Before a guitar chord can become an argument, it usually begins as a private disturbance. A television flickers in a locked-down room. A former sailor sees an old enemy image placed beside a strange public gesture of peace. That is the uneasy ground beneath "War Killer," the Reetoxa and it gives the track its charge: not polish for its own sake, but a human reaction...

XRick SaenzX, an emerging voice from the vibrant Los Angeles hip-hop scene, seems to understand this primal urge that sometimes, a song just wants to have a good time. His latest single, "Kickback," featuring fellow artist Out The Way (OTW), arrives with the straightforward intention of being a "party song." Yet, like any good get-together, there’s often more happening beneath the surface chatter and booming...