Exclusive: Aviant Redz - "Boudit Ambitions"

This track was difficult to listen to. Then I remembered that, often times, the most beautiful art expresses some of the ugliest truths. "Boudit Ambitions" is a dark tale of a girl who is sexually promiscuous for the sake of financial gain. While the approach is explicit, it's fitting and timely. While objectifying women is nothing new, it is further perpetuated in this age of reality TV. Many young women are objectifying themselves to meet the TVs standard of celebrity and sexy.

What made the track so difficult to digest was the fact that South Floridian artist Aviant Redz is just 16 years old. This is the cold reality that our young people live in today. So while the content is shocking, Aviant's awareness is impressive. He has strong ability and vision.

I first told you to look out for him back in February. Now I'm telling you that this young man is a true artist. I hope he has the right team around him to get him to the next level.

Check the stream below and remember where you heard it first...

Redz - "Joy" Music Video

Broward County, FL. Fort Lauderdale to be more specific. I lived there from ages 8 through 15. At 15, after having seen enough peers shot, fighting in the streets and trying drugs, I decided that I needed to get away or fall victim to my environment. I refused to become a statistic.

Fast forward through a whole lot back story and here I am today looking back to that time and place and saying, "I did well."

I bring that information up because that's what drew me into this record from young BC artist Redz. He was clear, concise and eloquent. Very impressive for just 16 years old and promoting for himself.

"Joy" is an examination of dreams vs. reality. Redz says, "The first verse is me enlarging my own ego only to bring myself down to the reality of my music career within the second verse." It's very well done. Redz shows that he's serious with a pen with lines like, "I got that number 3 flow/I give these niggas Heat stroke/and that's Dwyane Wade" and "So far away from home/So close to alone/Local niggas hit me up/Producers blowin' up my phone/But I'm in the same position/Niggas got the same wishes/But all our dreams are different/and so are the means to get it."

This young man is on to something! I'll definitely be checking for him and I think you should too. Get into the video below and support him further by downloading his mixtape "Pride and Joy" from DatPiff.

Exclusive: Homemadesoul - 'Inspired by a True Story'

It's been a while since I've highlighted some straight soul. It most certainly wasn't that I didn't want to. I just haven't heard any indie stuff come through my inbox. Well, that changed.

Homemadesoul is the stagename (Yes, just like that.) of Curtis Clark Jr. The Floridian singer/songwriter just released his first EP, 'Inspired by a True Story.' The project is a 9 song Classic Soul/R&B trip with some minor Jazz inflections. Homemadesoul delivers solid vocal performances, fantastic writing and some absolutely beautiful melodies and harmonies. His voice really shines when he's using his middle and upper register. The voice really opens up at those points and showcases a wonderful tone and timbre. "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Get This" are solid examples of how the quality of his voice changes as he moves through his range.

Mr. Clark has been heavy on his job promoting his work around the world. There aren't many independent artists that can say they've performed in Kuwait, Iraq, Guatemala and Japan in the last year! On top of the traveling, he was nominated for four 2012 Beachcomber Music Awards to close out the year 2011. The Florida local publication selected him in the categories of Best Male Vocalist, Best Singer/Songwriter, Best R&B/Soul Artist and Best Original Song for "Let's Stay Together." Play on, Playa! Winners will be announced on February 19th.

IBATS is a strong first effort. Very strong. At points, I would have liked a few tweaks to production but those moments are far and few between. I send this one out to you with a full seal of approval. Support this musician and Air Force veteran by checking out the stream below. Buy the entire release for as little as $1. One. Whole. Dollar.

www.Homemadesoul.com

Bishop - 'Roses. Are. Red.' EP

The story of how I discovered this artist would make you chuckle. I'm not telling you the story though. Just know that I heard of him in passing, decided to check him out and really enjoyed what I heard. The 3 song EP 'Roses. Are. Red' was released in October of last year ... so yeah ... I'm late as all hell to the punch.

In any case, Bishop is relevant. Over 3 songs he gives us 3 different looks. On the lead off, "Poison Ivy Too", we get the indie rapper flavor du jour. The DJ Corbett produced track sounds like it came from a Curren$y session. This is all Bishop though. He even makes that very clear on the follow up track, "This is Me", where he shows he can hold a tune just as well as he can rhyme. I know what you're thinking! It's not Drake-In-A-Box. It actually sounds like Bishop might have penned the song for 50 Cent. He even sounds like 50 on the hook. I would like to have a heard a stronger 3rd offering though. "Rated eX" is on point lyrically but doesn't sound as polished as the first two tracks.

Bishop is producing some good music. I'm glad I decided to give him a listen. His flow is solid and lyricism is respectable. I'm definitely interested to hear more from him. What do I know though? You be the judge. Check the stream/free download below and let me know what you think in the comments.

Note: A 4th song, "Flight Delayed" was added after the post was live.

Bishop on Twitter