The fiercely independent, Idaho-raised rapper nick! channels a deeply overstimulated, restless frequency on his new EP, "GEEKED!". Born in 2006 and building a fervent following entirely without industry co-signs, he occupies an interesting lane in new-wave underground hip-hop. His music sounds precisely like the brain chemistry of an internet-raised creative processing the blinding speed of newfound success. He writes and produces melodic, hard-hitting rap...

A strange and wonderful thing happens when you listen to Kelly Glow’s “Black Girl Magic” DJ Nervex Remix. The sound itself is pure nostalgia, a sun-drenched boom bap that feels genetically engineered to be played with the windows down, circa 1995. But something else is going on beneath that familiar West Coast shimmer. This isn’t just a throwback; it's a lecture hall where the...