By Christopher BrockerMusic Journalist Jesse Rodriguez and I met through KTSW as he joined the Hip-hop group. Rodriguez joined the station as a DJ and music journalist but sought out the challenge of covering Hip-hop. I had the privilege of working with Rodriguez and quickly saw his potential. Photo of Jesse Rodriguez on Texas State University Campus. Later in the semester, I discovered that Rodriguez was a producer and he […]
By Jesse RodriguezMusic Journalist Kiefer Shackelford is a jazz and soul pianist that emerged on the scene in 2017 with his independent release Kickinit Alone. Kiefer was signed to Stones Throw in 2018, which is a perfect label to house his abilities considering that it is filled with genre-bending instrumentalists. Discovering Kiefer in the midst of a global pandemic has provided a huge breath of fresh air and comfort. Kiefers […]
By Jesse RodriguezMusic Journalist Adam King Feeney, better known as Frank Dukes, is a Canadian record producer best known for his “boutique sample library” Kingsway Music Library, which was originally a place to house his own compositions. It now supports many artists. Dukes originally came up in the hip-hop scene producing for the likes of Ghostface Killah, Lloyd Banks and 50 Cent. Dukes would produce using samples and pretty much […]
By Jesse RodriguezMusic Journalist Known for his soulful ballads and jazz/funk-inspired tracks Los Retros frontman, Mauri Tapia, also has a couple of hip-hop tracks floating around the internet under the name “Retro.” Although only having a few hip-hop tracks, Retro’s abilities as a rapper and producer are very promising. All the tracks seem to carry on a similar style of producing that we specifically hear on the Los Retros 2020 […]
Jesse RodriguezMusic Journalist The integral part that these women played in hip-hop is often overlooked, simply because the work they put in was behind the scenes and years before they got to be a part of hip-hop. Without these artists and their initial efforts, these iconic songs wouldn't even exist. These songs contain elements of soul, jazz, and R&B, which hip-hop is fundamentally based on. The Charmel’s - “As Long […]
Jesse RodriguezMusic Journalist The sound of late 50s and early ‘60s soul music was such a niche time for music and from the wise words of Mr. Brown Eyed Soul himself, Sunny Ozuna, “It can never be duplicated.” Instead of trying to replicate it, new soul acts have straight-up revived it. Growing up in a predominantly Hispanic area, listening to oldies was the way of life and a major part […]
By Jesse RodriguezMusic Journalist Planetory Destruction is the debut album by Docter Destruction A.K.A “DOC D.” The album comes to us 70 years before its release as DOC D has built a time machine and is creating and releasing the mixtape as he’s simultaneously destroying the universe in the future. At least, that’s the story of this album. But who is DOC D in the real world? DOC D is […]
By Jesse RodriguezMusic Journalist Running to Utopia is an art collective based out of the Lehigh Valley. The collective consists of rappers and overall artists Kon Grey and Mo Gardens. Their music is rooted in hip-hop and rap but their use of synths, experimental loops, and elements of spoken word makes their music genre-bending all while their lyrical content keeps it grounded and relatable. Pick Me Up from the Middle […]
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