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Exclusive Interview: Ty Bru Delves on His Creative Tastes, His Inspirations & His New Single “A Single Black & Bloody Rose”

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After Ty Bru exceptional single “A Single Black & Bloody Rose” was released, we caught up with an insightful interview with such a talented artist to explore his eidetic experience and what he had to say about his incredible musical journey so far. Read below to learn some interesting details about Ty Bru.

It’s an honor to speak with you today. Why don’t you give us some details about you and your story. How did you get to where you are today?

It started out 1999 at a fraternity function. I was a DJ at the time and then jumped on the microphone over an instrumental one night and the rest was history. I wrote songs before then, but never performed them outside of close friends or family. Since then I’ve performed in a dozen countries and received international awards for my music.

Congratulations on your latest track “A Single Black & Bloody Rose”, how do you feel about the newfound success?

I feel great about it. It was released on June 6, 2021 because it was the year anniversary of The Eastside March in Asheboro, NC. That march really helped bring a ton of light on the social injustices in the world and in turn the ones that are right here in our city.

A SINGLE BLACK AND BLOODY ROSE reveals the reasons why we marched last year and why we still fight and when it comes to music, this single has the potential to reach a much farther reach that what we can do in our community.

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What was the inspiration behind the single?

The hook was written after all charges were dropped in the case of Freddie Gray’s murder. A form of protest and showing respect to him, with him being the symbolic Black and Bloody Rose. While making sure I kept the militant mindset that we all have to make sure we are armed and protect ourselves at all costs, that’s that the second half of the hook means. “Bring down the levels” means it’s time to be quiet, ya know like speak less, act more which leads into “Hand on my metal with my eyes to the devil” meaning that I’ll keep my eyes on “the man” while exercising my right to bear arms.

After writing and recording the hook, the song wasn’t necessarily abandoned, but it was stagnant until three years later when George Floyd was murdered, then I figured it was time to finish the song. So my verse on the record is directly related to that Heinous act.

I felt I needed to have a few other rappers on there so that they could share a common voice but from their perspectives. So I reached out to an old friend, Seven Da Pantha, who is a member of the Black Panther Party in Washington state and has always been at the forefront of battling social injustices since the day I met him well over a decade ago, as you can hear, it was a really good fit.

I then reached out to WuTang affiliate, Judah Priest because I admire his powerful, strong voice and his position in the industry. We met at a show in Greensboro years ago and we had played with the idea of working together, and this was the perfect chance. He’s such a professional, I loved working with him and hope to work again soon.

The fourth artist I reached out to, Shadow from Charlotte has been an extremely active solider in the fights that Charlotte has gone through on the civil rights tip, but COVID19 really threw a wrench in that, so he was unable to be on this single release, but will certainly be on the album edition, his verse is on point and I’m excited to let the world hear this song in it’s entirety, like it was intended to be.

How would you describe your sound to someone who just listened to your music for the first time?

At the core of my lyrics and beats I choose is the authentic boombap hip hop I grew up on in the late 80s and 90s. I do deviate away from that from time to time, experimenting, expanding my sound and style, but for the most part it’s very boombapish. It’s very heartfelt and/or very in your face, blunt and abrasive, grimy at times, elegant at others.

Who has been the earliest influence who inspired you to take the plunge in the music scene?

The older I get and the more aware I get of my past and the road I’ve taken to get here, the clearer my inspirations get. Early in my career, I thought it was certain musicians and artists, but at 40 years old I am here to confidently say that my community, family and friends inspired me the most to plunge into this scene, because all of the aforementioned cherish music so much and music can be so therapeutic, and also it has excellent journalistic qualities as well.

What would your ultimate dream gig be?
When it comes to music, most of my dreams have come true. My bucket list is pretty much been checked off. I’ve performed in stadiums, concert halls and bars all over the world with some of the best artists that have lived. So I guess at this point, just to finish all that I’ve started, and that’s a lot. I’ve got tons of works in progress, it would certainly be an ultimate goal to get those finished before my last day.

What goals have you accomplished? What goals are you still working towards?

In the past year and a half I have become a very active leader and advocate of civil rights in my city and I’ve seen some very positive change and progression as a direct result in my leadership while teaming up with others of my same mindset. I helped co-found THE HOPE OF EASTIDE, which is dedicated to helping the minority youth in our area.

I lived in China for five years and was able to conduct business, teach, share my art and perform my music during that time. I did an extensive tour in Europe in 2005 and also a 20+ venue tour throughout Asia and the USA in 2008. I’ve won an award for Hip Hop Album of the year in 2016 at the Independent Music Awards at the Lincoln Center in New York City, beating out hip hop legend Masta Ace. I’ve won the best of the best award for photographer in my hometown last year and received dozens of awards in the international film festival circuit after picking up videography and directing as part of my profession.

With the second part of that question, the goals I’m still working toward is similar to the last answer, I want to finish everything I’ve started, all those songs, movies, books, etc. I wanna finish them all.

For our final question, what’s next for you?

