Recess Party is the brainchild of four current and former University of Georgia students. Blending a wide range of indie, rock, and metal influences, the quartet has now released their debut album, Paid In Full, to the world. Keeping the energy always present at their live performances, this moody project is cohesive while still ensuring…
From Friday, June 23 to Sunday, June 25, the Athens community came together to enjoy local artists for Athfest 2023. This year commemorated 25 years of the festival and brought together acts of all generations and genres. In celebration of such a fun and successful event, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite artists…
While scrolling on TikTok in the spring of 2022, I stumbled across the song “Silhouette” by Wakai (feat. MARCO PLUS), which I immediately saved. The witty lyricsism and dynamic flows over smooth, dreamy production inspired me to listen to his album, To a Dark Boy, in its entirety. Wakai’s music is vibrant yet subdued, and…
Up-and-coming R&B singer Khamari released his debut album, A Brief Nirvana, on May 26, 2023. The album is littered with recognizable samples, interpolations, and strikingly personal lyrics. His voice and strong songwriting are reminiscent of a Channel Orange-era Frank Ocean. He has writing credits on every track and production credits on all but the last,…
An undergraduate student at Howard University at the time, Charlotte-born rapper MAVI released his 2019 album Let the Sun Talk just a week after his twentieth birthday. He is considered by many to make abstract hip-hop. It’s a hard-to-define sub-genre but some shared qualities amongst its artists, songs, and projects are pushing sonic boundaries, emphasizing…
On April 22, Afterglo held its second annual Earthday Everyday music festival at Live Wire Athens. It was a busy day in Athens, coinciding with Normaltown Music Festival, Highlight Athens, and Athens Twilight Criterium. Starting at 2 p.m., a multi-genre lineup of artists took to the outside stages, with attention turning to the inside stage…
As a part of the University of Georgia’s Music Business Certificate Program, I am lucky enough to be classmates with a host of musicians and performers. So here, I want to highlight a few recent releases from my talented classmates. Bea Porges is a singer-songwriter with a penchant for layered, relatable lyrics. Backed by fellow…
Be. It’s a simple message, a direct command. And, it also happens to be the title of Chicago rapper Common‘s 2005 album: Be. Common explained the title of his album in a 2005 interview, stating: The album is entitled BE because the hardest thing to do is to be yourself, although many think it’s the easiest it’s…
Following a six-year hiatus from releasing his own music, Musiq Soulchild returned to the scene in early March 2023. Victims and Villains is a collab album with producer Hit-Boy. This new album comes nearly 23 years after the release of his debut studio album Aijuswanaseing (I just wanna sing), but he still continues his E.E….
Below The Heavens is a phrase that immediately strikes one when they read it. Coincidentally, it is the title of the 2007 debut album of Los Angeles rapper-producer duo Blu & Exile. Looking back at Hip Hop in the 2000s, we can place most popular rappers into one of two lanes. Flashy and “hardened” MCs…