Van Buren Records - Bad For Press

May 09, 2021 in Reviews, Artist Radar

So turns out they’re good for press!

The boys from Brockton have finally come together, after cultivating their sound separately over the course of two years the group decidedly united their various styles and strengths like the Avengers in the form of the collective’s debut album, Bad For Press.

Featuring members Jiles, Luke Bar$, SAINT LYOR, Meech, Andrew Regis, Homeinvader, Shelby Narcisse, KIRON, Ricky Felix, rlouie, and MosCouture, Van Buren Records has a highly saturated roster of talent that has been waiting to be let loose. Now with the drop of their first collective effort, the VB boys are now in top form, ready to show the world the talent that only Brockton can bring to the table.

Below are our favorite five tracks from the project! Let us know yours in the comments and enjoy the article!

It Is What It Is (ft. Luke Bar$, SAINT LYOR, Jiles, & Lord Felix)

A groovy, high-energy opener, It Is What It Is showcases various bodacious verses from the boys, starting with Luke Bar$, who speaks on lack of trust in others, time running out, and destroying pedestals. The hook is incredibly catchy with the production surrounding Bar$ voice beautifully. SAINT LYOR helms the second verse taking on topics of unhappiness, checking boxes off his hit list, and warning against getting him angry.

Jiles ego makes a surprise entrance before the man himself comes in for a gritty three-piece, taking on a reminiscent verse centered on life in the hood back in Brockton. Lord Felix closes off with the energy of a headliner, wrapping up the incredible starter in a nice neat bow.

Medic (ft. SAINT LYOR, Lord Felix, Jiles, Andrew Regis,

The second breakout single from the boys, the Medic features vocal performances from everyone outside of Luke Bar$, with the inclusion of new vocalist and longtime producer, Andrew Regis. SAINT LYOR comes in with a face-scrunching, opener, making it clear the distinction between his team and the outsiders.

He speaks on laziness and comfort-searching within the music industry and how complacency has taken hold of upcoming artists nowadays. Lord Felix vibes in hitting pockets right between the beat that accentuate the beauty of the hypnotic production. Jiles grounds the track with a stellar grungy verse, boasting his lack of trust for others outside of his collective.

Andrew Regis glides along this beat with a groovy few bars before handing it off to Meech to absolutely destroy it with a beautiful last verse. Ricky said it best:

“That’s how you f*ckin rap n*ggas rap.” - Ricky Felix

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (ft. Luke Bar$, Andrew Regis, Meech & Lord Felix)

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun slows the album down completely, shifting it into a more relaxing atmosphere. Luke Bar$ leads you in with a trance-filled thoughtful verse about commitment, love, and faith.

The chorus sums up the tone of this track, loose, unbearing, and tranquil. Andrew Regis rides for his second feature of the album, doubling down on the groovy flow of before as he speaks about his newfound ties with a woman he’s met. Meech struggles between love and lust in his verse, backed by almost heavenly adlibs.

As the hooks swing back around, Lord Felix does what he does best and vibes the track to a finish with an infectious last refrain.

No Interviews (ft. Jiles, Lord Felix, Luke Bar$, & Meech)

Jiles comes out the gate with a fury like no other, throwing heavy and gritty bars left and right to start off this hype train of a track. An alleyoop of sorts, Lord Felix catches the verse and doesn’t fumble in the slightest, changing the vibe to fit his needs, a slower more deliberate and funky delivery.

Luke Bar$ gently takes it from his fellow member, softly speaking deathly truths overtop a haunting production. Meech absolutely snatches his part, taking an absolutely braggadocious tone to his delivery, using the intoxicating production to lead him out.

VVS (ft. Luke Bar$, BoriRok, Jiles, & Lord Felix)

VVS… this is our favorite track on the album by far, and completely encompasses the grungy, truth-seeking, introspective, and deadly aura that Van Buren Records embodies.

Luke Bar$ gives an almost triumphant verse on this third-to-last track, manifesting riches for everyone on his team, admitting to probably going a bit crazy, but loving ride ever still. The hook is insatiable, keeping your ears hooked till the next verse, and BoriRock delivers like no other. His clean and concise, yet, ferally active delivery gives a forboding head-thumping energy like no other.

Jiles does exactly what he was meant to do on this beat, speak truths of his Brockton life and hope for the future, all while lyrically making your face stink up. Lord Felix’s verse encompasses the entire hype of the track, ending it off with a bang.

But it seems as if that was but only a warning shot, for the Boys from Brockton have much more in store for us.

