It’s Monday so let’s see if you were able to catch up on all the new music that dropped over the weekend. FMHipHop has you covered! Now, we all know Drake and 21 Savage arguable dropped album of the year, but there were other artists who put out music as well.
Boldy James & Futurewave-Mr.Ten08
Detroit rapper Boldy James has been on a blaze these past few years. This year alone, he has already dropped many singles and a few projects. He linked with producer Futurewave this time to create, Mr.Ten08. Last month, he worked with Toronto producer Nicholas Craven for FairExchange, No Robbery. Boldy is on fire! The joint project with Futurewave boasts 10 songs with only one feature, 2100 Bagz. Boldy shot the video for “Flag on the Play” and I’m sure more visuals will be coming soon.
Alicia Keys has done many things in her illustrious career, but in 2022, she comes across a first. The 15-time Grammy winner has released her first holiday album, Santa Baby! Also, she is under a new label, her own in fact, Alicia Keys Records. And, this is the first project under the label. A big congrats is in order for the legendary singer, songwriter, and producer! Alicia Keys brings in the holiday on this album with 11 songs, four of them being original songs by her. She just released the video for the lead single, “December Back 2 June”. Santa Baby is only available on Apple Music.
The Christ influenced artist is back with his Church Clothes mixtape series. Lecrae declares these tapes are important as they describe who he truly is. The Houston rapper grew up listening to and falling in love with hip-hop. As time went on, he came to know Jesus Christ, but his love for hip-hop never faded. On Instagram, Lecrae describes his music as ‘Outkast meets the writings of Moses’. Check out the new project now on streaming platforms!
Lecrae has a long list of accomplishments. He’s already a rapper, producer, songwriter, music executive, philanthropist, best-selling author, actor, business owner, and entrepreneur. But he’s not done yet.
Indeed, the Grammy winner is expanding into media production. Partnering with Experian North America, a leading information services company, he has launched “Protect The Bag” .
Financial planning with Lecrae
This six-part web series will break down the complex world of personal finance, giving viewers the skills they need improve their credit and meet their financial needs. In a recent interview, Lecrae said:
“I am on a mission to spread the word on financial education because I wasn’t educated about money and didn’t know about budgeting. I didn’t know to think about the cost of things or what to pay off first because I just didn’t have a strategy.”
Grammy Award winning artist Lecrae on the set of “Protect The Bag”. (Photo credit: Business Wire)
With Lecrae’s own production company at the helm, 3 Strand Films, the series premiers this fall. Joining Lecrae will be a number of high-profile guests, as well as artists on his record label. Look for it on his YouTube channel soon.
Hip-hop from the big house
In addition to spreading the word of financial literacy, Lecrae is venturing into the world of incarceration. The mission: find, produce, and release music from convicts currently serving time.
Called “The Original Hip Hop Track Contest”, Lecrae and Aventiv Technologies have partnered to create a contest for aspiring artists behind bars. Contestants will get to pick from three beats to work with, produced by Lecrae and long-time collaborator Zaytoven.
In a recent press release to Blavity, Lecrae spoke on the project:
“There are very few opportunities that give those locked up a sense of hope, and even fewer that encourage and recognize the level of musical talent that sits in our prison system – this contest does both, which is why I’m proud to be involved.”
The top twenty entries will be sent to Bernard Short and his staff of the music department at Morris Brown College in Atlanta. However, only three get to move on to the final round. Lecrae and Zaytoven will select the best of the three.
The announcement of the winner will come on October 19, 2021. From there, Lecrae and Zaytoven will record and produce the winner on site at their facility.
Any revenues earned from the project will go directly to “a 501c3 charity providing rehabilitative services for the correctional community in the winner’s state.”
IVAV signee Ty Braselstrives to be the best version of himself, and it certainly shows through his burgeoning career and accolades. Besides being added to Spotify’s New Music Friday Christian playlist, Spotify’s The Flow, and Apple Music’s Elevate, Ty has worked alongside musical icons like Lecrae and COBRA. Moreover, he’s gotten recognition from major publications like The Source. So far, he’s scored over 46 million streams worldwide. The key behind his success? Putting trust in the Most High and the process.
