Over the past couple of weeks, Maikéru has been doing major promo for Jets & Planes, a single and video he featured on with Andwan Zonez. The hype that he built up for it was major, and like everything else that he’s pushed recently, the quality stood up to the promise. The track is a well-produced mixture of R&B, hip-hop and club energy, and thanks to the well-known talents of videographer, director and editor extraordinaire Dan2TheL, the video looks as high quality as the track sounds with its vivid color displays and late 1990s/early 2000s aesthetic. In all honesty, not following Maikéru at this point is taking a social media L, as he continues to get himself involved in interesting and top notch content. Check out the video, leave a like and a comment if you dig it, and share it around to run the numbers up!
Addressing or thinking of Austin hip-hop outfit Magna Carda within the very narrow scope that most ingest hip-hop in is a disservice to not only Magna Carda, but to individuals with such limited and reductive thinking. While the music of Magna Carda has always been forward-thinking and full of emotional depth and sonic texture, To The Good People finds the duo taking an evolutionary step in terms of how sharply and precisely they are able to communicate and execute their ideas from song to song. While Megz Kelli firmly plants her feet in the sand with her signature laid-back but forceful flow, everything that surrounds her musically has the ambition and sonic quality of a mixture between Sade‘s Sweetback backing band and more youthful experimental outfits like the Steve Lacy-driven The Internet. While Austin is no stranger to popular musicians, hip-hop is a genre in which fame outside of Texas has been elusive, but if given the right opportunity, a band like Magna Carda could use an album like To The Good People to make some noise for themselves outside of the standard boundaries of success artists from this neck of the woods are accustomed to. Definitely take the time to check out Magna Carda‘s latest offering, and if it speaks to you, donate and download if you can, but share regardless.
During a recent DJ set at The Porch, someone stepped up to the booth. This is nothing new, and normally, it’s the signal that someone is about to ask for (or, more often than not, obnoxiously try to force) a request. Luckily though, he just said what’s up and told me he was enjoying the mix. I thanked him and went back to focusing on my mix, as DJ’ng requires much more concentration than the average observer realizes, but he kept going with the conversation attempt. Normally I would feign interest or cut things off so I don’t run into a bad conversation situation, but I let it ride that time, and this is how I met Donja and learned about his music. The catalog was prolific, and much like MAIKÉRU, who I also recently met, Donja sounded seasoned, and he was doing genre-blending music that purposefully stood out from the norm in terms of both quality and approach. His latest single, the super catchy Phone Home, serves as a continuation of the vibe that I was picking up when checking out Donja‘s back catalog, and if you’re unfamiliar with him like I once was, then the single serves as a perfect introductory point. Check out the track on your favorite streaming service, and find Donja on your favorite social media site to stay in the release loop!
Getting to know the new homie Maikéru has been one of the true highlights of 2021. I’ve met a lot of creative people in the central Texas area, but there’s something about Maikéru‘s poise and polish that makes it feel like he’s doing what he was truly born to do. Recently, SYN SESSIONS showcased Maikéru singing YIPPEEKIYAY with acoustic accompaniment by Eric G of Kid Brothers, and while seeing Maikéru with full production is on some other ish, seeing this performance in such an intimate and stripped down presentation is equally powerful. Take a few minutes to dig it, and if it moves you, hit the like button, leave a comment, and share it with someone you care about.
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 