Up-and-coming artist Casino Mel is constantly pushing his music and brand forward, he debuted a #1 requested anthem “Trap Ni**a” featuring Gucci Mane. The turnt up track was a perfect fit for Gucci, with Casino Mel delivering a number of top tier lines before the Atlanta veteran comes onto the track to do what he does best – Complex Magazine. For the latest updates or to keep up with Casino Mel, Follow Casino Mel on Instagram!
Despite narrowly avoiding collapse, SoundCloud still remains a commonly-used music streaming service. SoundCloud, unlike competitors Spotify and Apple Music, allows new, unknown artists to upload their music easily. Therefore, up-and-coming artists — particularly hip-hop artists — are often discovered on SoundCloud. But by allowing a wide spectrum of experienced and inexperienced artists on SoundCloud, the platform also gained a reputation for primarily hosting tracks with low production quality and amateur lyricism, discouraging those with a self-proclaimed “sophisticated” taste in music. What those skeptics fail to realize, however, is that the new style marks a generational shift that’s consuming the hip-hop scene.
SoundCloud has largely been responsible for supporting a subgenre of hip-hop known as “mumble rap.” Described as having “incomprehensible” lyricism with rappers typically using mumbling in tune with the instrumentals to create an appealing flow, the subgenre became prominent in the United States,and later made waves internationally. Artists such as Lil Yachty, Playboi Carti and Desiigner are especially notorious. “Mumble rap” has influenced artists such as Rich Chigga, Higher Brothers and RIN. It’s given birth to a new subculture focused around “Soundclout.”
The stories about the rise of hip hop record labels focus heavily on men. Little is said about the women in the game, moving, shaking, trailblazing and mentoring. Too often women of color are reduced to caricatures – the ratchetness of reality TV. The notion of sisterhood and Latifah style U-N-I-T-Y is overlooked or dismissed. Despite attempts to reduce women of color to the lowest common denominator, still we rise.
When I moved to NYC, I was afraid that I would not find kindred spirits. It is after all the concrete jungle, not exactly known for hospitality. Ironically, I found sisterhood were I first learned to celebrate it, at the hair salon. My first article for HuffPost was a hair article, Back to My Roots. It was about my journey going natural. I am not a hair person. I would rather clean an entire house than do my hair. Therefore, my relationship with my hair stylist is important.