Underground Music – January 2018
Alice Glass
If you don’t know who this musician is already, I bet you’ve heard of her former project Crystal Castles! Glass departed from Crystal Castles in October 2014 and began working on a solo career. She mentioned her reason for leaving the group being “working in the band compromised her efforts towards sincerity, honesty, and empathy for others”. Whatever the fuck that means.. we thought. After leaving, she continued to have open door disagreements with former boyfriend and band mate Ethan Kath creating speculation of why the band broke up.
With recent media influx of sexual harassment, Alice Glass made a new public statement in October 2017 concerning former band made Ethan Kath. To summarize the statement, Alice Glass declared that she was raped and abused in numerous ways from the age of 15 by Ethan Kath. Since 2014, Alice has been working on her mental and physical recovery. Her new self titled album is one you need to listen to! It highlights Glass’ lyrical genius and has allowed her to experiment with a new sound! We are all proud of Alice for leaving a toxic situation and continuing her craft.
Rico Nasty
Ahh yes, another interesting good ole’ Twitter find. Rico Nasty has been putting in the work since early 2016 and her music is finally being heard! Originally from New York, Rico drew me in with her personal style and upon hearing her music I quickly understood, she was eccentric. Rico Nasty’s latest album Sugar Trap features her most popular songs “Key Lime OG” and “Poppin'” and after playing it on repeat, I was convinced she was a modern woman version of DMX. However, she doesn’t only scream and rap in her latest album, Rico also has a variety softer sounding songs. She radiates confidence throughout her lyrics and creates music that most people can have fun to. Definitely check Rico’s music out if you’re looking for a new banger.
Kailee Morgue
One of my favorite things about music is being able to discover a musician whose voice or talent is unheard of and Kailee Morgue is that unique underground artist. I’m telling you right the fuck now, you need to listen to this angel! Coming across Morgue singing a cover song on Twitter in late 2016 was what I’d like to call a rare find. She began her music career by posting videos online of her singing cover songs and playing the guitar in her bedroom. Those videos were quickly retweeted and shared by thousands of people on the internet on various social media websites. Kailee Morgue went viral in a fast amount of time.
From my memory and just stalking her online presence for the past two years, Morgue then began working underground with a friend who produced her beats. They managed to put out a few songs that also went viral via Soundcloud. From the moment I heard Kailee Morgue sing, I knew she was going to get signed. Morgue signed to Republic Records in 2017 and her debut EP titled “Medusa” is reported to release on January 19, 2018. Keep an eye out for this musician, her voice and lyrics will captivate not only your ears but your soul.
Jack Jarlow
It’s been a long time since a modern rapper has made me want to listen to what they were actually saying. Jack Jarlow is an up and coming 19-year-old rapper from Kentucky and when I first heard him spit bars, I was shocked! He may not be rapping about the most serious subjects, but his talents have definitely shined through. I’m looking forward to see what else he puts out in 2018…
Kitty aka Kitty Pryde
Kitty has been underground since 2011 but definitely not unheard of! Formerly known as Kitty Pryde, she took a rise to fame with viral songs such as “Okay Cupid” and “Florida” in early 2012. She was an influencer of a new genre of modern underground rap. During that time, she collaborated with rapper Riff Raff on a song titled “Orion’s Belt” that quickly grew popular amongst Youtube & Soundcloud users. Since then, we’ve all been wondering.. where did she go?
Kitty remained working quietly on a new album and raised money through a crowdfunding. Kitty had previously been offered deals with record labels but refused to give in to becoming a fake persona to sell records. By using KickStarter she was able to raise $39,000 for a solo project! Her latest album Miami Garden Club was released in August 2017. The new album showcases a growth in Kitty’s musical talents because she had complete control over the entire thing. Miami Garden Club sounds much more mature and experimental than previous projects she’s worked on. Congrats on putting out an album Kitty!
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Castles_(band)
http://www.alice-glass.com/cc/
http://www.republicrecords.com/artists/kailee-morgue