ISOLATION STATION EP 2 - The Hype Don't Stop

May 15, 2020

In this segment we’re giving life to the leagues of music being dropped every week during this trying, yet, interestingly enough, personal time. We at Nefarious Supply want you guys to always have a new underground project or creator, either on your mind, on your playlist, or on your feed in some way, shape, or form. In this instance, we’re doing this on an episodic basis and deciding to write on all the new music coming in through this station, five tracks at a time.

Our second episode brings us bangers from rap collectives such as DKTM and the Van Buren Boys, as well as sprinkles in some international sound from Calgary’s MainCiaga. Chicago newcomer Saeed accompanies Down Silence and Gussi Chamberlain in this six-track rotation.

Take a look! 😈

Van Buren Boys - Mo in the Benz

The newest release from the Brockton label, Van Buren Records, the VB Boys aren’t letting their foot off the gas this quarantine. Mo in the Benz is the third installment of the Van Buren Boys, which features every member of the label on a track.

Starting with heavy-hitting production from R Louie and an infectious chorus from Luke Bar$, Lord Felix slides into the flow, smooth as always.

He alley-oops to Jiles, who drops heavy and confident bars before slipping right back into the chorus. Saint Lyor helms the last verse and sets the production on fire for the last minute and ten seconds, closing the hype anthem off on a high note.

Pope Loud - Weight (ft. Blk Lexx & Beggar Allan Poe)

A Nefarious favorite, DKTM is back again with members Pope.Loud, Blk Lexx and upcoming artist Beggar Allan Poe, coming together for the silky and illustriously lucid track, Weight.

The first thing that catches your eye on Weight is the sheer depth of the production, from heavy bass and 808s to some sort of frantic synth progression and an overlaying sultry melody, the beat in and of itself is great.

Praise Baat Choy and Mouse. However, the vocals and lyricism of the track make it that much greater. Pope, Beggar, and Blk switch flows and pass verses smoothly throughout the duration of the track, letting off on various dark and brooding topics and ideals, bringing the overall atmosphere of the track to a head.

Saeed - Wicked Games Remix

Saeed is an upcoming rap artist based in Uptown, Chicago. In this dusky flip of the Weeknd’s Wicked Games, Saeed takes his time in the world of the XO King, embedding himself into the additional lyricism he spits over the slow and deliberate production.

He speaks on drunken nights, leaps of lust, fake love, drug obsession, and much more, flirting with the production as it strings him along from verse to verse. Saeed has proven himself a force to be reckoned with in the Chicago area and all of the Underground community. Look out for more from the artist on the Nefarious Blog!

Down Silence & Gussi Chamberlain - Exposure

A collaboration between Down Silence and Gussi Chamberlain, Exposure slows our playlist down a few bpms and adds beautiful guitar progressions and rightly placed hi-hats to complete the solid production. The vocals on this track are amazing and you could coast off them, alone, for the entire three minutes.

The fluttery melody gives the low-tempo beat to cruise all the way through the duration of the track beautifully.

MainCiaga - Drippin (prod. YeahthisMoh)

MainCiaga is a Canada-bred rap artist, based out of Calgary, Alberta. Ciaga has just released the video for his new song Drippin, produced by YeahthisMoh and shot by Alp Ardic. The soft beat with the light-hearted 808s and hi-hats pave a smooth road for Ciaga to steer his lyricism and flows along the beat.

It becomes a nice foundation for the grungy and heavy lyrics Ciaga spits overtop, and the video is honestly simply a good time. Take a look and leave a like!

If you enjoyed this week’s episode of isolation station be sure to give the artists featured this week a follow and checkout the rest of their discography!

If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, and Twitter. We also recently opened the Nefarious Supply shop so if you want to support you can show some love here!

[MYMHM 1] Saint Lyor - IF MY SINS COULD TALK

May 05, 2020 in MYMHM, Reviews

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life and the new constraints and anxieties that courses through society today, it’s easy for you to overlook certain things. Well, we here at Nefarious Supply are here to make sure your dose of underground music isn’t one of them. Here with a new segment, Music You May Have Missed, the NS team thought of recapping enticing talent that we did not get a chance to cover the previous content cycles, making sure we get every single ounce of brilliance we can out for our followers.

Our first project on this segment comes from none other than our friends over at Van Buren Records! Straight out of Brockton, Massachusetts, Van Buren’s wildcard Saint Lyor dropped his debut album, IF MY SINS COULD TALK” in early March. The freshman album stores Lyor’s takes on life, love, passion, pain, heartbreak, hunger for success, and may have answered the lifelong question that was just addressed not even two days ago by the CIA.

Are UFO’s real?

