EZ Longway – ‘Thug In The Room’

If you’re a young rapper, then there’s nothing better than support from an influential deejay. And there’s not many bigger than the legendary Bigga Rankin – and if he likes your record, then you know you’re onto something good. If he gives you praise in a public forum, you’re making waves; if he jumps on the track and appears in your video – then you know he’s identified you as the next big thing and he’s decided he wants in on the journey.

PIERA – ‘Unraveling’

Working together as PIERA, artists Piera Klein and Micah Plissner are fully convinced that each beat and note matters, and that this means paying incredible attention to how the instruments sound; ensuring the quality of the sound of the drums and bass and giving a relentless focus on rich, evolving, exciting synthesizer tones. The result is an intimate, yet intense textural quality, with Klein’s voice perfectly matching and balancing the instrumentals, and not one thing is out of place. New single, ‘Unraveling’, is a beautiful example of their collaborative efforts, and sounds like the work of the record-making masters that they are.

Tod Lippy – ‘Ambitions’

Tod Lippy found time between production of his award winning arts journal, ‘Esopus’, and other projects, to hone his talents in songwriting and home-recording. He’d studied classical guitar for more than a decade, and as each edition of ‘Esopus’ came with a CD of music he’d commissioned, it was probably about time he started making some of his own. Out now is his new single, ‘Ambitions’, which comes from his latest album, ‘Yearbook’, set for release on June 25.

Gaten – ‘Add Up’

Young Atlanta vocalist Gaten has this year been releasing music at a furious pace, with fans enthralled by the series of new songs he’s dropped ahead of ‘Opp-eration Z6ne’, his hotly anticipated mixtape. Pairing each track with a video that takes the viewer deep into the world he’s rapping about, his latest track, ‘Add Up’ is no less compelling, and indeed, is the catchiest, and the most dynamic song in the run of singles, and the clip, produced by Global Visionz, will immerse viewers in a way of life that most people never encounter.