Azaria Brown
Bio
25. I'm a writer and illustrator. I like films, television, books, music, politics and being black.
Stories (51/0)
Nyck Caution Has a New Single...
For the last few months Nyck Caution has been teasing the release of his first solo album and the first single is finally here. After hearing him on the Nyck @ Knight project and some other projects by other artists (Joey Bada$$, Marlon Craft, etc.), we get to see him shine on his own project, which we haven’t seen in about three years.
By Azaria Brown5 years ago in Beat
My Name Don't Exist
I recently saw Noname in concert in Chicago when she opened for Anderson .Paak (I’ll be talking about .Paak’s performance more in depth at another time). Noname is, of course, incredibly talented, but also incredibly charismatic, and full of energy while on stage. It was whimsical to see her kinky straight wig blow in the wind as she performed some of her hits. The feeling I felt after the concert inspired me to dive into my hard drive and pull out a song analysis I did for Noname when Room 25 first dropped. Here is that analysis.
By Azaria Brown5 years ago in Beat
Eryn Allen Kane: 'A Tree Planted By Water'
Chicago-based artist, Eryn Allen Kane, is a vocal powerhouse. Her voice yields incredibly jazzy and soulful music with an incredibly vulnerable tone. Also, she’s worked with Prince for goodness sake. Eryn is a native of Detroit, but she’s lived in a number of places including Australia, and now she lives in Chicago. She has been involved with projects by many other Chicago-based artists including Chance the rapper, Noname, Saba, and Donnie Trumpet, and the Social Experiment. As of June of 2019, she’s dropped three singles, and three full projects, including her latest project a tree planted by water. Her music video for “Have Mercy” shows some contemporary dance moves, and really creates that “oh so you an artist artist” type of feel, and it looks like her new music will be in the same vain.
By Azaria Brown5 years ago in Beat
Vic Mensa's "Camp America"
Vic Mensa’s name has been in headlines for lots of reasons: some good, some bad. I’ve known about Vic Mensa and his presence in music for the better part of five or six years, but I’ve never felt inclined to listen to his music, for whatever reason. However, I think his latest release and comments on CNN are not being talked about nearly enough in the music commentary sphere.
By Azaria Brown5 years ago in Beat
Diggy Simmons Artist Analysis
Many people know Diggy Simmons as a son of Rev Run and from their family reality show, “Run’s House.” On the show, he was the typical younger brother. who was also trying to learn about himself and to be comfortable in his individuality. Ten years after the final season of “Run’s House” Diggy is an actor and rapper in his own right, working on BET and gaining his own record deal with Atlantic Records.
By Azaria Brown5 years ago in Beat
Is DJ Khaled an Unlikable Character?
I’m not one to discuss music industry drama unless it’s within Facebook Messenger with my friends; most times, I just don’t see the point. But I will take pretty much any chance to relate music and other aspects of pop culture to critical theories, methods, and concepts. I really don’t have an opinion on this situation, and I honestly don’t understand it enough to have one (and I’m too lazy too look that deep into it TBH). I’m saying all of this to say that this is nothing against DJ Khaled. I’m not overly concerned with DJ Khaled or Tyler, the Creator (even though I am a Tyler fan).
By Azaria Brown5 years ago in Beat
Joyner Lucas: 'ADHD'
Joyner Lucas has been creating some buzz for his upcoming ADHD album, which doesn’t have a release date just yet. He announced the upcoming album in late 2018, since then we’ve seen the release of three singles “I Love,” “Devil’s Work” and “Isis.” Right off the bat, I wanna say that 9/10 I don’t really research albums before they drop. This is because I’m usually not interested in what the artist is trying to do with an album. I like to listen to it first and then look at what they say they were trying to do to see if they were successful. It's this idea of the realized intention. I only mention it because if Joyner did any interviews about any of the things I’m going to discuss, I wouldn’t have seen them. But anyway.
By Azaria Brown5 years ago in Beat
Beast Coast: Where Are Groups in Rap?
Beast Coast is the collective group consisting of the Underachievers, Flatbush Zombies, and Pro Era, all three groups originating from New York and creating their fame from the ground up. As part of the promotion for their upcoming Beast Coast Tour (and what fans assume will also be a Beast Coast album), they released two singles, "Left Hand" and "Coast Clear," both produced by Powers Pleasant, one of Pro Era’s producers.
By Azaria Brown5 years ago in Beat
"Make it Better" by Anderson .Paak Review
Anderson .Paak is an artist that can do no wrong in my eyes. Whenever I do an Anderson .Paak review, I end up gushing emphatically for about 600 words, and for good reason. Sonically, he’s pleasing to listen to whether rapping, singing, or just talking honestly. The bridging of funk, R&B, soul, hip hop/rap (and gospel influences) allows him to create tracks that are incredibly pleasing to listen to, before even listening to the lyrics themselves. Enter his latest album, Ventura, released in mid-April, which has glowing reviews.
By Azaria Brown5 years ago in Beat
'When I Get Home' Is Just a Vibe
On March 1, 2019, Solange released When I Get Home, her fourth studio album. In 2016, Solange surprised the world with her album A Seat at the Table, that had neo-soul, funk, and RnB touches. The album was more political than Solange’s previous work, and had collaborations with artists like BJ the Chicago Kid, Andre 3000, The Dream, Common, and many others. Layered with the accompanying visuals and mystifying performances, the album was an instant classic with great replay value.
By Azaria Brown5 years ago in Beat