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Tweet Rendering courtesy National Museum of African American Music For many musicians, fans and music-biz folk, 2021 began with a sigh of relief â COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out, and Congress approved federal aid for independent music venues that havenât been able to conduct business as usual since March. But itâs clear that weâre far from out of the woods. Thereâs still an indeterminate span of time before itâs safe to fully reopen venues large and small, making it all but impossible to plan a tour. All the same, thereâs plenty of music across a broad spectrum that youâll be able to enjoy â from home or in public at a safe social distance â while we wait. ....
Tweet Gee SlabPhoto: Laiken Joy For native Nashville rapper Gee Slab, years of outstanding work led to a big payoff in 2020 in terms of visibility and he brought a lot of folks along for the ride. His professional relationship with Vibe editor-in-chief Datwon Thomas led to the creation of Tenn Toes Down, a handpicked playlist of Music City hip-hop that highlights the diversity of sounds and approaches in the local scene. As we head into an uncertain 2021, Slab is beginning to roll out a new suite of projects, beginning with a single called âSpread Game.â The track is a production of DJ Pain 1 thatâs slow and melancholy but is constantly moving forward, emphasizing the feeling that the progression of events is inevitable. ....
Tweet Share Brian BrownPhoto: Justin Causey Despite the unprecedented difficulties that the music industry has faced in 2020, it’s been one of the best years Nashville hip-hop has seen yet. We’ve seen key releases from major players, impressive debuts by up-and-comers and increased attention from national fans and tastemakers, making for an exciting year when it could’ve been anything but. One of the earliest key hip-hop releases this year was Journey, the highly anticipated debut full-length album from East Side native Brian Brown. Journey came in at No. 10 on Scene critics’ list of the best local albums, and it shows Brown to be as skilled over the long haul of an LP as he is on singles and features. He can tackle thorny topics (“A Cashville Story,” “Flava”), wax introspective (“The Release Pt. 2”) and serve up inspiration (“Journey”) in less than 40 minutes. ....