Releasing this new album, TRIPLE BYPASS: UNDER ANESTHESIA and I am so excited about it. It comes our June 12, 2021 and it’s my best work. I have simultaneously been working on a few other albums, which one of them will include A SINGLE BLACK AND BLOODY ROSE.

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Ty Bru Like it used to Ty Bru Like it used to Exclusive Interview: Ty Bru Delves on His Creative Tastes, His Inspirations & His New Single “A Single Black & Bloody Rose”

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Digital Guts Builds a Restless Genre Bending World From Anonymity, DIY Instinct, and Sonic Experimentation on “Digital Guts”

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Digital Guts Builds a Restless Genre Bending World From Anonymity, DIY Instinct, and Sonic Experimentation on “Digital Guts”

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Originally from Michigan and now based in Philadelphia, Digital Guts is an artist who embraces anonymity, keeping attention on the music rather than the person behind it. That sense of mystery fits naturally with a deeply DIY approach. The self-titled 7-track album “Digital Guts” is a fascinating, genre-bending project, connecting an underground electronic and emo aesthetic with experimental, sample-heavy instrumental structures. The result feels committed to sonic exploration, with arrangements that resist cookie-cutter formulas and a production style that shifts deliberately from one track to the next.

Opener “Angels Ball Out” sets the record in motion with a grand introduction. Its beat leans heavily on clever, layered sampling, creating a textured foundation that feels nostalgic while remaining distinctly underground. The rhythm settles into a smooth, loop-centered hip-hop bounce. It functions almost like an overture, especially once the album reaches its final track, “Bye Bye,” which cleverly returns to “Angels Ball Out” through a full-circle structural reverse play. Weightless, ethereal, and triumphant, the opener creates a cinematic entryway into the album’s universe.

The second track, “Goth Girl,” moves directly toward darker alternative subcultures, driven by a shadowy trap bounce and alluring vocals. A deeply calming, hypnotic instrumental backdrop balances the vocal loop, while the rhythm stays slow, deliberate, and swaying. Much of the vocal cadence circles around one lingering question, “What you see in me?” At a faster tempo, that repetition might become tedious. Here, it works beautifully, drawing a comparison to Rihanna’s “Pour It Out,” filtered through a more gothic atmosphere.

What comes through is deep longing, melancholia, and romantic fixation. The restrained beat strengthens the sense of emotional vulnerability and keeps the listener absorbed in the atmospheric space surrounding the voice.

Third track “Broken” marks a huge sonic pivot. The smooth sampling falls away as the production dives headfirst into aggressive electronic hip-hop, powered by high-energy UK drum and bass patterns. The rhythm is high-octane, frenetic, and relentless. Its chaotic cadence recalls early The Prodigy and the aggressive electronic-punk style associated with Wargasm UK.

The mood is erratic, anxious, and explosive. “Broken” captures the sensation of mental fracturing or inner chaos, pushing the album’s energy suddenly into overdrive.

Another standout from the album is “cryonme,” easily its most experimental and polarizing track. The production is intensely maximalist, with so many elements moving at once that the beat can feel intentionally at odds with the underlying tone. Its eccentric layering carries a distinct art-pop Gorillaz influence, while hyper-pulsating electronic details become one of the track’s defining characteristics.

The rhythm is disjointed and constantly shifting. “cryonme” is among the album’s more lyric-driven moments, asking the listener to follow the vocal cadence through a maze of competing instrumental sounds. The mood is melodramatic, eccentric, and overwhelming. It resembles emotional overload poured into a blender, producing a surreal and slightly chaotic listening experience.

“Dreams” is a synthetic masterpiece, hauntingly beautiful throughout and capable of leaving a desirable aftertaste long after its final notes fade.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of Digital Guts’ “Digital Guts,” streaming now on popular digital platforms.

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Gospel Artist Harmoni Allen Confronts Mental Health Stigma With Vulnerability Faith and Soul on Her Powerful Single “Schitzo”

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Gospel Artist Harmoni Allen Confronts Mental Health Stigma With Vulnerability Faith and Soul on Her Powerful Single “Schitzo”

Right now, gospel artist Harmoni Allen’s work reflects the transformative power of faith, with vulnerability, triumph, encouragement, and Christ-centered hope running through her music. Her warm vocals, expressive delivery, and deeply personal storytelling give that message a human center. Drawing from lived experience and testimony, she turns questions of faith, healing, freedom, resilience, and hope into songs that feel intimate without losing their uplifting spirit.

Harmoni Allen’s “Schitzo” is a sincere, soul-stirring track built around a deeply personal subject. Short for schizophrenia, the song opens an intimate conversation about mental well-being, judgment, fear, vulnerability, and the struggle to feel free in a world that can be quick to define people from the outside. Harmoni does not keep the subject at a safe distance. She brings the listener directly into the experience, shaping the song as a confession that feels immediate and exposed.

The accompanying music video establishes that vulnerability from its opening moments. Harmoni sits alone on her front porch, drinking water, visibly troubled and seemingly asking herself whether she is truly okay. Nearby, two women watch her from a distance. Their expressions communicate the judgment and assumptions that sit at the center of the song. Without speaking, they capture a painful reality: people can decide who someone is before taking the time to understand what that person may be going through.

