Zesty

Discover talents of the indie hiphop and R&B scene with these ten mixtapes that were released in the past month of February!

Once again I have hand-picked ten mixtapes for you that were released in February. Get a quick impression of each tape via the video above, then find more info and the links below. As a juicy extra, I’m also recommending a talented newcomer who made his “SoundCloud debut” in February.
Finally, I would like to give an honorable mention to the mixtape ‘Growing Wings‘ by FPL Crew’s Briel.

Notes: Click on the headings to be directed to the playlists. All listed in order of release.

 

Zesty – Crank In

GR8VATTIC‘s rapper Zesty has been teasing for his first mixtape for a long time, having pre-released tracks since December. All of his crewmates feature on the tape, along with Dino.T, and Roocent of Hashtag. Up-and-coming producer Clayheart and engineer Doubdub helped out with the mixing and mastering. Everyone will find something to their liking in these eleven tracks.

Always Around – 24

Like often before, this album caught my attention because of the featured artists. As soon as I read “Dorphin, Early Moon, Sinstealer, Lypla, IndEgo Aid, and kumira,” I was sold. Producer Always Around‘s mini album is a chill and decent listen, also available for free download.

Skinny Brown X Midas P – S/S F/W

Wayside Town’s rapper Skinny Brown and producer Midas P created four headbangers together. This tape is perfect for anyone who cannot sit still. Download it for free! By the way: Midas P produced two tracks off SUPERBEE‘s ‘Original Gimchi‘ LP.

kumira – so little boy kumira

Even though he gets older, kumira still feels like a little boy. He packed his stories and views on the world into six songs that have his laid-back trademark sound and are full of emotion. As if his own talent was not enough, he stacked more on top: Lay.Bn, wonstein, meok, shinyujinssi, i.No, Nodsgn, and DA￦N, plus producers GILLA, kane, and Ranez.

Lay.Bn – Flat

Singer Lay.Bn of off somewhere has made “depression” the theme of her second mixtape. Feeling that people should pay more attention to the different types of depression, she made each song about a different time of depression in her life. The track titles consist of the year and her age at the time. Amongst others, her crew mates BIBI and HYE SUNG helped out. Download the tape here.

Slick O’domar – PRESEASON

Slick O’domar is a member of OSAMARI Crew alongside QWALA, Walter, and Frogman. Made by the efforts of many talented individuals, this tape is of excellent quality and I enjoyed every track of it. Two of the songs stood out especially: ‘당돌한 년’ (lit.: daring b*tch) because of James Keys‘ exquisite vocals and ‘MUSTACHE MAN’ which has a fun beat, lyrics, and featurings by Walter and Don Mills.

OHIORABBIT & Coa White – 일기 (Diary)

juiceoveralcohol‘s OHIORABBIT spits personal lyrics on beats by producer Coa White. The rapping conveys raw emotions, beautifully underlined by the jazzy, chill beats. A perfect listen for the nighttime.

Chaanill – Lovhestory

Rookie singer Chaanill has a refreshing youthful energy that he shares with his first mixtape. Saying that he is “still scared” to do all the tracks on his own, he got himself a solid line-up of featured artists, including Luna_tune, EXN, Call Lee, packxday, SHEEZY STASH, and forest. He also chose a simple topic: love. The first three tracks are about two people getting to know one another, the next three about being in love, and the last three about breaking up.

Stunt Music – Art

Stunt Music are BAEGIRA, Woo On, and Hojun Shin. They previously released the tapes ‘Appetizer’ and ‘Judgement’ under the name ‘The Stunt’. Quirky rapping and sounds that are easy on the ears make out their new mixtape. Singers Unknown, BIBI, and HAYAN add a soft touch to the songs.

Untell – Color Concert

For over half a year, Untell of Sixes Game worked on his first mixtape, and it was audibly worth it. The rapper easily shows off his smooth flow without being outshined even by Khundi Panda. The other featured artists, Queso, D’sperado, and Alisha, compliment Untell’s tone of voice and add to the quality of the tape. You can download it here.

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Discovery of the Month: GeonWoo

In mid-February I stumbled over GeonWoo‘s ‘Spotlight‘ and surprisingly discovered that it was the first track the singer had uploaded. Well-deserved, ‘Spotlight’ recently reached 3rd place on Naver’s Musician League charts.
At the end of the month, GeonWoo uploaded his cover of Daniel Caesar’s ‘Best Part’ and all I can say is: “Keep your ears pricked for GeonWoo’s voice!”