Coming out of New Orleans with a young career on the rise, EP Rio is developing a unique style early into his career, with raw and emotional lyrics leading the way on his first few singles and debut project. Released in January 2021, “collection of lost thoughts and nightmares” is everything you would want out of an artists first project, with an excellent variety of styles, vibes and beats. On the shorter side with 4 songs, EP Rio explores various parts of his life and lyrically expresses how he feels towards the world…

When looking at the array of influences that inspired D’Von to start making music, it’s easy to see where his extraordinary talent for variety comes from. Not only does his music have the lyricism of Kendrick Lamar, the personality of Lil Wayne, and and artistic insight of Ye, he adds his own unique stylings and twists to create a truly original sound. Throughout his debut album ‘Evolution’, he smoothly shifts from RnB to intense rap to chill and melodic lyrical tracks - impossible to pin down and always experimenting, D’Von is a new type of musician who bends genres and styles to his will…

While many rappers today are limited to one style or subgenre of music, FRXQ has been able to cross between genres, pulling influences from xxxtentacion and Lil Peep. He combines an alt-rock style aggression and production on many tracks such as ‘FUCK THE EARTH!’, with blown out vocals and fast delivery. Another frequent style is a slower and more melodic sing-rap such as the track ‘Ghostly’, where he’s backed by a simple strings and drums beat - no matter what he’s doing, it comes off as both a masterpiece of basement/soundcloud alt rap and as a professional and expertly crafted sound designed to get stuck in your head and never leave.

It’s very rare to find an artist completely in control of their own destiny, but underground rapper Mk. outta Louisiana is making it happen. Combining the freedom of being unsigned with the marketing and production level of a major label with his own network that works to bring him and fellow artists into the spotlight, he’s been releasing banger after banger and shows no signs of stopping. His fans love him for his authenticity - every bar is straight from his real life, and he never brags or flexes about things he hasn’t actually done/earned. You’ll see his straightforward and legit personality throughout the interview…

While lyrics, flow, and production are all obviously key for any artist to find success, an often overlooked quality is personality. If you want to stand out and set yourself apart from everyone around you, the best way to do that is by crafting a unique charismatic personality that shines through your music. One of the best examples of that in the underground scene is 40OzDai, an artist I’ve known and worked with for a long time. He’s consistently been able to show off his energetic and wild personality through each of his many projects, and today we brought him on the site to show you what makes him so special.

Looking back at this project after finishing an in-depth listen, you can see Sko’s descent into his troubled subconscious, and then beneath that to reflect on what truly makes him who he is. Listening to the album lets you as a listener experience his path to self understanding - only here will you be able to witness the Ego Death and unraveling of an artists mindset track by track. Luckily for the listener, not only is this project an emotional and spiritual journey, it is also extremely accessible with this guide to working through Sko’s psyche and has many memorable and catchy verses and choruses…