Looking for answers, Harmoni calls a friend and heads to a hospital. The song then unfolds inside a psychiatrist’s office, where she is asked, “So, Miss Allen, what brings you to my office today?” Her answer becomes the emotional core of “Schitzo.” The music takes over, developing into a slow-burning, soulfully rich R&B confession carried by Harmoni’s heavenly, deeply vulnerable vocals.

Verse by verse, Harmoni reveals the strain of living under the gaze of people who may fear, misunderstand, or judge what they cannot see. She sings about people being scared of her, watching from afar, the medicines she takes, and the exhausting burden of being viewed through a label instead of recognized as a human being. Inside that pressure, however, comes a moment of release. She looks into the mirror, sits on the bed, takes a breath, and arrives at the realization that she is free.

That realization does not magically change the world around her. People still look at her the same way. Their assumptions remain. This is where “Schitzo” broadens into something many listeners can recognize, the understanding that other people’s perceptions do not get to define your identity, your worth, or your destiny.

Harmoni’s faith gives that idea its foundation. Beneath the emotional turbulence is a steady conviction that God has the last say. People may judge from afar, attach labels, and make assumptions based on appearance, yet those opinions do not determine the course of someone’s life. For Harmoni, faith creates a space where judgment begins to lose its hold and freedom becomes possible.

Musically, “Schitzo” carries the same emotional weight as its subject. The production settles into a slow-burning R&B groove that gives Harmoni’s voice room to breathe, ache, and communicate. Her soulful delivery has a nostalgic warmth, while smooth layers of vocal harmony wrap around the lead with an almost heavenly glow. The arrangement remains restrained, keeping the storytelling in clear focus instead of crowding it with unnecessary drama. Harmoni shifts naturally between fragility and quiet strength, making the performance feel close enough to resemble a private conversation across the room.

“Schitzo” ultimately centers on being seen, being misunderstood, finding your breath again, and recognizing that freedom can survive other people’s judgment.

When the final note fades, Harmoni Allen leaves behind the message that has guided the song from the beginning: people may have their opinions, but God has the final say!

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Serag Baddar Revisits a Teenage Guitar Idea With Intimacy and Patience on the Atmospheric Post Rock Track “Limerence”

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Serag Baddar Revisits a Teenage Guitar Idea With Intimacy and Patience on the Atmospheric Post Rock Track “Limerence”

Based in Malta, composer Serag Baddar turns a long-held guitar idea into something intimate and absorbing on “Limerence.” The post-rock track grew from a riff he wrote 15 years ago, with one section carrying a subtle nod to Buckethead’s “Padmasana,” whose rhythm guitar left a clear impression on Baddar.

Crisp, mellow, and atmospheric, “Limerence” moves through clean guitar layers and an ethereal sense of space. Silken vocals shimmer underneath, adding a restrained melancholy that suggests heartbreak without overwhelming the arrangement.

Baddar’s background in heavy metal remains important to the song, even as he strips away high-gain distortion and conventional vocal delivery. In their place, structure and melody do most of the emotional work. At the center is a clean, melodic guitar riff designed to flow ergonomically across the fretboard, giving the performance a natural physical ease.

The quieter acoustic and clean passages of progressive metal are an obvious reference point. Opeth and Tool, two bands that have shaped Baddar’s style, can be heard in the track’s sense of structure and restraint. Its spacious ambient textures also draw from the accessible melodic soundscapes associated with instrumental artists such as Buckethead. “Padmasana” is especially relevant, with its rhythm guitar inspiring a small section of “Limerence.”

The pacing is deliberate and unhurried, in keeping with post-rock’s slow-burn character. Its rhythmic framework stays steady, patient, and evocative, giving the central guitar melody room to breathe. Notes are allowed to ring out and decay naturally rather than being crowded by unnecessary movement.

Much of the song’s appeal comes from that simplicity. The arrangement avoids excessive time-signature gymnastics and settles into a smooth, approachable cadence that strengthens its hypnotic quality. That choice suits the meaning behind “Limerence,” the intense and involuntary psychological state of romantic obsession and infatuation that Baddar seeks to capture emotionally.

Because the released track is a “demo” mix, it retains a raw, unpolished authenticity. That texture fits Baddar’s philosophy of “writing for dopamine,” prioritizing emotional resonance and the organic “magic” of a creative spark over pristine, heavily compressed commercial engineering.

The result is intimate and thoughtful. It feels reflective and deeply personal, like a bedroom guitarist finally translating a 15-year-old teenage memory into a cohesive, immersive piece of music. The closing stretch brings the song’s crisp, clean, haunting guitar riff into sharper focus, giving the track a fitting climax and reminding us how much of its emotional weight rests on that original idea.

Baddar waited until he felt his technical ability and musical vision had matured enough to do the riff justice before recording and releasing it. He approaches music as a philosophical hobby, creating for the pleasure of the craft rather than under commercial pressure.

Taken as a whole, “Limerence” is an accomplished, carefully felt performance worth spending time with. It is streaming now.

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