This week's Underground Sound features: Kaiydo, Joey Fatts, Pyramid Vritra, Raz Simone and Mari
KAIYDO
Using his upbeat, euphoric sound, Kaiydo is quickly gaining fame and putting on for his hometown, Orlando. At just 19, Kaiydo does not adhere to his generation’s sound. While his beats usually employ conventional modern-day cornerstones, like hi-hats and kick drums, he is anything but conventional.
Kaiydo demonstrates his dynamic thought process through his varied content. Some tracks detail him enjoying life and his rise, while others talk about the crushing reality experienced by bubbling emcees: being broke. Help the man get some more SoundCloud spins by checking out my top-five favorite Kaiydo tracks.
JOEY FATTS
Brick Squad Monopoly’s Joey Fatts is following in his Atlanta label’s footsteps by outworking his competition through his consistent mixtape output. Fatts is using his five released projects, most recently I’ll Call You Tomorrow, to demonstrate his west coast trap sound. He’s leveraged his Long Beach origin to team up with Vince Staples on multiple tracks (“Farrakahn,” “Lindo,” “Million $ Dreams” and “Cutthroat), which has lead to high-profile features, including tracks with A$AP Rocky, Action Bronson and Danny Brown.
His rugged flow details his grand aspirations of success—by any means necessary. Gaining notoriety for his three-part Chipper Jones series, Fatts is intent on elevating that fame from the West Coast pocket to the masses. Working with diverse acts like JMSN and Curren$y, that doesn’t seem too far off.
PYRAMID VRITRA
Pyramid Vritra is a rare combination of “Golden Age” Rap and Odd Future vibes. At just 25-years-old, he demonstrates a mature sound, supported by experimental production. He’s fittingly an Odd Future member and signed to Stone’s Throw Records. Seemingly the proper entity to foster his intriguing sound, Stone’s Throw is home to a diverse collection of artists, like legends J Dilla and Madlib.
His music retains an element of “realism,” focused on discussing his life and surroundings, as opposed to braggadocio content. Pyramid’s deep library of work—12 solo projects and three more with his duo (The Jet Age of Tomorrow—collaboration with Matt Martian)—showcase his exotic sound. Peep his tracks to take a break from the beaten path.
RAZ SIMONE
The multi-talented Raz Simone harbors the highly coveted ability of singing and rapping. He intertwines these skills to create deeply passionate music that reveal his authenticity. Just like dog is a man’s best friend, I think Raz might be his own best buddy. He mostly supplies his own hooks, which complement his dichotomy of smooth and aggressive flows that structure his thoughtful verses.
Just like Nas bragged on “Nas Album Done” off DJ Khaled’s Major Key, Raz started his own label, Black Umbrella, and signed himself. Now that’s a major key. Raz’ musical variation reflects his diverse business endeavors. From owning a club at 19-years-old to starting a promising Seattle-based label, Raz isn’t limiting himself to one career lane. Hopefully he continues to pursue music, because he is a talented individual.
MARI
The Harlem transplant originally from Chicago, Mari, is not your average musician. His clever bars and vibrant production detail his world perception, and find him sifting through various situations. From creating politically charged songs, like “All-Amerikkka,” to hood commentary on “Up” featuring Taro, Mari demonstrates his intelligence and versatility.
His popularity is rapidly increasing, thanks to his great music and savvy marketing skills. For an 11-week stretch, Mari released new singles every Monday, packaged as Mari Mondays. This piecemeal body of work encapsulates his passionate soul that has turned heads. It’s only a matter of when, not if, this guy blows up. Don’t be late to the game.