Kevin Montes

2024 has been one helluva year for Hip-Hop in the public eye, specifically emanating from a dynamic beef between two heavyweights in this era of the genre, Drake and Kendrick Lamar, over the summer. It brought back memories of iconic beef and the tug-and-pull between fandoms, like East Coast vs. West Coast in the 90s or my generation with Eminem vs. Ja Rule / Jeezy vs. Gucci Mane in the 2000s. Since the final tracks laid waste to the musical side, the internet has lost all essence of rap beef nuances, further influencing some people to speak out in unexpected ways, like Lil Wayne and others when Kendrick Lamar was given the Super Bowl Halftime Show as the first solo Hip-Hop… More

Grasa by Nathy Peluso has cemented itself as a cornerstone for her burgeoning career as a rapper and singer/songwriter; more importantly, it cements what will be a staple of her craft, equating the significant highs and more, from her last album, Calambre. As much as she sings radiantly, her rapping is on another tier, and it continues to surprise me, specifically with the ferocity she inhabits in her flows. Grasa matures her rap essence with a more seamless throughline; it’s gripping when she maneuvers from a Latin Funk and Electronic influenced Hip-Hop beat in “Mennia” to some R&B-laced vocals, accompanied by these audaciously hard drums on “Idea Radicales;” however, what makes it standout amongst the many… More