by Charles Livio, OnlyReal Entertainment
Allan Rayman – H.O.H.W (Hell or High Water)
Toronto artist Allan Rayman’s game plan seems like that of a bulldozer’s more than anything else. He’s taken Toronto’s youngsters by storm. His debut video of title song “H.O.H.W” is a strong entrance into the hyper-competitive Toronto hip hop scene. Rayman has a bit of an edge on his competition though. His singing voice channels reggae influences with a rapper’s inflections. His writing approach is also more poetic than most of competition, and he’s not scared to be a romantic. In fact it’s safe to say he’s of the hopeless variety, as illustrated in songs “The Ex” and “Her.” His raps on “New Sh*t” showcase his strength in the more traditional hip-hop sense, although it’s hard to say there’s anything traditional about Allan Rayman. Producers Moose and Substance lay the minimal background for Rayman to do his thing beautifully, adding touches of unassuming bass lines alongside excellent drum pacing. H.O.H.W is currently free to download as an Editor’s Pick on DJBOOTH.NET.
PARTYNEXTDOOR – PARTYNEXTDOOR
The newest addition to the OVO family just released his self-titled debut mixtape. With a sound heavily reminiscent of Drake’s, it’s not surprising to hear of the camp’s involvement. That is by no means a bad thing in this case, as the OVO camp has been providing some of the best Rap/R ‘n B music in the respective genres over the last several years. With only this one project under his belt, PARTYNEXTDOOR has already shown he’s capable of writing the grabbing music we’ve come to expect from the Toronto based crew. While advance singles “Make a Mil,” “Wus Good/Curious” and “Over Here (featuring Drake)” whet the city’s appetite, it’s always great to see an artist really deliver on a project front to back. The subject matter might not be that deep throughout the majority of the record, but as his name suggests, it’s full of very well executed party music. So well executed, in fact, you can expect your favourite song to shift day to day. Right now mine is “Right Now.” (See what I did there?) Download PARTYNEXTDOOR free via OVOSound.com.
