Miss Lili K has such a soulful voice with plenty of melodies to groove with. Her voice is so powerfully beautiful and will grow chills around your entire body my friends. Peter Cottontale’s electronic/hip hop beats resemble a little bit of Portishead’s sound but very unique. The lovely Chicago  also features Chance the Rapper on this lovely seven song EP. As soon as you put this album in your stereo everyone will be talking about Miss Lili K. Groove on. Download Metal Pedals here.

We have all been waiting finally for the new Deftones album “Koi No Yokan” after three years. We can always wonder which direction the deftones will take their music. On this latest album they have pushed the envelope by far and reached a new musical standard. The first hit off the album “Leathers” is hard to even say that it’s an actual single. The quiet intro starts off the song and than it hits you with a bang from Chino Moreno’s intense shout. For all of you hardcore deftones fans out there this album is definitely for you whether your into the old sound or new. The opening song “Swerve City” kicks in with some heavy guitar riffs with the powering drum sounds of Abe Cunningham. This is not an album to have on silent. I say turn up the volume and blast it so your neighbors can hear it from across the way. It’s hard now a days to find bands that can stick it out together for this long. Especially a lot of the 90′s bands. Since the deftones first album “Adrenaline” from 1995 to their latest release of “Koi No Yokan” they seem to always keep their sound which is always a plus. I think that’s what keeps the bands fans always listening. I highly recommend you check out the deftones live as well. Chino Moreno is one of the most greatest melodic singers of all time and for our generation. So go to your nearest record store, best buy or Itunes and turn up this album. This will be one of the greatest records of the year so check it out when you can. Enjoy. Check out their song “Tempest” at the bottom.

TreStyle has released a 17-track mix tape titled “Dark Days, Bright Nights” which mostly keeps the features and production in-house with Rel Elite handling most of the production duties. This album shows his true feelings about life, music, religion, and everything else on a record for everybody to hear. “Dark Days, Bright Nights” is sure to be a great launch pad for TreStyle. Bringing in more of the chicago style based hip hop movement. This album is a great definition of that. Crank it up and enjoy!

These reggae california rockers have made their fame from long ago. Brad Nowell actually found them and signed them back in 1995 and signed them to Skunk Records. They used to be just a 5 piece band until a few years ago they brought in a few trumpet players and a saxophonist. The band keeps on pushing to new limits in their song writing and performance live. The reggae rock scene has blossomed over the years showing a new generation for the “Bob Marley” love.

Slightly Stoopid’s new album “Top of the World” was just released on April 14th. The 21 song album has climaxed with more beautiful harmonies and jams the entire way. Slightly Stoopid has become more of a “jam band” as the years of progression. This new album is just fantastic if you love reggae and blues all mixed into one. Slightly Stoopid also cover’s Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire” which is a beautiful song. Go check them out now with 311 on the unity tour! If you love Bob Marley you will love Slightly Stoopid without a doubt.

You might have heard of Sir Michael Rocks from part of The Cool Kids. Now stepping out as a solo artist and bringing in the chicago love which he is from. Very trippy and bumping beats. Bringing in the old school hip hop with a flavor of Kanye West at times. Even though this album hasn’t brought a hit it still shows behind Sir Michael Rock’s backbone. The energy, flow and direction he’s trying to go. It still has very catchy hooks and if you love The Cool Kids this will definitely be in your direction. Party on Wayne. Party on Garth.

Another great local hip hop mobster Mr. Andre “Paypa” Thomas has just came out with his EP. Paypa from the Project Mayhem decided to let loose a short collection aptly titled the Andre “Paypa” Thomas EP. This 5 song body of work features fellow brothers in Mayhem, Lennon and Ish. The production is by Tye Hill and Mike “Masserati” Myers. As much as this is only an EP it flows through sweetly. “Pimp Friends” sounds like a futuristic Michael Jackson song singing in the back. Very catchy and easy to dance to. Turn this EP up and hopefully the next full length album will bring the hip hop to a new level.

Shawnna has disappeared for a while taking some time off until her recent release “She’s Alive” came out in June. She has come from a huge musical background. The daughter of legendary Blues artist, Buddy Guy. She is also the co-owner of M.O.E with Big Mike, and said she is taking “her career in her own hands and looks to show the industry what kind of real BOSS she is.”

The 20-track album includes a bonus track, along with snippets from producer Young Chop, and features from Cap One, Chella, Young Berg, Parkay, Meek Mill, L Streetz, Gunna, and Twista. She wanted a bunch of remixes or what she calls “She Mixes” to spice up the record. So all you ladies better get down with this girl because she’s Chicago’s top Hip Hop chick around.

Chicago native Nikko Grey is busting out with logic on life, political aspects, and his opinions on the economy. The beats are busting out on “Lavender” without a doubt. It’s great to hear a hip hop artist like Nikko Grey whose lyrics make you think beyond the “gangster” retrospective. The meanings are deep behind the songs, “My Departure,” “A Leader” and “Dreams.” This album pushes beyond the bullsh*t. Nothing better than a great party hip hop summer album for Chicago. I salute you to Nikko Grey’s “Lavender.” Pick it up now or you will be sorry.

The Chicago producer/rapper Tree is very bizarre yet interesting in his raps. He’s relatable, charismatic and a great producer. The album initially takes a while to process because it’s hard to take Tree’s break-neck voice in large doses. The struggle with religion covers all grounds on this record. It all shows emotions with fighting against his brother, loneliness and being poor. The “gangster” hardly exists on this album. It’s more layed back and low tempo.

Tree might be trying to find his way to work on his sins but by finding stolen equipment to practice his skills on is not a great first step. The production is still pretty amazing and this Chicago rapper will hopefully be topping the charts soon enough.