Our Essential & Unheard project for July is Caleb Giles’ third solo album, Under the Shade. It is imbued with the energy of summer—a stand-in for the season where white t-shirts become the de facto wardrobe choice, black jeans are only worn by the brave, and the heat sauntering off walls and emanating up out of asphalt is the most immediate feeling. The sun is the antagonist, the album’s name reflecting the peace found in separation from that oppressive heat that hangs longer and heavier in the summer months.
About Edward Alexander
June Spotlight: MIKE’s Tears of Joy
“Essential & Unheard” is a series that highlights awesome music that probably flew under your radar each month. Learn why MIKE’s “Tears of Joy” made him the first ever artist to be featured twice on Essential & Unheard, and check the playlist for 20 tracks songs that just missed the cut—all by lesser-known artists that […]
May Spotlight: Damon Locks’ Where Future Unfolds
Check out our 20 “Essential & Unheard” tracks of May, and read on for our featured E&U project of the month from Damon Locks and the Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble.
March Spotlight: Little Simz’s Grey Area
GREY Area is an artist mostly finding her way through something not quite palpable, but still omnipresent. She raps painfully aware of the indefinable future, and the confusion of your mid-20s, but she does so in a way that casts brighter shades of color than any rapper this year has been able to evoke.
February Spotlight: Syrup from B. Cool-Aid
Check out our 20 “Essential & Unheard” tracks from February, and keep reading for a spotlight on our stand-out artists of the month: Awhlee and Pink Siifu, otherwise known as B. Cool Aid.
January Spotlight: Fly Anakin and Tuamie’s “Emergency Raps 4”
Check out our 20 “Essential & Unheard” tracks of January, and read on for a spotlight on our stand-out artists of the month: Fly Anakin and Tuamie.
How Leikeli47, Vince Staples and Frank Ocean Teach Us to Stop Hearing and Start Listening
In today’s age of the Infinite Scroll, listeners are becoming desensitized and disengaged with art. But artists like Vince, Frank, and Leikeli47 are fighting back by manipulating imagery to challenge and confront your perspective head-on. Empathic listening is an active form of consideration that allows you to immersively engage with what you’re hearing. It’s an […]
December Spotlight: MIKE’s “War in my Pen”
Check out our 20 “Essential & Unheard” tracks of December, and read on for a spotlight on our stand-out artist of the month: MIKE.
Best Songs of 2018: Uzi’s Defiantly Long “New Patek” (that’s it that’s the list)
Year end lists are subjective garbage so we let Edward Alexander write a list about his favorite song of the year. When was the last time you heard a 6-minute rap single? In the new regime of hip-hop a premium is placed on concision. Hooks, verses, songs, singles, and albums seem to have collectively shrunk […]
How Larry Fisherman Made An Icon Out Of Mac Miller [Beats & Bars]
In the wake of Malcolm McCormick’s death, a massive wave from fans, fellow musicians, friends and family impacted by Mac’s authenticity and generosity washed over the world. On Halloween night at the “Mac Miller: A Celebration of Life” benefit concert, Mac Miller was described by so many as a stalwart friend who supported the dreams […]
