One of my least favorite opinions I will see among older music fans(28 or so and up) online is that Hip Hop music is getting stale and that what they grew up with was better. I personally think this idea is so tiring. Music is constantly evolving and getting better; if you think that this is not the case, you are not looking and are only paying attention to what is in the mainstream. Nostalgia will make people forget that most of the mainstream music they grew up with was mundane, too; people only remember the best stuff that came out when they were young and forget about this fact. I personally think that Hip Hop these days is more diverse than ever, especially in the independent and underground scenes. There are artists who are pushing boundaries in such awesome ways, creating sounds that push the genre forward in such a cool way. One rising Hip Hop artist who thinks outside the box and makes music to the beat of his own drum(literally) is JoeJas. He is an independent DIY artist who has a sound, style, and overall persona that is entirely individual. It is tough to categorize the music that JoeJas makes because it is so eclectic and unique. JoeJas is an artist who has been honing his talents since he was just a kid. He started rapping at 11 years old and started making his own beats at 17. Everything JoeJas does these days is created by himself. From his songs to his music videos to his merch, JoeJas is a do-it-all and multi-faceted artist who makes anything and everything regarding his artistry. Since debuting with his album Planet in 2016, JoeJas has been fairly prolific with his music releases. He released albums called Gappy in 2018, Four Wing Island in 2020, and Gaps & Nomads in 2022. In addition to these albums, JoeJas released multiple stand-alone high-quality singles as well. After taking 2023 off, JoeJas recently returned with a new single called ‘WTF.’ I wanted to briefly highlight this single below, as it is a super cool track track that shows how interesting an artist he is. Please let me know in the comments below what you think of JoeJas’s ‘WTF,’ and also comment the names of any other up-and-coming artists you think I should check out!

‘WTF,’ which was dropped back on March 20th, is a dynamic and fun track that shows how much of an individual JoeJas is with his music. This is a song that feels extremely fresh and modern but also has very nostalgic qualities to it. JoeJas has stated that this track has an early 2000s Neptunes/Timbaland sort of groove and sound, and I can definitely hear the inspiration from those artists in this track. This song has a funky and punchy sound that is reminiscent of the music from Neptune-produced artists like The Clipse, as well as Timbaland-produced artists like Missy Elliott or even Nelly Furtado. There is an element to the mix of this track that makes it super current, though. There is a ton of distortion on the mix, giving the song an industrial feeling similar to artists like JPEGMAFIA or Brockhampton. The melody for ‘WTF’ is driven by an off-kilter guitar riff complemented by some synths and sound effects, and the beat is quick, quirky, and very complex. It is honestly tough to describe this beat because it is so intricate, which is what makes it so cool. JoeJas’ vocal performance on ‘WTF’ is just as riveting as the instrumental. The low and gruff tone he raps with is so dominant, and his flow and overall style of delivery are in-your-face and bold. On ‘WTF,’ JoeJas is rapping about being yourself and grinding at your craft to get the results you want, no matter how many doubters you have. As great as this song is, I also want to shout out the music video(which will also be linked down below). Everything about this video is sweet! The editing on it is superb, and it is extremely trippy, which I love. The video has so many quick cuts that will keep the watcher on their toes. If you love high-octane videos with a style that seems like it came out of the 1990s, you will love this video. With ‘WTF,’ JoeJas proves he is one of the most exciting Hip Hop artists coming up right now, and he helps show that Hip Hop music is as vivid as ever if you know where to look.