Dead End Hip Hop

No Politics. No B.S.

New York hip-hop

Kamron Bahani: “This That”

By

New York emcee Kamron Bahani has been impressing peers and grabbing fans with his ability to mold himself and create over any soundscape. Exploding on the scene with multiple projects, we’ve gotten personal tracks, battle raps and radio ready music from the talented emcee. Earlier this year Bahani released his sophomore album “Magnum Opus Open”…”Menace” is up next…

Kamron Bahani’s third album “Menace” is set to release later in August. To hold us over and to bring witness to his current endeavor he brings us “This That”. If you’ve been riding with Bahani for a minute you know he’s able to double time with the best of them and “This That” is him digging deep over a heavy instrumental tearing the beat to pieces. While “Magnum Opus Open” really had our hero analyzing his life and the world around him, both the successes and pains, “Menace” has Bahani confident and feeling unstoppable. Check out “This That” below and get ready for “Menace” dropping soon.

Brodie Fresh: “Round The Way” feat. Sam Hook

By

New York has been the mecca of hip-hop music since the beginning of time, and while several other markets have flourished since then (rightfully so), there’s nothing quite like some NY hip-hop. Returning to the scene in a major way, Long Island’s own Brodie Fresh drops off a wavy new single titled “Round The Way” featuring proven singer/songwriter Sam Hook (“Say Ah” – Trey Songz + “Post To Be” – Omarion) and produced by Grammy-nominated Benny Wond3r and Yonni. 
 
This unique-sounding record — which truthfully sounds like nothing else in hip-hop right now — will live on Brodie’s forthcoming project Rain Check expected to drop later this month. That project will include features from hitmaker Tory Lanez, lyrical monster King Los and more. Adding more excitement to his campaign, Brodie will be going on tour with Chris Webby and Anoyd for the Raw Thoughts tour starting on July 15th and lasting until August, hitting a total of 16 cities. See a full list of dates and locations below.
 
Stay tuned for more information surrounding Rain Check soon! 

Junae Brown On Her Creative Marketing & Events Agency “Browned 2 Perfection”, Staying Organized & The Importance of Marketing & Branding [Interview]

By

Back in December I had the rare chance of meeting and supporting some of the people I’ve had a chance to build with on Twitter over the years. One of those people was Junae Brown, who runs the Creative Marketing & Events Agency “Browned 2 Perfection” the story doesn’t stop there though. While I didn’t have a chance to interview Junae in person (yet) I was able to ask her some questions about her company, staying focused and what it takes to make it in New York.

Dead End Hip Hop: For those who somehow still don’t know, who is Junae Brown?

Junae Brown: Lol great question! In my best 3rd person voice (laughs), Junae Brown is a young Black Woman from Harlem, New York with a passion for Music, Marketing, and People. She is also the founder and Head of Marketing at Browned 2 Perfection Agency. Daughter, sister, friend, and positivity patron!

DEHH: Congratulations on your “Vision 2 Perfection” event last weekend, how was the turnout and energy?

JB: Thanks so much! It was honestly really amazing, my heart is still so full. I’m really grateful that we were able to bring so many amazing women (& a couple gents too!) into one place to envision how to manifest their goals and dreams. My birthday was a few days later, so it served as one of the greatest gifts ever. The affirmation portion was very soul nourishing, and the overall vibe was fun, comfy and progressive! Huge shoutout to all who attended, and my amazing team.

DEHH: Now I’m not gonna front, I know you did a lot of things, but after doing some research you’re involved in more than I can keep track of. How in the world are you able to prioritize and stay organized without losing your mind?

JB: You and me both lol! It’s really a never-ending learning process, but I am a stickler for a few things:

Calendars are life, if it’s not on my calendar it isn’t happening. I use iCal the most out of convenience, and its synced to all of my email addresses. I also have an oversized paper wall calendar, and a larger than life dry erase calendar on my wall.

