ASHNIKKO – DAMSEL [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Something out of the blue and interesting for you, here's something I found just crawling through the tunnels of SoundCloud as you do. It's some rap, essentially. It's not only good, it's also a combination of things worth making some noise about. One of which is that the rapper herself is from North Carolina but lives in Riga, Latvia.

Yeah, anyway, this is the sound of Ashnikko, real name Ashton Casey, and she's really good. Her flow is elastic and plosive and sharp all at the same time, at least this is what I can glean from this particular 3-month-old track (vintage Ashnikko), 'Damsel'. As you might be able to tell from the title, it deals with the stereotype damsel-in-distress, stamping on it and throwing up a lightning barrage of middle fingers to, and laughs at, its endorsers and practitioners.

Her voice twangs clear and crisp, almost drawling her superconfident lines, of which there are so many clever ones, with slow, spelled-out icy delivery, steeped in carefully considered rhyme. Some that stick out: "Girl you so cute, why you talkin' so morbid? / I'm the female Cookie Monster but I'm snacking' on corpses" – "You're happy with that job and your subservient wife" – and "Your savage master cackling madly as he checks in with his drones." But really, it's totally brimming with this type of confrontational intellect and I love it.

This is all set to a low-key beat, booming out sub-bass foundation and ticking snare punctuation for Ashnikko's bars, courtesy of Latvian beatmaker Toms Slukins. Adding barely perceptible vox to the end of the track is about its only variation, but it totally works – Ashnikko is the star of the show here, but Toms' production goes with it like the sky to a cluster of clouds: pretty perfectly.

This comes from Karaļūdens 01, a compilation of rap and hip hop from Riga music collective Dirty Deal Audio released at the end of last year. You might not understand Latvian, but you are a human and you are free to like or dislike patterns of speech, and surely you can like a beat or two without knowing what's going on lyrically. (Sure helps though. *sigh bc i don't know all the languages*)

PS. You can download this for free
PPS. There's also a video for this

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AUX JENNINGS – NEED ME [FREE DOWNLOAD]

I love a nice collective. Who doesn't? Collectives seem to be where it's at these days. Like there are quite a few atm like A$AP Mob, Odd Future (OFWGKTA), New Generation, Futures Collective… each one is hotbed of collaborative creativity. Of course, individual endeavours abound and are actively supported and bigged up by other collective members – a karmic utopia of encouragement. Having friends is really nice, but having likeminded friends as set as you are on having your music heard by the world at large must be something else entirely.

What does this have to do with anything? Well this guy Aux Jennings is part of Halifax (Canada) collective Weirdo Click. That's where it all fits in, you see? Anyway, a few-few days ago Aux dropped a brand new EP, MuckAFolly, a collection of electronically charged smooth tracks packed with the distinctive flow of the 21-year-old rapper and producer. Purportedly, it's anti- its own genre, something that we all know glorifies some iffy aspects of itself (drugs etc.) and that is certainly a good starting point for any new artist of any genre. Speaking out.

Let's have a listen to one of the tracks from MuckAFolly, the gentle sway that is 'Need Me'.

Leading in with some bubblesome pops of synth chord, becoming the riff throughout, the track rests on slow sub kicks and skeletal rattling hi-hats skittering with precision. It's true simplicity, those chords not crowding the space, allowing time for the glassily reverbing sounds to breathe for themselves not enmeshed within other instruments. Aux's flow itself is interesting, moving ahead with as much commanding fluency in its slower moments as in the doubletime segments, layered with animated screeches to mirror more darkly the bars bouncing along, tackling with frustrated sincerity the many needs of a needy girlfriend (or so it seems).

It's generally just a great sound, a trappish hip hop that employs near-futuristic noises to give it this otherworldly feeling, an escape from the reality that the words themselves convey. Young talent like this (Aux produced all of this too btw), with all its individual nuances, paves the way for new movements in music, new trends, providing a fresh outlook on life as every singular mind could. Determination! That's all you need, after an idea or some talent. Anyway, you can download this track for free, or download the whole MuckAFolly EP here for free (clickety-click!).

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CORY JREAMZ INVICTUS EP

Wahoo! Here it is. Yes. Ever since I first encountered the music of Houston rapper Cory Jreamz well over a year ago, he's been on a constant curve of improvement; coming across as a guy who not only seems intent on conquering the world, but also as someone whose future efforts must surpass those that came before, it's no surprise that he gets better and better. His latest EP, Invictus ("unconquerable" or "undefeated" in Latin), released a couple of days ago, is his third to date and follows on from last year's Vague Current Vivid Fated, an angst-ridden quartet of songs from the mind of 18-year-old Cory Jreamz. One year and four months later, and one year older, CJ has developed his sound and his style and come up with something very striking indeed.