We’ll find out in our review of the LP below, enjoy! 😈

Big Facts

Coming in strong with a heavy-hitting 808, a murky melody, and perfectly-timed beat, Saint Lyor slides on the beat like butter on toast, riding out the gate with a lyrical flag, letting everyone know he is not an artist to play with. Big Facts speaks on topics of status, success, failure, lost love and friendships, and religion, all over an in-your-face opening track.

Gossip

Lyor seems to glide from dark production to light-hearted melodies and a funky 808 subtly reverberating underneasth. Gossip is Saint Lyor’s outcry against fake friends, fake love, false claims, and mock appreciation. He starts the track off by stating “No I’m not, what you thought I was…” a clear and concise summary of this track’s main message. Don’t speak on anything you don’t know about. Be allergic to it. Stay in your lane, and please don’t gossip, ust as Lyor’s mother has told him time and time again.

FBI (Interlude)

This interlude starts with a voice recording of Lyor’s mother, who seems to not be too happy with his actions, however, basically states that as he makes his bed so he will lie in it, and the VB artist knows that very well. FBI is Saint Lyor’s acclamation of faith in himself as an individual and an artist, a reminder to himself that he is all that he claims he is, the groovy production underneath his raw lyricism prove this all the more.

Aunt Jemima

Probably our favorite track on the album, Aunt Jemima is Saint Lyor’s blockbuster track. With a cyberspace-esque melody overtop a heavy 808 and hard-hitting beat embedded underneath, Lyor goes in and has fun with it, effortlessly switching his flow, to and fro in order to accomodate for the bars spitting from his lips. The chorus is absolutely addicting and hits with the beat in a synchronicity that is almost enviable. Aunt Jemima was one of the singles Lyor released before its official position on the album.

Finsta

Finsta is a more grounded addition to our tracklist. On the xylophone-like melody and swelling production underneath, Saint Lyor speaks on the dangers of the unknown when it comes to those around him, the color of his skin, and its everyday complications within society today, as well as some flaunty bars sprinkled every other cadence. Finsta is definitely a favorite amongst fans.

Sweet

Sweet is the sixth track on the LP and showcases Lyor’s rapping ability yet again, signifying this far into the album, that his flows, lyricism, and creativity are as versatile as his beats are. Sweet is weighed with topics of capitalism, haters, the need for success, past trauma, and the names of his two friends, Zack and Cody. Sweet is a subtle yet serrated track.

LESS FRIENDS MORE BANDZ (ft. Luke Bar$)

The first song with a feature on the album, LESS FRIENDS MORE BANDZ has Lyor and his fellow VB comrade Luke Bar$ playing tennis with the various flow switches by Lyor, the expressive and morbidly passionate chorus, to the up-pitched lyrical domination that is Bar$ verse, the song goes to remind those who do him wrong that Lyor isn’t in the department for friends anyway.

Wifey

Wifey is kind of a self-explanatory track, in which Saint Lyor details all that he dreams of in a woman, everything he’s willing to give her, everything he’s peeped about the woman he’s with, the lies, the conniving attitude, the love, the toxicity on both sides, cheating, and to sum it up, all the ups and downs that come with being in a relationship you are not ready for, whilst adding a dash of self-serving, confident bars.

Aliens Exist

Looks like the question has been answered. Aliens indeed do exist with the addition of this mellow banger. On the track Saint Lyor alludes himself to an alien in a world not his own and understanding that fitting in isn’t always the best thing for you to grow. Instead, it’s realizing what makes him different that gives him the confidence to see himself above the competition. Those who see what he does look at him as if he’s alien because no one is doing what Saint Lyor is doing, how Saint Lyor is doing it.

This Is Not an Image

Another fan favorite and second-to-last track on the album, This Is Not an Image is Saint Lyor’s late-night vibe track on this project. Out the gate, Lyor alludes to his African culture by declining any fufu (an expression for stupid, also an African cuisine) in his pictures. Lyor spits Drake-like bars over a resonating 808 with well-timed hi-hats. He ends the track with a reality-checking sample. “I am not good, nor is any man who claims to be.”

SINNERMAN (Outro)

SINNERMAN is the final song on Saint Lyor’s IF MY SINS COULD TALK. The flute-like, high-synth melody soars across the ever-endorsing 808 below mesh like peanut butter and jelly with Lyor’s flows and introspective lyrical content. Lyor still doesn’t know who to trust, strives to be better than those who were supposed to be for him, acknowledges himself as only a sinner, and a man, and how success can ruin the dream you had to get there. SINNERMAN is the most Saint Lyor looks in the mirror and the hardest whatever he sees in himself stares back.

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If you enjoyed this review of Saint Lyor’s IF MY SINS COULD TALK, and want to reach out and show love, you can find him on Instagram as well as Twitter. Be on the lookout for more heat from him soon!