Melodic Hip-Hop lovers, I have you’re next infatuation right here to discover.  Lo Artiz is the perfect meld of soft hip-hop, R&B, and her own personal twist. She has a beautifully unique sound and style adjacent to the likes of Noname or Erykah Badu, putting an ethereal feminine flare on classic hip-hop lyricism and production. She’s just released her debut album LOVE LACED after building up a steady catalogue of singles over the past few years. 

One of my favourite things about the project is how cohesive the production is, you can listen through the whole album from start to finish and everything fits together sonically and smoothly. This speaks to Lo’s talents as a majority of the project is self-produced and mixed. She carries her weight wonderfully as a majority of the album is solo works however on tracks like “go get her” and “SOS” she brought in some collaborators who were well chosen and elevated the sound. “go get her” is a more classic hip-hop track with her collaborators bringing a varied collection of verses, flows, and vibes to meld into one excellent track. The second collaborative work “SOS” is smooth and R&B leaning with some jazz influences prevalent. 

In terms of solo pieces a few of my personal favorites are “la bruja,” “love laced,” and “get by.” “la bruja” means “the witch” in English and embodies a strong feminine energy. The production is dynamic yet gentle and Lo Artiz’s lyricism exudes confidence. “love laced” the title track of this project is a deeper more raw-sounding piece. Lo mentioned in regard to this project that it explored themes of love and addiction, as she finds herself addicted to people and relationships this track is among the ones that explores these experiences. Lastly “get by” is a beautifully produced piece in which Lo Artiz sings in both English and Spanish while also incorporating hip-hop-style verses. 

All in all this project is truly a piece of work that you can hit play and enjoy all the way through. It’s deemed itself a no-skip album, perfect to put on for a walk, drive, or chilling at home. I may be biased as melodic hip-hop is truly my favourite genre but as someone who listens to a ton of music in this realm, Lo Artiz really stood out to me as unique and fresh. I encourage everyone to listen through and find their favourite tracks from LOVE LACED. 

‍