From the first ultra-distorted, unearthly sounds of 'Pressure' you know you're in for an intense ride. The very first lines introduce the Cory's uncontainable emotion, littered with varied name-drops: "Teen anger's all in my heart / Sylvia Plath all in my veins / I ain't takin' shit like Rosa Parks" and "Play this piece in the Pantheon / I'll play it all in Versailles too / Write a script with Hitchcock / Then show my cock to Lucy Liu" particularly. Grinding saw-waves rise like razor waves from a steel sea, framing a dizzying slew of references – both pop culture and high culture – from Cory Jreamz throughout the song: Napoleon, Thomas Edison, Genghis Khan, to name just a few. He roars the song's refrain – "They should've played this shit up in the movie Casablanca, and have a black man rapping while they fight Nazis" – draping a fierceness across the rumbling beat of the track that he has absolutely no qualms about displaying. He doesn't ooze confident, he burns with it.

At the end of 'Pressure' he brashly raps "I'm the black black black black black Marlon Brando" – clearly unafraid to make a point of his race, something which is still very much an issue in the US. Speaking of Marlon Brando, Cory must be a fan because he references the actor in 'Alive' as well, a song with a more chilled beat, dripping with strings and samples yet still retaining Cory's love for dark atmospheres. This track comes with a new extension, known now as 'Alive/NYC', the 'NYC' part comprised of a track he dropped earlier this year, 'Driving To New York AT 4AM'. It's a wholly nightmarish and menacing closer to the EP, in which he implores, "let my family know that I'm gone with the wind" and spits vitriolic and ironic desire for model wives and fast cars in the nocuturnally alone atmosphere.

As you can tell by now, Cory Jreamz is full of inspiration and influences, from films and pop culture to literature and historical figures. I love them; they're really entertaining, I find myself listening intently to hear who is gonna find themselves mentioned in a rap. The grime-flavoured 'Nina' is packed full of references and irony, displaying a confident, sarcastic lilt against a triumphal, war-like brass section. Also, in 'Howl' (check the video here), for instance – the title itself a reference to Allen Ginsberg's famous poem of the same name – Cory summons art world references in his defence, raining down fiery scorn on anybody who refers to his career as a pipedream.

He tackles that same judgemental attitude in 'Will You Be Here', condemning the world for making people conform and stamping down his conviction for success with lines like "Ain't never stoppin' I'm always climbing" and "Nigga this more than a rap hobby / All this soul up in my body / If I don't make it and get a Grammy / You can shoot me like I'm Bobby." In the second half of the song the music turns slow, ambient, fluid, echoing with ghostly samples in a stew of everdreaming subconscious, the perfect evocation of the "lost highway" he finds himself on, countering fear of death with determination to leave a legacy: "When the lights go out I'ma still be here / Rockin like Keith Moon till my last breath of air."

The cocksure, audacious lines don't stop, gloriously full of Cory Jreamz' personality: determined to make something of himself. Amidst its raw beat and scratching synths, 'Swim' is a track in which he humorously explains "I never learned how to swim or ride a bike" whilst contrasting this with determination in the form of a tongue-in-cheek middle-finger-up attitude to detractors. 'Swim' is potentially my favourite from the EP, because of its very legible beat and being the track to best display the almost yawning flow of Cory Jreamz, talking out the side of his mouth (seemingly) in a sarcastic manner that truly gives no amount of fucks to "doubters".

What more can I say? Alternatively dark beats that scream just as loud as Cory Jreamz's soul seems to be and, as he says himself in 'Swim', his voice is a piece of art, something to enjoy. You don't have to relate to it, of course. But the fact that it exists, and is consumed like art, is enough. With this said, it's pretty evident that Cory Jreamz is going to get bigger – this EP has confirmed it. And since bettering himself from last year to this, I don't really doubt that he's going to top this Invictus next year when he releases album The Lonely Painter. Also, look out for a video for track 'Nina' in January.

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LAZY INTERVIEW #12: CORY JREAMZ

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← #11: YOSI HORIKAWA #13: THE ORWELLS →

Already making waves, having been featured on websites much more prestigious, desirable and professional than mine, and also played by UK rapper/poet/MC/DJ Scroobius Pip on his XFM (that's a UK radio station btw guys) show - Beatdown, every Sunday 12am to 1am - and also by Lily Mercer on her Rinse FM show (Mondays, 1am to 3am) - or at least, Cory Jreamz thinks she did.

