Sankofa : BLKTCHP

Does MC Sankofa sleep? Is there any downtime for this Midwest rapper? If you check out the list of albums he’s been putting out at a record pace I’d say no. If he’s not plotting the next album with some killer production courtesy of some amazing producer friends, he’s dropping videos of him freestyling over […]

Burning Tapes Drops Surprise “Odds On Evil”

If you tuned into my conversation with Darren Page a couple weeks ago you’d know that he has a brand new BurningTapes album just waiting to drop and blow your minds. The co-runner of Burning Witches Records and mastermind behind the electronic project BurningTapes wrote and recorded this new LP over the last couple years […]

Above & Beyond : Makaya McCraven’s ‘Highly Rare’

For it being only the second week of February I feel like there’s been an amazing amount of new music that’s hit our ears already. At least I’ve written about a lot of new music. I’m not complaining, man. January and February are typically pretty barren of new music off the bat. It’s usually March […]

Flyover Sounds : Sankofa & Chef Mike’s 313260

I’ve been following Midwest rapper Sankofa for a few years now. I can remember hearing his praises by local music writers well over a decade ago, but hadn’t really locked into the world of hip hop just yet. Not that I’m an expert now(far from it), but I know what I like when I hear […]

Sankofa : Weird Summer

Stephen Eric Bryden, aka Sankofa, is the premier Midwest wordsmith. A guy whose vernacular is that of an Encyclopedia Britannica, and his rhymes are always in-the-moment and of the utmost urgency. He’s a thoughtful lyricist, whether he’s rapping about our failing political system(“Joe Harvey X #doubledownondumb”), social unrest(“Killer Mike For President”), or the best damn […]

Power In Numbers : Listen To FloStorm’s “The Message 2020”

Photo by Corey Beck On May 29th and 30th, 2020 peaceful protests in Fort Wayne, Indiana in honor of the murdered George Floyd were corrupted by city police. Without provocation(and with the blessing of Fort Wayne city mayor Tom Henry) the FWPD shot tear gas canisters into crowds of non-violent protesters(with one protester losing his […]

Killer Mike For President

My good friend Stephen, aka Sankofa, wrote, recorded, mixed, and mastered this amazing track with some help from EDS and Burnt Bakarak yesterday and dropped it this morning. Sankofa is one hell of an MC and thinker living in the Midwest with me. His tracks are thoughtful and provocative, while the beats are old school […]

Sankofa : $5,000 Flashlights

There’s nothing quite like experiencing an artist at the height of their powers. Watching them make the magic happen the only way they know how. You wonder each time out if this is as good as it’ll get. Have they reached their pinnacle of creative power? Should I savor this just a little more? Sometimes […]

Sankofa Drops Video For “Blood of the Eagle’s Eye”; ‘$5,000 Flashlights’ Out Sept. 2nd

There really is none greater than Sankofa. The Midwest rapper has been quietly(and sometimes not so quietly) writing and recording thoughtful, introspective, and next-level rhymes now for over ten years(but less than 50.) He’s a worldly fellow but calls Fort Wayne, Indiana home. Whenever there’s a chance to hit a stage and spread the knowledge […]

Flying Lotus : Flamagra

Steven Ellison, aka Flying Lotus, has been on an upward swing from the moment he arrived in 2006 with his debut 1983. Falling comfortably into the shoes of producers like Madlib and J Dilla, with also element of psych, hip hop, trip hop, and jazz, each Flying Lotus record ups the one that came before. […]