Bryanne Elaine – Dj Roots Queen

Nyke Nitti is Playing No Games Now as a Producer

June 13, 2020 by Bryanne Elaine

california, Colorado, Colorado Myrical, Denver, Esi Juey, Nyke Nitti, rap, trap, West Coast

Regionally famed Nyke Nitti out of Denver, Colorado transitioned into producing just a couple years ago but he is already in his 7th full length production with this week’s release IssNykeNittiOnDaSlappTellEm – No Games. The album is the second installment of the same name featuring some of the regions top artists like Esi Juey, Young Doe, Colorado Myrical, A Meazy, Flawless Money while also luring OGs out like Vamp Dogg and Tuxx Da Go Boi.

The title track has a cool classic West Coast vibe with Mic Tee singing the hook and Esi Juey and Colorado Myrical adding the lyrical sauce on the verses. Check out the video here…

The video is more of a historical preservation as the historic 5 Points neighborhood as all but been forcibly gentrified in the last few years. The Five Point area of Denver was once known as the ‘Harlem of the West’ but has been inundated with boutiques, coffee shops and quirky little restaurants in the last few years.

Nitti has taken classic production style with whiny West Coast leads, dripped in updated new age sounds, a point Nyke shared with us at the video shoot. “A lot of people tell me that my production is what they been looking for, like people don’t make beats like this much anymore.”

But it didn’t come right away Nitti confesses, “people had to come over, put the headphones on and really vibe before they were feeling me.” The producer stayed making beats despite artists not immediately jumping on his production but due to his work ethic and dedication he kept on his path. “This is my gym, I’m in here everyday. I make beats everyday,” said Nitti.

One of his first projects as a producer was last year’s Eat This Beat Vol. 1, where he also worked besides Mo Heat, Tc Crook and Cheff Premier, vets in the game who each have their own loyal following. By having his own recording equipment he was able to bridge some of those relationships and continues to provide stylistic beats for to any artist who’s ready to rock with him.

Click here to hear the new album…

NLE Choppa’s ‘Cottonwood’ is a Cinematic Experience

January 23, 2020 by Bryanne Elaine

Music

Birdman, blueface, Lil Durk, Lyrical Lemonade, NBA Youngboy, NLE Choppa, xxl, Yo Gotti

Last month, 17-year-old platinum rap star NLE Choppa released his official debut project, Cottonwood along with a trippy, nearly 11-minute docufilm. The short-film visual delivers the story of a less-fortunate teen who gets everything he could want faster than he ever imagined. The catch is the pressure that comes with the fast life.

In the video, NLE Choppa takes fans into his world with a dramatic listening experience that lets the audience eavesdrop on everyday conversation. The straight-talk doesn’t compete with the thematic messages–it’s delicately placed for the sole purpose of situational context.

Cottonwood Road, the street that Choppa grew up on, sets the stage for his progression in the artsy visual. He includes every track from the project and transitions between them with interludes. The first single from the project, “Side”, is a triumphant track dedicated to his mother. Each scene cryptically mirrors real life events and spins them into a dream-like, coming-of-age narrative. He somehow translates disconnected strings of thought into kaleidoscopic experience. It’s an unflinching look at the raw reality behind viral videos and platinum plaques. This is what happens when the world knows you before you know yourself.

Back in October, Paul Thompson of XXL raved about the rapper who is a representative of the new wave and direction in hip hop. “[NLE] Choppa is like a perpetual motion machine, rattling off hard, percussive flows with enough personality that they never feel like technical exercises,” he said. With over a billion streams to his name, NLE Choppa quickly became one of the hottest new rappers of 2019. In January, his breakout single “Shotta Flow” made him an overnight star.

Despite confusing statements on his affiliation with NBA YoungBoy, you can’t unsee the comparison. They have a similar sound, a seemingly similar message for their listeners, and a lightning-fast rise. In only 10 months, NLE Choppa amassed an astonishing 475 million cumulative views on YouTube. This summer, he released the “Shotta Flow (Remix)” featuring Blueface. Later in September, he tapped Lyrical Lemonade for the energetic anthem, “Camelot”. The teenage force caught the attention of Birdman, Yo Gotti, Lil Durk, Pitchfork, The Fader, and XXL early on. Choppa spent this year steadily releasing hits. “Shotta Flow” is a RIAA platinum certified single, so he has the hard numbers to support the uproar.

With Cottonwood, NLE Choppa rounds out 2019 with purpose and solidifies his place as the next global superstar. Click below watch the vivid short film!

Mandy Groves Leaves Her Band, Survives Car Accident and Gets a Fresh Start

January 23, 2020 by Bryanne Elaine

Music, press release

Adam Asdel, Atmosphere, Colin Floom, Colorado, Denver, Mandy Groves, Musab, Shinu, Wash Park Band

Last Friday, Mandy Groves dropped the colorful visual for “Done with Me”, the first single from her new EP, THREE. Directed by Colin Floom and shot by Adam Asdel, it’s a sultry, sexy return to Mandy’s R&B influences.

“Colin Floom and I met on the set of a music video he was shooting the video for ‘Tight Rope’ by Musab featuring Slug from Atmosphere,” Mandy said. “I was an extra in the video. Almost 2 years later, he reached out and wanted me to be a part of another music video and we really became friends from there. When developing the idea of the video, I knew I wanted to do another project with him so we came together and made it happen.”

