soap.wav – “Top Down” [Video]

By: Shamus Hill

Gracing the Graduation Music site again today is soap.wav, this time with both the audio and visuals for a brand-new release titled “Top Down”. Tapping in BT Livin to help bring his vision to life, soap.wav wants listeners to understand that he’s coming with a furious energy in 2019. Perhaps his most potent track to date, “Top Down” helps add an additional layer atop soap.wav’s artistry.

Chris Tophr is the man responsible for the production on “Top Down”, giving this track a really hypnotic, yet buoyant sound that soap.wav floats over. Possessing a long-list of songs that achieve a variety of heights, “Top Down” unleashes an entirely new layer of soap.wav that his listeners haven’t been exposed to before. The Cambridge-native is yet another example of just how talented the city is, and is looking to build upon his strengths even more as the year continues.

Watch the video for “Top Down” below:

Connis – “Spent” [Music Video]

By: Shamus Hill

Connis and BT Livin bring their minds together in order to forge some eye-catching visuals for the first single off of Connis’ upcoming project, Conn(is). Graduation Music premiered this flawless track back in April of 2018, so we’re delighted to see that it has finally received a video treatment.

“Spent” circulates around the feeling that we obtain following periods of stagnancy. Connis reiterates, “I spent way too long, waiting on nothing / I can’t take it no more, gotta get something”, throughout this track, and it shines a light on how overbearing reflection can be for us at times. While we can’t change what’s already happened in our lives, sometimes we can get buried with the ideas of what could have been had we acted differently. In Connis’ example, he’s weighed down by the thoughts of how he could’ve moved differently to better prepare himself for reaching his goals.

As the song progresses, the tempo shifts towards a faster pace, and Connis details how he’s beginning to bounce back from the mistakes he’s made. With a new perspective on how he should operate and an assessment of what’s truly valuable in his life, he’s prepared to launch himself towards the completion of his dreams. He ends the track with, “How is change gon’ come, if I don’t change something?”, coming to the realization that the changes he makes in his own life will ultimately be what end up changing his life for the better.

As usual, BT Livin did a wondrous job injecting a newfound energy into this track, and viewers everywhere should certainly be watching this in order to prepare themselves for the release of Conn(is). A living example of how much talent is present within the depths of Cambridge, Connis is ready to take over.

Watch the official video for “Spent” below:

Artist: Connis

Director: Connis & BT Livin

Gogo – “King Of The Jungle” [Music Video]

By: Shamus Hill

Gogo and BT Living recently combined forces in order to gift fans with the official visuals for Gogo’s “King Of The Jungle”, an addictive offering that the Graduation Music staff has had in rotation since it dropped this past summer.

Gogo had himself quite the 2018, delivering a handful of melodic masterpieces that have helped him gain a solid position within the Massachusetts music scene. His vocal range allows him to capture a wide variety of emotions in his music, and this attribute is something that I truly believe will assist in lifting Gogo into a universal limelight. The Cambridge-native is yet another example of the immense amount of talent that’s present within the city, and as he settles into 2019 it’s becoming apparent that he’s moving towards having a successful year.

Watch the official video for “King Of The Jungle” below:

Artist: Gogo

Production: Gogo

Director: BT Livin

Creative Director: Sim

Photography: @LexOnOne

Connis – “Introvert” (Prod. babygoat) MUSIC VIDEO

By: Shamus Hill

The transformative ability of BT Livin to translate wonderful music into exceptional visuals has been put on display yet again, this time with Connis and babygoat for “Introvert”. Arguably one of the most potent releases out of the Cambridge-native this year, “Introvert” is a testament to the fact that Connis is staying true to himself as he pursues his dreams.

One of Connis’ standout attributes is how he’s able to construct bars full of meaning that are incredibly fun to listen to. With lines like “I don’t be chasing with soda boy, I just been chasing this dream my whole life”, and “Everybody got the drip now, I’m just rapping till’ the pipe burst”, it becomes overwhelmingly evident that Connis is willing to go against the grain in order to see his goals through. His primary focus is developing within himself rather than following the opinion of the masses, and with that being said, “Introvert” is a shining example of how he’s making strides towards completing this mission.

Big shoutout to babygoat for coming through with frosty production that allows Connis to really exhibit why his artistry is not to be messed with. “I didn’t hear that babygoat tag in the intro first, BABYGOAT, oh there it is, that’s my shit forreal” echoes Connis at the beginning of the track, showcasing how highly the Cambridge-artist thinks of the young producer. Anytime his name is attached to a song, it instantaneously becomes a “must listen”, and as he continues to work with more and more talented individuals, his skill set has only continued to successfully develop. Living proof the fact that Boston possesses both talented rappers AND producers, the future of the music scene in our city is looking brighter than ever.

Watch the official video for the Connis’ “Introvert” below:

Produced by @babygoat617

Directed by @spaceysim // Shot by @bt.livin

TeaMarrr – “The One”

By: Seamus Fay

The best music is always the music that can paint a vivid picture in the listener’s head, capturing a certain scene or sequence of events that come to life once the listener is fully engaged in the listening experience. This very concept is one of the biggest strengths in the case of Massachusetts-based singer, TeaMarrr. Her music is illustrative to put it simply, creating worlds with her songs while capturing very specific moods and aesthetics along the way. That being said, TeaMarrr is back on our pages today to bless the world with her brand new video for the Thanks For The Chapstick standout, “The One”.

Shot by BT Livin, this cinematic display of TeaMarrr’s wide variety of talents breathes new life into the sound of her music. In the music video, we watch the singer take her own process in discovering who “the one” is, traveling through a set of disappointments and edits to her appearance in the pursuit of discovering her own partner. The music follows right behind with seamless, bellowing melodies and well-placed drums to match, and all in all, this is a standout release in regards to both audio and visuals. TeaMarrr’s artistic vision is second to none, so show her some well-deserved love on her latest offering.

Watch “The One” at the link below:

OG Swaggerdick – “F**k Gentrification”

By: Seamus Fay

No matter what role he assumes at a given moment, OG Swaggerdick is an incredibly unique artist in regards to his abilities as a natural performer. A renaissance man in and of himself, it’s always going to be a great day when we receive a new dose of this natural energy from the Boston native, and today, he unleashes this sentiment full force in his latest offering, “F**k Gentrification”. Fueled by the influx of people who consequently raise prices, fail to respect the culture of an area, and more, this song and video work together to tell us how Swaggerdick feels.

Spoiler alert, he’s not a fan. And I don’t blame him. “F**k Gentrification” may be a perfect example of OG’s role as someone who can always put on a show, but the fact of the matter is that gentrification is a serious problem, and this song is the anthem to soundtrack the moment. Backed by a ruthless, key-led melody and deeply-cut drums, we hear OG at his best, complemented by illustrative visuals courtesy of @Bt.Livin. All in all, this standout release definitely speaks for itself, so I’ll leave it there for you to check the video out for yourself.

Watch “F**k Gentrification” below: