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...

Stephen H. Cumberbatch, also known as C’batch, has released the "Next Time (I Won’t Be Falling)" EP, an obsessively multifaceted autopsy of romantic relapse. Reimagining the exact same song across four distinct genres is a fascinating choice. Frankly, it perfectly mirrors the cyclical trap his lyrics describe: swearing off that one fiercely magnetic person, only to slide helplessly right back into their orbit. We...