I know what you’re thinking. Another rapper from New York. If you’re anything like me, whenever you hear the preceding phrase, you automatically recoil in horror. Most often these movements are involuntary, and have something to do with a slew of New York rappers that generate a lot of buzz in the beginning but end never making it past a couple thousand views on DatPiff. Even though New York is the birthplace of this music we love, the lack of innovation in recent years have sidelined a once proud coast. Metaphors and punchlines can only get you so far in 2015 (unless you are Styles P, Fab, or Jadakiss)– there has to be substance to the music these days, or at least versatility.

Speaking of versatility, I haven’t heard much from Fitz, but he seems to inherently understand this principle. Fitz is a rapper from Brooklyn, NY who uses his charismatic and romantic personality and fuses it with his music. He performed for many venues including the 2013 Panama Day Parade, NYC Coat Drive events, and Concrete Temple Fundraisers. With his music, he hopes to help people enjoy life and love through his witty and “out-of-the-box” banter.

Notice, no trigger talk. No talk of officers in unmarked cars. No huge reliance on the sound of another coast to make the music accessible to the masses. The reason why I chose to pen this article about Fitz is largely due to the reasons above, but it is refreshing when an MC is less concerned about oozing cool rather than crafting material that audiences can relate to. You can check out Fitz’s latest single for “She’s My Music” and make sure to track his movements on the interwebs.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theperfectfitz
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/fitz4ever/shes-my-music-p###-by-rg

Everyday, I’m inundated with young hopefuls that are intent on getting their music out to a wide audience. I only have two ears (and if you’ve seen, you know that they are very small) so I am not able to listen to all these submissions, but I applaud the effort nonetheless. Recently, I stumbled across a young up and comer named Nick Delahoyde. While this is not the same sort of molly-happy Hip Hop that is currently dominating Top 40 radio, Nick has a refreshing bent to his music. He appears at once humble, energetic, but confident in his abilities– the three halmarks of a successful rapper.

Music wasn’t always in the cards for Nick. In pursuit of a professional football career, Nick moved to Barcelona, Spain at the age of 15 and lived there for 4 years. It was during this time that Nick started to explore hip-hop music as a way of expressing his frustrations with the ups and downs of following his dreams. What started out as an outlet, soon became a burning passion. Nick wrote lyrics and melodies to his favorite instrumentals as well as original songs, in collaboration with Sydney based composer, musician and producer (and brother) Joseph de la Hoyde (de la Aurora & Monks of Mellonwah).

Nick started off writing his own introspective lyrics and recording them over modern hits, sharing his work on Youtube and Instagram (where he’s built an audience of over 60,000 at @ndelahoyde). Nick’s work recently caught the attention of Chicago based Hip-Hop producer Lemoyne ‘LA’ Alexander (R.Kelly, Aaliyah) who invited Nick to the USA to collaborate. The result, Nick’s debut single “The Longest Way,” realeased in October, entered the US top 100 chart strongly in 2015.

Charting this early in his career, the sky is truly the limit for Nick Delahoyde. If God willing and the creek don’t rise, Nick’s eventual debut album will feature the same sort of fearless disposition he executes on his debut single. The Hip Hop is sorely in need of it.

Put who am I? Check out Nick’s video for “The Longest Way” for yourself. Maybe you’ll spark up some interesting Youtube comment arguing.

As always, make sure to track Nick Delahoyde’s movements on the interwebs:

Music video links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71f9mLpuRC4
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ndela12