Broken mirrors aims to showcase the music of up and coming talent by drawing comparison to similar musical frameworks from more established artists. This is not attempt to accuse imitation nor proclaiming a lack of originality or uniqueness within the artists compared, but rather a means to use more well-known artists as reference points to disseminate music from budding artists across genres.
Before diving in, I want to give a
shout out to pigeons and planes (https://pigeonsandplanes.com/) who inspired me to begin music writing and to scour every corner of the internet in search of unknown artists. I felt what better to honor them in my first blog than by ripping off their “If You Like” series. Here is my own rendition, “Broken Mirrors.”
Frank Ocean /x/ dijon
The influence of Frank Ocean is evident in almost all newcomers to R&B. Los Angeles based artist dijon is no different. Dijon’s affinity for progressive song structure exemplified in “Nico’s Red Truck” emulates Frank Ocean’s musical expeditions such as “Pyramids” and “Nights." Coupled with his laid back demeanor dijon almost holds his own in comparison to Ocean’s “too cool” persona (almost). One of the most interesting similarities between the two is their lack of reliance on pure vocal skill, instead focusing on structuring songs and layering production in ways that highlight their vocal strengths. However, despite such similarities dijon maintains his own unique sound and continues to showcase growth throughout the release of various singles over the past year. With his first solo album seemingly forthcoming in the near future he has the ability to have a breakthrough year reminiscent of the 2017 breakthrough of other Ocean-inspired artist, Daniel Caesar.
Song recommendation: Nico's Red Truck
Meek Mill /x/ Q da Fool
DMV rapper and recent Roc Nation
signee Q da Fool further showcases the talent residing in the often glossed
over Mid-Atlantic. With an in your face style and aggressive street inspired
lyrics Q da Fool fills the void left for when Meek Mill chopped his braids. Whether a sign of their geographic proximity or true inspiration, Q da Fool
shares a similar cadence and annunciation to the MMG luminary which creates for
decadent flows which transition smoothly from bar to bar. However, unlike Meek
Mill’s more structured rhyme scheme, Q da Fool has a unique disposition to
allow for over stuffing his lines with an immense number of syllables making it
seem as if he could fall off beat at any moment. Yet somehow, he is able to
maintain his grasp on the instrumental which creates a unique sound and palette
cleanser to many other modern rapping styles.
Song Recommendation: Where I Come From
The Weeknd /x/ Reece
Upon hearing the first note of
Reece it’s obviously the immense vocal range and the ability to reach pitches
that other male R&B artists could only dream of. Coupled with sultry reverb
filled instrumentals Reese's follows The Weeknd’s seductive approach to
neo-R&B music. While still maintaining an eerie sound full of heartbroken
lyrics, Reece’s songwriting doesn’t delve into the drug induced darkness of The
Weeknd’s Trilogy days. Another artist without an album out, we can look towards the future to watch the progression of one of the best raw vocal talents in R&B.
Song Recomonedation: Lost in Translation
Kodak Black /x/ GlokkNine
GlokkNine is by far one of the most
popular "Broken Mirrors" already having racked up millions of hits on YouTube.
However, due to the lack of nationwide recognition as well as the uncanny
resemblance of GlokkNine to his South Florida compatriot Kodak Black, the 18-year-old
Cash Money signee is a necessary inclusion. Despite a similar Miami accented
annunciation and adherence to a modern hip hop style GlookkNine is over the
comparisons to Kodak stating in his song “Talm Bout”, “Talkin' 'bout the next
Kodak, uh uh I wanna be GlokkNine.” Despite GlokkNine’s desire to separate
himself from Kodak it is without question that Kodak has paved a lane for a new
generation of rappers from South Florida. And as shown through rappers such as
Young Thug (Lil Wayne) Gunna (Young Thug), Comethazine (madeintyo) there is
more than enough room for rappers in the industry who share similar sounds.
Song Recommendation: Talm Bout
