy” featuring Mac Mall, also from the Bay Area. Unfortunately, things did not work out at Tommy Boy and the group asked to be let out of their contract. The group formed E&K Music Group and released Money Rhymes as their first release. Money Rhymes featured heavyweights like E-40, Mac Mall, Above The Law, and local legends like Chunk and Neva Legal. The second release was Hustle Music, which features The Game, Young Noble from the Outlaws, Chunk, Sean T, and other Bay Area Legends. The latest album was Legendary, which was also received with high regard. Unfortunately, Mac died in 2013, and A.K. is fully running the record label and releasing projects with E & K Music Group.

Mac & A.K.’s first release of the year was “Gasoline”, which was well-received. The newest single is “Don’t Play With ME” FT King Cydal and Money $ Mont AKA Mr. Fetti, which is making a lot of noise at the moment. Both singles will appear on the up-and-coming album “Only The Strong Survive.” Only The Strong Survive will feature notable artists like Planet Asia, King Cydal, JT The Bigga Figga, M-Dash, Da Hoodstarz, and many more. Be sure to connect on their website, social media, and digital music platforms.

Shoebox Benny – “Straight”

Shoebox Benny drops a club banger with his new single “Straight” from his highly anticipated project “Car Bombs” set to release in late February. Native to Chicago, Shoebox Benny delivers his laidback cadence and brash metaphors as he paints a story about how he keeps it 100 in any situation. Creating memorable bars about avoiding snitches, and foul women and keeping it “Straight” from the gate. “Straight” creatively describes the importance of establishing a legacy built on realness. In a world full of frauds, it’s important to have something you can stand on. Being real and keeping is 100 is law to life and Shoebox Benny delivers this message with the single, “Straight.”

KiddxSurge – “Knock Knock”

Hailing from Chicago Illinois, upcoming songwriter Kiari Barnes who goes by the stage name KiddxSurge a.k.aThe Surgeon releases his new single “Knock Knock” on all streaming platforms. Surge recalls creating the record Knock Knock while sitting in the house one day thinking. “What if the police run in right now? What are you gon’ do?” he says in his own words. This thought inspired him to look through beats until he found a grungy one. The song is also inspired and sponsored by Scuba Squad Extracts who currently has the best thc diamonds on the West Coast. Surge says he was aiming to release a single that would be an anthem for all the hustlers and corner boys across the world. Starting from the early days of just rapping and being bored in the house, hanging out on the corner smoking while listening to instrumentals would start something much more. After getting positive feedback from friends and people in the neighborhood encouraged Barnes to pursue taking music a-lot more seriously. KiddxSurge inspirations are J.Cole, Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, Juice WRLD, Meek Mill, Yo Gotti and more. He’s opened up for artists like Lil Webbie, Trizzy Track and has performed at many festivals showcasing his talent as well as throwing his own 4/20 event every year. Barnes started making noise after the breakout release of his single “Stay Back” and another called “Reloaded” both of which he has shot video’s for. Surge says his plans for 2022 is to not become the biggest artist in SoCal but in the world, even though KiddxSurge is from Chicago he is currently living in San Diego, California. He plans on creating a-lot more visuals and networking with a lot more artists in the music industry this year and networking with all additional fans throughout the year. Stream “Knock Knock” by KiddxSurge on all platforms if you haven’t heard it yet.

Luv Docta – “Great Sex”

Chicago artist Luv Docta has been prepping for his upcoming project “Let Us Vibe” releasing on Valentine’s Day and is warming up and kicking 2022 off with a new single entitled “Great Sex”. “Great Sex” comes just in time for Valentine’s day, while Luv Docta is always in the mood for cuffing season, this single takes it to the max. From the cadences to the lyrics, you can let your imagination run wild. “Great Sex” can put you in a trans or replay your own scenario of the past, present, or future. While the melody is slow and steady, the energy moves quickly and creates a vibe to set the mood.

20 Bluntzz – “The Weekend”

20 Bluntzz releases his hit record “The Weekend”, is a catchy Hip Hop and R&B mix that will be a Summer 2022 hit, and beyond. Make sure you listen to DMV artists 20 Bluntzz track “The Weekend”. Listen and download on all digital platforms.

Itz Jaleel – “Don’t Play Me”

“My name is Itz Jaleel and I’m from Nashville, Tennessee I started rapping around middle school then I released my first track on soundcloud Junior year in high school. After high school, I started college at Tennessee State University. After a loss of an important family member I turned to music to cope and I just kept writing and writing. It wasn’t too long after that I realized how much I really love making music. After graduating college earlier this year, it has opened a lot of time for me to focus more on my music career. I’ve released a lot of new content this year and I’ve got a lot more to put out.” – Itz Jaleel

A$HO – “Designer Suicide”

Florida artist A$HO releases his new single entitled “Designer Suicide”, this new Florida artist is ready to takeover the music industry.

Boss Top F/ Fredo Bang – “Reppin”

Chicago artist Boss Top releases his new single entitled “Reppin” featuring Baton Rouge, Louisiana and TBG artist Fredo Bang.

Josh K F/ Fabolous – “My House”

Chicago’s own Josh K is back with another release that is for sure going to keep the ladies vibing for the rest of the summer. “My House” featuring Fabolous, is the perfect single for “netflix and chilling”, outside of the usual night out on the town. Josh K sings about having a good time with his girl, like the good old days and loving every bit of it. Fabolous effortless flow always comes through in the clutch when it comes to spitting game to the ladies. “My House” sets up to end the summer on the perfect note leading right into fall “cuffing season.”

R & B Artist Josh K has been making major moves this year and is prepping to release his new project “LL3 (Lovers Lane)” with features including Fabolous, Jeremih & Tory Lanez. His recent single “Decisions” garnered over 1 million streams within its first month of releasing and he just dropped a new single “My House” ft. Fabulous. Chicago Sun Times featured him in a in depth article about the Chicago R & B scene and this Friday is his release (8/13) along with the new video for the current single.

Micah Willis – “Forget”

Sensational R&B singer and songwriter Micah Willis drops a brand new R&B single titled “Forget.” “Forget” is a moderate tempo elevating R&B track with lyrics and theme leaning towards dance and “having a good time.” “Forget” is a “feel-good” song somewhat written in response to the most recent world upsets and crises – especially the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020. According to Micah Willis, “Forget,” just as the song title suggests, is about “forgetting all the terrible times we had in 2020.” Micah believes it is time everyone goes out to have fun.
Instrumentally, “Forget” is rooted in very solid R&B influences as it also taps some minor [but not insignificant] elements from genres like rap, trap, soul, and blues. The tranquilizing, fluid, and subtle piano harmonies/melodies meddled with rudimentary but thumping R&B drum grooves, trap percussions, cinematic sound effects, 808s, and the sensuous vocals of Micah Willis create not just an elevating atmosphere but also quite a calming and reassuring one.
Willis as a musician is known to always push musical and overall creative boundaries in his
compositions and writing. With a voice as soothing as water, Willis passes for both an R&B
story-teller and a therapeutic singer. Talking about therapy, “therapeutic” is another perfect word to describe the single “Forget.” With naturally fluid and melismatic vocals, Willis manages to bring together influences from diverse and “not-exactly related” musical styles and genres to create a unique blend of a familiar genre like R&B – a special R&B blend typical of only Micah Willis. “Forget” is available on all music streaming platforms. You can also follow Micah Willis on all social media platforms to keep up with his ever-dynamic lifestyle.

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