Spotlighting Twin Cities' Music from the Basement Up.
Nur-D knows you got things to do. So when he puts out a 20-song album you can be assured he’ll make good use of every single second. He’s going to take you on the emotional journey he’s been through up to this point.
Read MoreThe talent just keeps revealing itself. Whether it’s a new MC, a hard rocker belting his soul out, a group of women creating some of the best Americana, or a cancer survivor penning a song to those who have survived their own struggles, our great state is full of artists making original music. Hopefully this list continues to help you discover your new favorite.
Read MoreDoyle Turner is one of those “y’all gather round” artists. This was evident right away when I saw him perform for the first time at the cozy, intimate 318 Cafe in Excelsior, Minnesota. And it’s just as prevalent on his new album, Sweet, Difficult Sounds.
Read MoreListening to Buttah 3, the new album from Brandon Pulphus and produced by BigAGotEm, I get the same excitement as hearing Ludacris, Eminem, T.I., Jay-Z, and other artists who introduced me to Hip-Hop. Buttah 3 has a similar energy they all brought to their music, but stands out with its own distinct voice.
Read MoreLike many artists in the past two years, Minneapolis veteran emcee Christopher Micheal Jensen had an artistic drought of sorts. The collaboration and atmosphere of live shows withered in the COVID winter, along with many beloved venues we used to call home passed somberly in the cold night.
Read More“Castle Above the Clouds” presents a polished--but gritty--project that’s sure to reverberate with gusto in any royal chambers.to drop this year, following up his late-April EP release The Wolf That Cried Idiot.”
Read MoreLt. Sunnie’s project, “Always Sunnie in Trilidelphia,” released within the first few weeks of 2022, but its shine still resonates long after the summer sun wanes. Lt. Sunnie has her hand in many creative pots, being a singer, dancer, and host of The Sex Talk Podcast.
Read MoreMichael has no limits when it comes to his content, and is constantly coming up with new material and collaborating with new artists - as a self described "compulsive writer," his personal record is writing 400 songs in a single year. He expanded on his creative process by mentioning a concept Brian Eno shared with bandmate David Byrne; don't think of songs as architecture, think of it like gardening. Plant your seeds and see what grows. When writing a song, Michael asks each artist for three adjectives and a color they associate with their song. Although he does not have Synesthesia, he strongly associates songs with color. "Sounds have colors in a sense," he explained, "you know what a gold sounds like, how a black song or firey red songs sound, you know?"
Read MoreThe Minneapolis music scene is slowly crawling it’s way back from the almost death-blow that was the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hip-Hop’s corner of that scene was no different with several of the venues that gave a platform to up-and-coming MCs to start paying their dues forced to close permanently as the shutdown dragged on. Brandon Pulphus, one of FairPlay Entertainment’s artists, plans to help the rebuilding with more than just his words.
Read MoreTheir early music fits perfectly into the indie pop genre, matching the vibes and quality of well-known bands at the height of the indie craze of the 2010s. Naturally, their sound has been shaped and evolved over the years, adding more electronic elements and taking risks by including aspects that push the boundaries of indie pop, such as experimenting with horn lines, something we are seeing becoming popular in indie music in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
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