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Image via Internet Hippy
The third installment of blog Internet Hippy’s compilation Digital Flowerings plays as a survey of the experimentalism largely prevalent on Soundcloud—lo-fi, geographically agnostic (though the south, as ever, looms large), and often oddly catchy. The collection’s concept “is to provide a platform for underground, internet-based artists to display there art at…the crossroads of hip-hop and internet culture.” As a result of this philosophical aim, Digital Flowerings Vol. 3 might confuse casual hip-hop listeners and traditionalist fans alike, a transmission from a growing niche in the genre’s vast, ever-evolving landscape.
Standouts Jimmy V’s “Victorian Nightmare,” which casts languid rapping and sparse synths against a syrupy slow classic drum break, Mackned’s mesmerizing “Rajona Rondo,” Lonny X’s low budget swag celebration “Thrift Store Freestyle,” and Tyler Major and Lombardi’s beautifully woozy “Cheetah” showcase both aesthetic consistency and subtle variety in what could potentially be a dull, repetitive affair. Digital Flowerings Vol. 3 doesn’t cover every corner of the Soundcloud map (a fool’s errand if it had been the aim), choosing instead to sketch a clear style with just enough variety around the edges.
Stream Digital Flowerings Vol. 3 below and download it here.
