The Weekly Dip 4/1/22

Oh, y’all thought we was gonna come with strictly wack shit for today’s dip, don’t you know what today is? We’re sorry if you feel swindled by us, it wasn’t our intention for you to feel deceived so feel free to skedaddle away from these waters if they’re too cold for your liking. A lot of today’s installments can be an acquired taste for the average ears so be ready to adjust your consumer palettes for today’s picks!

Lilly Aviana - Sunrise (Single)

After having an incredible week at SXSW, Lilly Aviana came back to announce the release of an upcoming single from her titled “Sunrise.” She had previously shared a clip of the single on her page where many listeners waited patiently to hear the finished product come alive in their listening experience. On a day where pranks are known thing to happen, I can assure you that there is no prank as the Houston heartthrob dropped the single in all its excellent glory for fans to bare witness to Soul surfing for something so natural, Lilly speaks from the heart of wanting to find love in a peaceful place and make sure it’s worth the effort before feeding 100% into it. It’s remarkable ballad and one that I hope to see a visual for later in the year, but for now, we want to set our eyes to the sunrise while this record spins the evening way. - Frank Campos

LORENSA - Like Dis (Video)

In March of this year, LORENSA released the second video from her 2021 project “Layers,” titled “Like Dis,” that swooned over viewers who enjoyed the sounds from her ballad to see the love tale come to life. Speaking about the intimacy and chemistry she feels with a special someone, Loresenaa sings stunningly in this slow tune where she states she doesn’t need anyone additional in her life like this especially when she has you. It’s a romantic record that she spills all of her heart into and showcases the tales on the video for it. From him seeing her from afar where she works to being on her mind daily, it soon evolves into something real. Call that love at first sight or call that destiny; it’s hers to endure this companionship forever, and forever she shall. - Frank Campos

Marlon Craft - HANS ZIMMER (Video)

Hans Florian Zimmer? The Grammy Nominated Composer, responsible for scoring some of your favorite movies, even some of your kids favorite movies? That’s how expansive Marlon’s reach is, certain artists just have that rawness about them & you can just tell Marlon is a different kind of cat. Over ominous production by none other than the great Havoc of Mobb Deep, Craft takes this opportunity to paint a picture of what he’s seen coming up in the Mecca of Hip Hop. Of course, it’s bar heavy, as expected with Marlon but there’s this sense of introspection throughout his performance here that really drives home how passionate he is when it comes to this rap shit. If he’s teasing his upcoming album with a record like this, then I can only imagine what other tricks he has up his sleeve when this album finally drops, it’ll be a glorious day for the culture, that’s for sure!

Murkemz - In a Daze (feat. Samad Savage) (Video)

That’s right, one of Ice-T’s favorite lyricists at the moment & Murkemz was murking everything in his path, long before this legendary co-sign so you know damn well it’s only added more fuel to his fire, as evident on his latest lyrical onslaught with none other than the impeccable, Samad Savage. If bars is what you’re craving, then these two are here to leave you satiated. Even the way this video is shot, it’s raw format really is in sync with the raw talent they both possess & are gracefully displaying. Murkemz slides on the track, immediately letting off rounds like a Gatling gun, destroying everything that dares tip toe through his stomping grounds. Then Samad Savage comes through to unleash his own savagery on those who dare try to test this level of skill. Elite raps galore.

Planet Asia & DJ Jay-Ef - Like This (feat. JoJo Simmons) (Video)

Fresno’s own, the legendary Planet Asia, the man never slows down, his prolific nature won’t allow him to & clearly so as he’s blessing us with yet another project this early in the year. It’s like he’s still fresh in the game, never truly aging after 2 plus decades in this game. Linking with the iconic DJ Jay-Ef on the scratches, they bring along up & comer JoJo Simmons to really set the bar for the record, to which Asia comes through & just raises that bar even higher. The two work eloquently off each other, waxing poetic rhymes over this subtle yet head nodding production from the legendary Buckwild. Music like this is what every Hip Hop fan can rejoice in. People really still give a fuck about this craft of ours!

Oli $tone - Regardless (Video)

Our good friends over at Viewz Media Group sent me here when they posted this video to their page, they’re always posting names I’ve never heard of so obviously I’m gonna look into whoever sounds the nicest & Oli is that latest case study. It’s a concise, yet motivational number about overcoming any & all odds that may be stacked against you in life. Regardless of what he may be going through in his personal life, he knows in his heart that he’s gonna persevere through all of that turmoil for God wouldn’t dare place any obstacles in his path he knew he didn’t have the strength to overcome. His melodic flow throughout this number is palpable, tangible, however which way but it demands to be felt. Everybody can find something to gravitate towards with records like this, be it you drawing correlations from your life to his or whatever, it’s just real spill executed marvelously.

Phinix - Make It (Video)

Anybody who knows me, knows that I have the deepest of affinities for the introspective. I love when artists let us in on who they are personally, what they’re thinking or being forced to live through & overcome & boy has Phínix overcome a lot in her time here on this cruel sphere we cal Earth. Most people couldn’t bounce back as gracefully as she has from the unfortunate circumstances she’d been put through, losing a daughter to lupus, let alone suffering from the disease herself, the disclaimer alone is heart wrenching but what’s beautiful is that, although you can hear & feel that pain through her tonality, throughout both the disclaimer & record itself, she refuses to even think of herself as a victim & you see how evident that is in that clip of her waking up from out her coma, immediately doing what she does best, waxing eloquently about her life in one of the most beautiful displays of vulnerability I’ve come across so far this year.

Clef God - To My Opps With Love (Video)

As promised, after his loyal supporters bought 50 copies of his limited edition upcoming album, Clef God has blessed us with a new record that is surely to have his haters fuming when they realize it’s them he’s talking about. What’s funny is it’s not even that harsh, he’s laying into them gracefully so as to let them down gently but it’s a slow kill so you know it’s aching them to their core to have to just sit back & take in this beast they’ve purposely awakened. I bet now they’re really regretting their life choices cause even when Clef is killing them with kindness, he’s still killing them, imagine getting beaten to death with a feathered pillow & that’s not me saying he’s soft in any way, that’s me saying that he can do so much damage with so little effort, it’s a fucking cake walk for this Goldy producer we call Clef, I also love the moniker change, I was so quick to title this “G Clef” but Clef God has a much nicer ring to it & if this is any indication of what this upcoming record will sound like, then we are in for pure damage control!

Knox Hill - No More Sheep (Video)

I love seeing the YouTubers I watch heavily also step into their own, especially those who really understand the craft portion of this thing we called Hip Hop & if you haven’t been living under a rock your whole YouTube existence, then you know Knox Hill is the go to for bar breakdowns, there aren’t many others quite like him, I mean, he be catching bars that not even I’ve been able to catch so it makes all the more sense that his pen is as fried as it is on his latest single. Love when artists get into different characters & just have fun with the music. His bars are as ambidextrous as they come so it’s beautiful to see how in sync his visual performance here is with his lyrical performance. Hopefully we keep seeing more of Knox Hill coming into his own as a lyricist, he’s definitely one you wouldn’t wanna step to & it’s not even like he’s claiming himself to be a GOAT of any sorts, though he is great, he just don’t have time to deal with the sheeple & amen to that brother.