When it comes to prioritizing I think that really balancing things by how much energy they take up is key. Energy is currency, and let’s just say I keep a pretty tight budget these days. That means being able to say no to some things, so that I can give the things I say yes to 100%.

I’ve also begun to develop a great team that serve as great reminders when I ignore or miss the ones on my phone lol

DEHH: Tell me a bit about “Browned 2 Perfection” and the work you all do over there?

JB: Browned 2 Perfection Agency is a Creative Marketing and Events Agency that helps artists, brands, personalities, and companies maximize their potential by becoming the Best Version of themselves. We basically take what’s already great about you, and package it uniquely to present to the masses. This is made possible through one of a kind Marketing plans, Branding strategies, Content Creation and Event Curation. No client is ever the same, so whether it’s an album release, product launch, or web series premiere we make it happen…2 Perfection.

DEHH: I had the chance and blessing to meet you in New York a couple months back for the “Music In Motion” showcase featuring acts like Chase N Cashe & Jay Prezi, how does an event like that come together from planning all the way to the execution?

JB: Yes, it was so great to finally meet you! Like any event, it all started with an idea. Sophie of Music in Motion approached my partner in crime Kim Chanel and I about helping her with the event, and we took off running. After brainstorming and choosing dates we reached out to the venue and artists. Once that was in place we came up with a flyer and promo concept. After many edits, we promoted on our different platforms until it was time for the actual event! At that point it’s about keeping communication with the venue open, ensuring the sound is right, and all acts have what they need to perform. Then they tear the house down!

DEHH: On the topic of New York, I see artists and honestly at one point myself included romanticize New York a lot, but from my experience in NY, it truly feels like if you don’t have your bearings, if you aren’t focused and ready to work NY will do more damage than help to your career, can you talk a bit on that?

Regardless of where you’re based, I believe whatever your goals are you should stay focused and work hard to achieve them. However, in NYC there is so much going on that I think naturally people get easily distracted. It’s also more expensive to live here than most places, so you need to know how to hustle or learn quickly. Trying to balance survival and dreams is what usually what discourages people after a while. NYC is a super busy and exciting city, so one can also get easily distracted by things that aren’t moving them forward. If you’re moving here to achieve certain goals and obtain access to certain spaces, then seriously come with a plan and lock-in.

p.s: If you’re already here, lock-in and stop playing.

DEHH: Why is marketing & branding so important? I feel so many artists use the words interchangeably but don’t truly understand that they’re different.

JB: Yes, I get asked the difference between these two things quite a lot. Although they often tie to together and compliment each other, they aren’t completely the same. The simplest way I can put it is that Marketing is more so the different aspects of the product and how it’ll be packaged whereas Branding is focused on whom the artist is behind the project, making sure the audience recognizes key things that make you, You. Branding often includes your look, colors, and logo. However, it goes well beyond into the “theme” or vibe you give off. My favorite example is Rihanna; you can ask 100 people to describe her in 5 words, and you’ll get a lot of the same answers and associations. That’s efficient branding. How important is Marketing and Branding to artists? It’s every single thing; regardless of the specific product, the consumer wants 2 things: a great product and a good story. It’s your job to make sure you have both and then give them both.

DEHH: What’s one key tip, you’d give to someone looking to get their name out there more on social media?

JB: Be yourself. The Best version of Yourself.

DEHH: I can’t thank you enough for taking the time out your busy schedule to sit down with us, what can we expect from you in 2018?

JB: Thanks so much to you guys over at Dead End for thinking of me! In 2018, you can expect in short, a lot more events and a lot more Marketing from the Agency. We have some exciting things cooking with both new and returning clients that we’re really excited about. We’ll also be continuing to evolve our different party series’ and niche events. Something that I personally love is providing Marketing and Wellness resources to the everyday person and creatives everywhere, so please look out for all of the ways we figure out how to do that, 2 Perfection.