Lyrically, Ty Brasel encourages listeners to chase their dreams, to not sleep on themselves. He couples this with encouraging words to live by. Even when things get hard, Ty Brassel says to push through. By dropping such moving messages, he amasses fans constantly.
“As I become more aware of my heart and mind, dealing with my issues, I turn that into my lyrics,” he adds. “So many of my songs have come out of me facing my problems head-on and reaching out when everything in me wants to turn away. We can overcome even the worst of adversities.”
In a word, his well-acclaimed project, The Divine Storm, which amassed more than 5M streams, is an authentic body of work that says no matter what storm lies ahead, there is a silver lining. Laying it all on the table, Ty speaks on personal battles with demons and how the power of gospel helped him overcome it all. One track that highlights his transparent wordplay is “Night Dreaming.”
His latest release, “Destiny,” finds the musician saying that he’s going to get where he’s supposed to be regardless of who is in his way. Moreso, Ty expresses to others that you have to stick to your plan in times of hopelessness and never quit.
The instrumental is a blend of pop and hip-hop. Complimenting the warm beat are playful piano keys and a heavy bassline. The lyrics are charged up with positive self-talk and motivation. In a singsong cadence,
Ty says, “Gave my heart, my all into this/Now, look just how the view is.” Secondly, he raps, “Came a long way and we made it through it/I give God the praise, I am only human.”
Tough times are inevitable, but it’s up to us to take the good with the bad.
About Ty Brassel
Ty Brasel was born in Memphis, TN, where he grew up at the intersection of East Memphis and Olive Branch, MS. This area, referred to by locals as “Memphissippi,” is
where Ty first recognized his passion for music. As a kid, Ty found his role models within hip-hop, and the music became the backdrop to his story.
“As I️ got older and started attending rap shows and learning about the history of hip-hop, I️ fell in love with the art and the culture,” Ty shares.
Ty’s teenage years meshed well with the global explosion of southern rap.
“I️ was surrounded by rappers, singers, and producers who were seeing local and national success, which inspired me to take the chance of pursuing music as a career.”
Although Ty felt a calling to music, he was initially more focused on sports and a desire to become a professional athlete. That dream slowly started to fade after he was introduced to drugs.
Ty’s upbringing in the “Bible belt” had him well acquainted with religion and church at a young age. However, Ty chose a path that led him down a road of substance abuse and crime.
“In my early years, I️ dealt with some serious family issues that left me traumatized, so when I️ got to high school, I️ began to numb the pain with drugs. I️ began selling and using drugs and ventured deep into this dangerous lifestyle as a means to search for identity,” he states.
After an encounter with God following his senior year of high school, Ty decided to change his ways and began a new spiritual journey. He enrolled in college at Ole Miss
and started a hip-hop group with a friend. Ty quickly found himself reacquainted with substance abuse and illegal activity. His destructive lifestyle overshadowed ty’s growth as a musician. Ty gained significant notoriety on campus but was arrested four times during his freshman year.
“If I keep going down this path, I’m going to ruin my life,” he remembers thinking in a jail cell. “I wanna thrive, I wanna live life.” Ty dropped out of college after his third semester with no money and no plan.
He knew that if he wanted to succeed in music, his lifestyle needed a drastic change.
“I decided to go back to my childhood church roots and began to find my true identity for the first time,” Ty says.
Ty slowly began to regain his passion for life and wanted to help others do the same through hip-hop music. His brokenness and struggle didn’t change overnight. Still, a renewed connection with God ignited Ty’s desire to make honest, conscious hip-hop that contrasted the destructive themes he previously portrayed in his music.
His style draws inspiration from the southern style of rap he was raised with, as well as influences like Kendrick Lamar, Curren$y, and PostMalone.
