No Forks Given is a new-ish dive bar in Sandy Hill, so it’s surprising when they have the best chicken sandwich in Ottawa. Here is our review of this spot at 191 Somerset Street East.
Continue reading “Best chicken sandwich in the city? – No Forks Given (review)”Da BTB Show (vol. 2) event review
Written by: Frank B
For the past year now, The Bytown Blog has been hosting local music and poetry shows that highlight the local Black cultural scene and Friday, April 1st was no different. If you care about Black culture in the city, Da BTB Show (vol 2) hosted by the Bytown Blog at the Avant Garde Bar (135 Besserer street) was the place to be last Friday! The show started around 10pm and all the familiar faces, such as Alexie behind the counter serving refreshing drinks, were there.
Continue reading “Da BTB Show (vol. 2) event review”Energyy brings a new ENERGY to OT with “Jungle Rules” – EP review
When new artists arrive on the hip hop scene they often mimic other artists, and that makes sense because we are always influenced by others. Creating a different sound is hard and nearly impossible in today’s generation. Today we review Energyy‘s mixtape “Jungle Rules” a Travis Scott inspired tape by an emerging artist in Ottawa.
Continue reading “Energyy brings a new ENERGY to OT with “Jungle Rules” – EP review”LJ is making boss moves
Today we profile local artist and entrepreneur The LJ as he discusses his hunger to be more than an artist His story is inspirational and worth an artist profile, maybe he can inspire you.
Tap in with him on IG and Spotify.
Continue reading “LJ is making boss moves”The top 5 Underground Hip Hop Acts on the rise
Written by: Frank B (contributor)
We are currently witnessing one of the greatest hip hop eras ever, and that is partly due to the creative nature of the underground artists in hip hop right now. In my opinion, I would say the authenticity is back. From the heartfelt bars, sonically updated gritty production, grimy stories over soul samples, and the drum-less loops. The heart of Hip-Hop is back in full circle, with a sprinkle of contemporary sound. Such is the influence and strength of this new underground wave, that it has already assimilated itself into mainstream hip hop. This impact can be gauged through underground rappers being heavily featured on most top ten rappers of year lists; the meteoric rise of Griselda (and Griselda Records expanding as a label and signing the likes of Rome Streetz, Boldy James and co); Benny the Butcher signing a 1.5 million dollars Def Jam Records deal, being the creator of both the NBA draft anthem and NFL team Buffalo Bills anthem; Conway and Westside Gunn being featured on Ye’s Donda album; Conway being one of the few artists to get a Hov feature; rappers such as Ransom and Mach Hommy being topics of discussion on prominent media houses such as the Complex show Brackets; and Freddie Gibbs and Alchemist’s album Alfredo being nominated for a Grammy in 2020. Some could even argue that we don’t get an amazing song like Champagne Poetry on Drake’s latest effort Certified Lover Boy, or CLB as its popularly referred to by Drake stans, without the incredible drumless loops Roc Marciano has been giving us for over a decade. This is certainly one of the most exciting trends in hip hop right now, and in this article, The Bytown Blog is going to reveal five underground artists that are shaking tables right now:
Continue reading “The top 5 Underground Hip Hop Acts on the rise”