Yes, his name is Cory Jreamz and he is a rapper from Houston, Texas. I've been following his progress since he released his EP, Vague Current Vivid Fated, last year - it was a pretty leftfield venture out into the world of rap, draped with all the frustrations of being 18, which Jreamz was at the time. Next, this year, we heard 'Howl', a distorted mass of noise tied up with a spoken word diatribe. It comes from his upcoming album, The Lonely Painter, scheduled for release later this year.

Anyway, as you can probably tell Cory Jreamz is the latest of the YES/NO Lazy Interview Q&A. If it's ok with you, you can read it below and find out a little bit more about this up-and-coming rapman.

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Who are you? Where are you from? What do you do?
　My name is Cory Jreamz, from Houston, Texas. I make music.

Why did you decide to start creating music?
　It came from me writing poetry. Needing a way to express myself. I'm a fairly quiet person so music gives me my voice. People always wonder why I'm quiet sometimes, it's because I'm writing the songs in my head haha. I have a lot to say.

How would you describe your sound? What makes you and your style stand out?
　I don't think I could describe my sound. Each song sounds really different. Charisma, aggression, teen Angst ha it's a lot of things. What makes me stand out is that you can't compare my sound to anyone's. It's just Cory Jreamz.

Is there a perfect time and place for listening to your music?
　At night while driving around it sounds amazing. Driving really fast on the freeway it sounds pretty cool. I wouldn't listen to it in the morning though. Morning is more fit for folk Joni Mitchell type of vibes. Rap would be hard on the mind in the morning.

What inspires you most when writing a song?
　Anything going on in my life. Anything someone said to me. People, places, many things. I'm inspired by everything I encounter in one way or another. Movies also. I got inspired to do the the first half of the intro to my album while watching the film The Tree Of Life. 'Swim' was also inspired by someone asking me did I know how to swim or ride a bike. I mean, you might even be inspiration for something. I pretty much get inspired by 100% of things I encounter.

What is your most memorable musical experience?
　Passing out my CD's at school my junior or senior year I think. I was passing it out to everyone in the class. I ended up handing one to a girl in my class, and she broke it in half right in front of my face. I'll never forget that moment, I still have the CD actually. I decided I will never quit making music at that point. Keeps me humble.

What are your favourite three songs at the moment?
　MGMT - Your Life Is A Lie
　M83 - Your Tears Are Becoming My Sea
　Waka Flocka Flame - 50K Remix

Who do you most admire in the music world?
　Pink Floyd. Greatest band ever in my opinion. From taking risks with their album covers to having flying pigs at their shows. Wow. I also admire David Bowie in certain ways. I really admired what he did with the Ziggy Stardust stages of his career. It was fresh. I think it's cool when artists come up with different personas, characters of their self. That's what made me fall in love with how Nicki Minaj or Eminem have the weird voices they do when they rap. I love it.

In your opinion, what is the future of music?
　I think everything will eventually be digital. CD's will stop being sold in stores etc. I feel like some new genre or sound will come and takeover also. Sort of like what Hip-Hop did. Just a prediction. Who really knows though?

What's the future of your music - what do you hope to do next?
　Release this album in October first of all haha. After that the focus will be on making my first show happen. Which will be in London of course. I'm aiming for December or January.

What, aside from music, is most important to you?
　Family, Friends, Film. I'm really into movies. I want to further enhance my screenwriting skills eventually. And then move to directing. So at least by 24 or 25 I could be directing and writing the scripts for all my videos.

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There you go. 11 questions asked, 11 questions answered. It's clear that there's a lot of ambition here - a mix of the charisma and teen angst he mentions above - and that's definitely not a bad thing. In fact, half of making music is having the guts to actually DO it in the first place and for Cory's particular style of music - alternative rap, I guess, but not like anything really - it's a really brave step.

With that in mind, I'm looking forward to see how The Lonely Painter will turn out. 'Howl' was wildly different to anything on Vague Current Vivid Fated, so the whole album has the potential to be a polarising experience - not just between the songs themselves, but for the audience. However, I'm pretty sure that Cory isn't afraid to create something that isn't just going to turn heads but also spark a very different reaction depending on who's listening.

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← #11: YOSI HORIKAWA #13: THE ORWELLS → - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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