Kamron Bahani: “Magnum Opus Open” [Album Review]

By

I always applaud new artists for even attempting to come up in this music industry, everywhere we turn a new trend is being thrown in our face. Social media dictates more than any of us would like to admit. New York’s Kamron Bahani has gone through the trenches, last year he erupted onto the scene with three projects. Two EPs and his debut LP, his first EP put everyone on notice as Bahani showed that he was full of raw talent. His LP “By The River“ unraveled the story of Bahani while continuing to showcase his fire starter abilities. Now in 2018, Kamron Bahani is here with his sophomore album “Magnum Opus Open” (which I’m referring to as MOO from here on out, deal with it).

Off top you can hear Kamron Bahani’s growth, yes we’re still getting the quick spitter who can string words together better than most, but it’s clear Bahani has slowed down just a tick to really figure out who he is as an artist and what he sounds best on. To me, this was the most important facet of the album because it gives Bahani the consistency some of the previous releases were lacking. This is heard first on “Red” we get a heater of a beat in our headphones, but Bahani’s ready to go spitting like we’ve gotten to know over the last year and a half. It’s the next track “West 63” that shows Bahani knows where he shines brightest. The underground, funk, jazzy sound is guaranteed to have you on your feet, I’d love to hear this live.

Kamron Bahani sounds the most comfortable over these instrumentals, which are varied from the underground involved “Marcus Aurelius” to the soul-bearing “I”. One of my bigger gripes with Bahani’s music over the last couple projects is the almost forced singing vocals. This time though, again it seems like Bahani took a step and added an extra effect in post-production to be more cohesive to the music and it may not work every time, “I” is a perfect example of where his singing works.

“Magnum Opus Open” is by far Kamron Bahani’s most focused and pinpoint effort. I don’t think Bahani’s reached his final form yet and that’s honestly more terrifying about the New York upstart. If you like energetic rap that smacks you in the head but soothes you with vulnerabilities Kamron Bahani is the emcee for you. I think I want to see Bahani dive a bit deeper into storytelling and using different flows but as with everything music is a growing process. For now enjoy “Magnum Opus Open”.

Kamron Bahani: “Magnum Opus Open” [Album Stream]

By

For those of you who’ve been rocking with me for a minute you know that New York upstart Kamron Bahani was one of my favorite emcees from last year. After dropping three projects (two EPs & an LP) Bahani has been somewhat silent in 2018. He dropped a single in “We Go Ego” a while ago, but we haven’t heard much since.

Never fear though, Kamron Bahani is here with his sophomore LP “Magnum Opus Open” the follow up to his debut “By The River”. This is the fourth project I’ve heard from Bahani and it’s easy to chart the growth and talent of the emcee. In MOO it sounds like Kamron Bahani has almost reached his final form, produced entirely by Ohini Jonez, Bahani sounds like he’s finally found the sound that’s perfect for him. But I’ll let you be the judge, you can peep “Magnum Opus Open” and if you aren’t convinced you can peep the music video for “Marcus Aurelius” above.

Urbvn Architects: “Triple Threat” (Album Stream)

By

I get a chance to listen to a lot of hip-hop and in the ten years I’ve been doing this, I’ve grown an absolute love for hip-hop groups. DeepSpace5, Lootpack, Slum Village, Odd Future, Foreign Exchange, hip-hop groups give multiple emcees a chance to showcase themselves. The group can become a force to be reckoned with, a statue in hip-hop forever.

However over the last couple of years the group has kind of fallen off, and boy this trio from New York called Urbvn Architects is up next. Josh Alias, Yung K and Blaq Kush make up the group and they’re exploding into 2018 with their EP “Triple Threat”. Instead of having multiple tracks with all three artists, the project is a three song EP where every member gives us a solo track. I don’t want to spoil too much but give this a listen and let me know what you think, there’s more to come from UA but for now enjoy the “Triple Threat” EP. You can follow the group’s moves on Instagram HERE.