Welcome to “Underrated Artists,” an entertainment column from the Park Echo covering unpopular and unknown artists. Every week, a different Echo staffer takes on the role of writer, reviewing single releases and albums from four underrated artists.
One of my favorite artists to get pumped up for any challenge is Flint rapper Babyfxce E. Efrem Jamar Blackwell, or Babyfxce E, who is a young talented rapper from Flint, Michigan. The Flint rap scene is unique due to the distinctive beats and the rappers so called “Spice Talking.” It is highlighted in other popular flint rappers like Rio Da Yung Og or YN Jay. The Flint rap game combines fast beats with rappers whose voices can be recognized in a matter of seconds. In the case of Babyfxce E, he uses his voice to create punchy lyrics and a slick delivery. Recently signed to a record label, Babyfxce E continues to grow and come out with new, creative and sometimes experimental releases. In his most recent album “The X Tape,” he continues to embrace the culture in Flint to create unique songs. One of my personal favorites is “Flint Flow,” where Babyfxce E, along with many of his friends who also happen to be rappers, all come together to use their unique voices and flows to create a well written and well executed masterpiece. Babyfxce E uses his smooth voice and flow to deliver punchy lines that compliment the beat. His lyrics often talk about his wealth and how he doesn’t just play a character when he raps, he really means what he says. I would compare his music to some of Quavo’s. Babyfxce E combines the use of flow and his witty wordplay to create hype, fast and aggressive music.
Another artist that I love to wind down to is folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov. Born in South Africa, Isakov moved to Colorado and has tended to his farm along with occasionally releasing music. Unlike many artists, Isakov’s music is just nothing more than a hobby of his. He runs Starling Farm, a small farm in Boulder County which provides produce to CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) members, restaurants, and food banks. He occasionally goes on tours or drops an album but for the most part, he is just a farmer in Colorado. His music influences many in the indie-rock and folk world. His ability to create emotion in his music is unlike any other I have listened to. Many of my favorites by Gregory fall in his Grammy-nominated album “Evening Machines,” which includes “Dark, Dark, Dark,” where Gregory uses his intriguing voice and instruments to draw listeners in. “Southern Star,” uses percussion to create an incredible instrumental that will get stuck in your head for days. His catchy and relatable lyrics combined with the many different instrumentals makes you feel like you are climbing a mountain. I would say that Isakov makes music similar to The Lumineers and has heavily influenced the folk scene and been looked up on as a role model for many young folk artists.
Benji Blue Bills is yet another artist that has been tearing up the rap scene. Coming out of Washington D.C, Benji has been creating consistent, fast, and energetic music for a few years now. None of his songs have cracked ten million streams, despite the mainstream feel to his music. He is most known for his recent online squabbles with famous rapper Playboi Carti. Carti dissed Benji in a song so Benji decided to create a backlash track named “IM RIGHT HERE,” where Benji seems to be sending Carti a message through his violent lyrics. My favorite album is “Campaign Blue.” In this piece, Benji uses his typical beats that sound very unique, with a sort of alienated sense to them. He somehow maintains an incredible flow although the beats are extremely fast and difficult to find a sense of where to implement bars into. While listening to Benji, you feel like you can do anything. His music gives listeners an energy boost in almost any setting. I would relate Benji to artists like Lil Gotit or Lil Keed. Benji continues to improve with every release so don’t be surprised when you see him reach the charts soon.
The last underrated artist for this week’s installment is OT7 Quanny, a rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Quanny has been on the come up ever since his release of “Dog Talk,” where he uses his punchy voice to once again draw listeners in and fill them with energy. His lyrics often talk about the quest for wealth, which can be inspirational to any listener. He only got better from there. He then released “Sosa,” his most streamed song with around nine million streams. The song later blew up on social media, giving him the most recognition he’s ever gotten. His mean tone is unlike any other rapper in hip-hop. He combines all of his best attributes and uses them to bring them into one. His unique voice and wordplay when combined with his different flow blends together and creates an amazing sound. Quanny makes very unique music making it difficult to relate his music to other artists, but he sounds similar to Money Man. Quanny only continues to improve with each release as we await his debut album.
