#Brownsville rap legend Ka dies at 52

#Brownsville rap legend Ka dies at 52

The ultra-prolific underground MC/producer died unexpectedly in New York City on October 12, according to a post to his Instagram account. Ka. Photo by Jeff Henrikson for The FADER.   Kaseem Ryan, the beloved Brooklyn rapper and producer better known as Ka, has passed away, according to a Monday, October 14 post to his Instagram…

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#Mercury builds her own world of whispers on MERCZONE

#Mercury builds her own world of whispers on MERCZONE

The Atlanta rapper’s long-gestating debut evocatively balances booming bass and ASMR-influencer flows. Yulissa Benitez Mercury’s voice squats low in the mix on the deceptively titled “KNUCK BUCK.” Despite the all-encompassing low end and clattering trashcan stomps, she refuses to break a sweat, hoarse bars rolling off the tongue in an under-articulated flurry: “These n****s ain’t…

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#Songs You Need In Your Life This Week

#Songs You Need In Your Life This Week

Songs You Need In Your Life This Week Tracks we love right now, in no particular order. By The FADER Dalvin Adams; Pooneh Ghana; Fidel Each week, The FADER staff rounds up the songs we can’t get enough of. Here they are, in no particular order. Listen on our Spotify and Apple Music playlists, or…

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#Rap Blog: Kura is forging his own path

#Rap Blog: Kura is forging his own path

Listen to the independent rapper’s self-produced “jjjjound” on SoundCloud. Kura   Screenshot via YouTube Rap Blog is a weekly showcase of a standout rap song. A few weeks ago I swung through NoHo, Manhattan, late on a Saturday night to say hello to Kura, whose songs hit a sweet spot between the abrasive textures of…

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#Songs You Need In Your Life This Week

#Songs You Need In Your Life This Week

Songs You Need In Your Life This Week Tracks we love right now, in no particular order. By The FADER TisaKorean, Andrew Lyman Each week, The FADER staff rounds up the songs we can’t get enough of. Here they are, in no particular order. Listen on our Spotify and Apple Music playlists, or hear them…

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#How Monaleo fell in love with rapping again

#How Monaleo fell in love with rapping again

How Monaleo fell in love with rapping again The Mo City, TX, rapper discusses the legacy of Beatking, discovering Pantera through Guitar Hero, and her exuberant new mixtape, Throwing Bows. By Raphael Helfand Monaleo. Photo by Xavier Luggage.   Monaleo was feeling discouraged. “I was struggling with getting started on certain songs, I didn’t know…

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#New Music Friday: Stream projects from fantasy of a broken heart, Nines, Ezra Collective, and more

#New Music Friday: Stream projects from fantasy of a broken heart, Nines, Ezra Collective, and more

Stream every standout album released this Friday with The FADER’s weekly roundup. Ezra Collective   Photo via publicist Every Friday, The FADER’s writers dive into the most exciting new projects released that week. Today, read our thoughts on the return of Xiu Xiu, U.K. rapper Nines’ final album, Ezra Collective’s Dance, No One’s Watching, and…

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#Songs You Need In Your Life This Week

#Songs You Need In Your Life This Week

Songs You Need In Your Life This Week Tracks we love right now, in no particular order. By The FADER Each week, The FADER staff rounds up the songs we can’t get enough of. Here they are, in no particular order. Listen on our Spotify and Apple Music playlists or hear them all below. urika’s…

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#Rap Blog: Pi’erre Bourne’s return to form

#Rap Blog: Pi’erre Bourne’s return to form

Check out “Blocs!” the first single from Bourne’s oft-delayed Made In Paris LP. Pi’erre Bourne. Photo by Chris “Ceez” Nunez Saunders   Rap Blog is a weekly showcase of a standout rap song. For a super-niche subset of the hip-hop community, the greatest consecutive 3 album solo run of the 2020s belongs not to Future…

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