Back in October, the singer/songwriter/actor was seriously injured in a car accident that put her on bedrest for weeks, preventing her from taking acting jobs and recording music. “A month of recovery at my parents’ house, put me in a different frame of mind,” she said. “I hated not working on something. I already had ‘I Want U’ done but it didn’t feel finished or like something I wanted to drop alone.”

Finally ready to hit the studio in November, while also still in a neck brace, she met with Shinu to write and record. “My vibe was different. More sad and moody and sexy, so I got there with the intention to make something like that. My voice was also much healthier while I was recovering than when I was in the band and I had time to heal from the wringer it was put through in the band; loud instruments, bad sound/ low monitors, exhaustion, having to sing around cigarette smoke, etc…so I knew I wanted to really sing, show my range and my true voice.”

As with every other project they’ve done together, the duo made some magic happen in a mere matter of hours. “We got started and it just fell together,” Mandy said. “I knew I wanted to make something with feeling and emotion. I wrote the lyrics to ‘Done With Me’ that night and recorded it.”

After realizing that both songs she wrote had 3 word titles, the singer found some direction for the project. “I was like, ‘let’s make one more song– 3 songs with 3 word titles. Then I realized it would be my third EP and we had the whole concept down. 3 is a very meaningful number to me and it holds a lot of power in my life. It represents change and creativity, a unique ability to express yourself and follow your destiny, among other things. I’ve been guided by 3s in many tough situations and on many new paths. I feel like with this EP I’m finally finding my true sound and expressing really relatable feelings.”

Days before the car accident, the singer learned that she was terminated from her position as lead singer of Wash Park Band. “I was fired from the cover band I devoted 4 years of my life to. Essentially because of my growing acting career and solo music, they were starting to phase me out, both in my role in the band (by secretly auditioning and hiring my replacement) and in the way they treated me until they finally let me go. Like many young women before me in the band, I was hired for my potential and treated differently once I tried to reach it.”

Within days after being let go, the singer was driving in the very early hours of the morning after leaving the studio and fell asleep at the wheel. She hit a guardrail going 70 mph on the highway, totaled her vehicle, and sustained several injuries. “I moved in with my parents for a month following the accident and they took care of me day and night. I felt like I was missing out on so much and falling behind [on my work]. I really wanted to take that trauma and turn it into something positive. That’s why this EP means so much to me. I feel like I am finally settling into who I am as an artist and adversity only fuels my drive.”

“This EP really feels like a continuation of ‘Blame’,” the singer shared, referring to her second EP, released in May. “It feels like closure in a sense and a new start. Now I can devote all of my energy towards my music and my acting.”

Click below to watch the video for “Done With Me”!

https://youtu.be/8n7_5prmTm0

W.A.Y., 2une Godi, and WicJones Combine Forces In “No Reason”

January 22, 2020 by Bryanne Elaine

press release

2une Godi, Colorado, Denver, W.A.Y., WicJones

On New Year’s Day, W.AY., 2une Godi, and WicJones dropped their new single, “No Reason”. The song comes on the heels of W.A.Y.’s debut, cinematic release, 9D.

The focused chanting of the lyrics in “No Reason” speak to the people in our lives who try to tear us down, even when we’re striving for greatness. “Turn the HATE into a positive. There’s so many ways to make light out of dark, so embracing the hate from others and fighting through and still having a good time is what this song was about to me,” 2une Godi said. “We agreed that people hate for no reason because you’re doing your thing, so we thought that would be a great topic at the moment in that time of our lives.”

“W.A.Y. and I wanted to match each other’s skill set and intensity along with WicJones’ raw production,” he shared. “We wanted to bring some hype to our first song. With me living in another state, we all had the mindset of bringing all we got because it was our first time doing something like this. So we switched the flow and rapped faster and took turns coming in after one another on the beat.”

“WicJones and I developed a music relationship and were working together on a regular basis trying to build our chemistry further,” W.A.Y. said. “I met 2une Godi at a showcase in Denver sometime in 2017 and we developed a friendship that lead to a brotherhood at this point… Me and 2une Godi both come from way different backgrounds so rapping with him is always dope. We both go for the kill with everything we say and it was just one of those ‘iron sharpens iron’ moments. We wrote the song and hook together and utilized the back and forth bar for bar style out of just natural flow between each other and that was something that really made the record stand out.”

The process of recording the song took longer than expected, despite recording the vocals in only a few hours. “I actually upgraded my equipment in the time that we initially recorded,” WicJones said. “When we re-recorded vocals…getting the vocal tones to match from completely different equipment was an interesting but fun challenge that I was happy to accept.”

The producer/sound engineer works with some of the top artists in Denver. “The ear training that it takes to hear the subtle differences between each take and making the adjustments to get them to match was a cool little metaphorical ‘notch’ to add to my belt,” he continued.

“We wanted to let the world around us know that HATE would not stand in our way,” W.A.Y. added. “Whether it be from other artists or just people in general. There is a lot of hate in this world and most of the time there isn’t a legitimate reason for it. We wanted to expose this type of negative energy and I hope that whoever carries it hears this song and deads that energy within themselves. Because there is really no reason to be jealous, envious or hateful to anyone, especially when all we’re trying to do is make something of ourselves in this world. Push through, focus on you and what you are doing. Everything else is for the birds.”

Click below to listen to “No Reason”, available to stream and download on all platforms!

bryanne-elaine

Nyke Nitti is Playing No Games Now as a Producer

NLE Choppa’s ‘Cottonwood’ is a Cinematic Experience

Mandy Groves Leaves Her Band, Survives Car Accident and Gets a Fresh Start

W.A.Y., 2une Godi, and WicJones Combine Forces In “No Reason”