A seven-minute dive into the mind of New York Artist Urban J, Scriptures of a Sinner is a solemn reflection in musical form. The beat selection here is interesting because although J is rapping on each track, his bars are not over your typical rap beats. Instead, the production here focuses heavily on instrumentation, while his flows are much more reminiscent of 90’s rap. For reference, think Ghostface Killah’s track with Mary J Blige, “All That I Got Is You.” The same kind of gruff on that song is also present on each track here. Urban J’s got a great tone that meshes well with Franny P’s production. Urban J’s storytelling ability is also of note here, as he paints a pretty vivid picture across the three tracks he performs on here. Contextualized alongside the procession of one’s grief, this project is a highly emotional one, and I urge you to take seven minutes out of your day to give it a listen.
If you like Mac Miller, Isaiah Rashad, or J. Cole, chances are you’ll like this. Give Scriptures of A Sinner the time of day when it drops this week.
Brandon Bury - 2000 Miles Away (Single)
A smooth and dreamy hit is our next feature from artist Brandon Bury, also known as @SighMike. Centered around a nice, slow groove that's easy to nod your head along to, 2000 Miles Away is a two-and-a-half-minute track that talks about longing to close the distance between yourself and the one you love. A hauntingly beautiful, distorted guitar riff plays throughout most of the track, and the slight dissonance it creates is a great fit between the additional rhythm guitar and drum line. I like the idea of a long-distance relationship doubling as a metaphor for where you are striving to be in life compared to where you are now, as opposed to a literal physical distance between two people. With this piece of music serving as the mark of a new era, and a switch up in his musical direction, I enjoyed this track, and am looking forward to what comes next.
If you like the Alternative genre, Indie Pop, or even Bedroom Pop, add this track to your playlist when it drops on March 22nd!